hi Gentlemen Wheelers
I have been offered an 'Empire' track bike currently converted to a single speed with brakes. it's been resprayed to there are no decals. there are a few markings and serial numbers. it needs a good service but otherwise it appears in good nick.
This chap tells me that it was bult for his dad 80 years ago. he dad rode with the 'orange amature cycling club' and would on occassion ride against sir hubert oppy. i met this chap's mum who tells the same story. whilst i have no way of verifying it, i tend to believe them as i have known then for over a year and they have only just decided to get rid of the bike.
My questions are:
is Empire real?
What would a price to pay for it be?
Cheers dougie
Empire Bicycles - advice please
Not sure what an "amateur" would be doing racing a professional like Oppy. If the original owner raced against Oppy, you should be able to find some racing results in the newspapers. Here, for example, are the results for a certain "A Sumner" who apparently rode as a junior for some club called Dull Hill in the 1950s. 
Just plug the initial and surname into the phrase search box here, maybe use Orange as a keyword as well.
There were a couple of companies called Empire, one in Adelaide and one in Melbourne. It is possible that they distributed in Orange (unlikely) or it could conceivably be a small local maker.
It might possibly be a Speedwell Empire, which was a high-end 1930s road racer. Just because it has rear facing rear drops doesn't mean it was a track bike. The Speedwell Empire had nickel-plated lugs, lower forks and rear triangle and rims. My 1935 Speedwell catalogue with the details is here. If the serial number looks like the one below, its a Speedwell.
Value? A straight uncracked rust-free 1930s frame should be worth (I guess) $100-$200. Repaint lowers the value, good racing history (if proved) increases it. Original components also increase value.
If you can post some pics it would really help.
Just plug the initial and surname into the phrase search box here, maybe use Orange as a keyword as well.There were a couple of companies called Empire, one in Adelaide and one in Melbourne. It is possible that they distributed in Orange (unlikely) or it could conceivably be a small local maker.
It might possibly be a Speedwell Empire, which was a high-end 1930s road racer. Just because it has rear facing rear drops doesn't mean it was a track bike. The Speedwell Empire had nickel-plated lugs, lower forks and rear triangle and rims. My 1935 Speedwell catalogue with the details is here. If the serial number looks like the one below, its a Speedwell.
Value? A straight uncracked rust-free 1930s frame should be worth (I guess) $100-$200. Repaint lowers the value, good racing history (if proved) increases it. Original components also increase value.
If you can post some pics it would really help.
Looks like a nice bike Doug.
Even if it had a repaint, it looks pretty period to me. Good to see what John says.
Marc
Even if it had a repaint, it looks pretty period to me. Good to see what John says.
Marc
Yes, sure looks like a Speedwell. The A prefix serial number and the headset suggest its probably 1940s or early 50s (edit: I've just had some advice from a Speedwell guru who suggests it is a high-end frame from 1956-1960). The pump pegs show its a road bike (no need for a pump on a track bike 
) and the nickel or chrome plate would be consistent with it being a Speedwell Empire. Pictures of a couple of similar Speedwells are here. I presume that the Empire name derives from Dunc Gray's success at the 1934 Empire Games. Speedwell's top track bike was the Speedwell Olympic, because of his gold medal at the 1932 Olympics (on a Speedwell).
The crankset looks original. Are those cranks round in cross-section? What brand are they? The wheels are probably replacements, judging by the 36/36 spoking. Standard in the 40s and 50s was 32/40. The brakes are also clearly replacements. Likewise the saddle. The stem is an alloy VEW (Velox Engineering Works), produced in Sydney and very rare. The bars might be original. I expect this bike originally had VEW brakes. Good luck finding a set....
Does this mean you're a potential Valley Wheeler?
) and the nickel or chrome plate would be consistent with it being a Speedwell Empire. Pictures of a couple of similar Speedwells are here. I presume that the Empire name derives from Dunc Gray's success at the 1934 Empire Games. Speedwell's top track bike was the Speedwell Olympic, because of his gold medal at the 1932 Olympics (on a Speedwell). The crankset looks original. Are those cranks round in cross-section? What brand are they? The wheels are probably replacements, judging by the 36/36 spoking. Standard in the 40s and 50s was 32/40. The brakes are also clearly replacements. Likewise the saddle. The stem is an alloy VEW (Velox Engineering Works), produced in Sydney and very rare. The bars might be original. I expect this bike originally had VEW brakes. Good luck finding a set....
Does this mean you're a potential Valley Wheeler?
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