Hawthorne bicycles was the Montgomery Wards house brand, though they didn’t build the bikes themselves, that was done by H.P. Snyder who also made Rollfast bikes, or by the Cleveland Welding Company.

I found these Hawthorne bikes at a yard sale complete with lots of patina, aka corrosion.

Perhaps from the late 1940s or ’50s. They just don’t build chain-rings like this any more. Love the flat rubber pad pedals and 1-piece crank, heavy but stout.

Here’s what a preserved or restored Hawthorne can look like. Image courtesy ratrodbikes.com.

And not all the Hawthorne bikes were Rollfast clones either. This Hawthorne Zep is pretty nifty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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