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Antique of the Week solving mysteries with @jesseb

Antique of the Week solving mysteries with @jessebillypilgrim

This Week's Antique is a bit of a mystery. We were donated a Mossberg branded bicycle, and I can honestly say that I hadn't ever seen one. The ornate head badge says Little Falls, New York and has a knight's helmet on it. I'm a sucker for a good head badge and this one did it for me.

I had always known Mossberg as a gun manufacturer, and it turns out that the bicycle Mossberg and gun Mossberg are the same Mossberg. Bikes and guns have historically been made on the same factory floors since the start of the bike and it makes sense. Companys like BSA (British Small Arms) and Ivers Johnson used similar tooling to mill gun barrels and bike tubes in huge brick factories along rivers, though it turns out Mossberg guns and bicycles were never made in the same factories. It turns out that Mossberg (a New Haven, Conn. based company) bought out the Snyder bicycle company which produced Rollfast and Hawthorne bikes and started producing bicycles under their name using the existing factory in Little Falls, NY.

Rollfast and Hawthorn were always known for making Balloon tire cruiser style bikes but were not really known for lightweight performance machines. It seems like Mossberg wanted to see if they could compete with some of the lightweight imported bikes that were coming from Japan and Europe, and they produced some surprisingly nice-looking bikes. The Mossberg we have here at the PGH is outfitted with lightweight UKAI Rims and US Made ACS hubs and has 4130 Cr-Mo tubing. It even has a pair of Mossberg branded Alloy handlebars that are pretty darn comfortable. My favorite part is the big reflective M brazed into the seat stays.

While digging for info about this bike I found that Mossberg created the first US made carbon fiber bike and built one of the first purpose-built BMX bikes. It may have been this drive for perfection that was their undoing because it seems like they only existed from around 1970 to 1980. If you are looking for a unique piece of Northeastern US bicycle and gun history that also shreds, we have one here at the Portland Gear Hub.

#antiqueoftheweek

Saturday, October 7th join us for a self-supported

Saturday, October 7th join us for a self-supported* Benefit Ride for the Gear Hub. Routed and organized by our very own board member, this will be a lovely fall ride through the rolling hills of Freeport. Registration is free with donations strongly encouraged to benefit our organization!

25, 35, and 45 mile options

*Self-supported means you ride at your own pace - it’s not a race! Riders can download the route to your preferred device. We’ll have cue sheets available day of and will mark turns on the road. There’a 1 rest stop but no sag vehicle.

🍻 Participants will get $1 off a beer at Good Fire Brewing after the ride!

➡️ Link in bio for more info and to register ⬅️ 🚲 🚲 🚲

Antique of the Week carried to you by papa pilgrim

Scenes from our last Bikes for All Mainers class o

Scenes from our last Bikes for All Mainers class of the season!
The rain held off and we were able to ride bikes, and for some Learn to Ride!

It’s been an incredible summer meeting new people through the class, working with our outreach partners, and teaching with our All-Star Program Team led by Sara and our youth leaders!

As always, excellent photos taken by Francisco 📸 @cisco_2201

#bikesforallmainers #earnabike #gearhubbike #gearhubbikeschool

YOU’RE INVITED! 🎈We’ve got 2 upcoming event

YOU’RE INVITED! 🎈We’ve got 2 upcoming events in October!!

🧁 Please join us for a Celebratory evening on Thursday, October 5th to thank and congratulate our volunteers, program participants, donors, and YOU ALL for another successful summer season.
📣 📣 We’ll also be making a very exciting Special Announcement about the Gear Hub’s future that we don’t want you to miss.
RSVP on our website or via the link in bio.

🚲 Saturday, October 7th, our own board member and volunteer Bob Brown is hosting a benefit ride in Freeport to raise funds for the Gear Hub. It’s a self-supported ride with 25 -35 - 45 mile options on routes Bob rides! Registration is free, donations encouraged. ➡️ Registration is live on our website and via a link in our bio.

Hope to see you all soon 🥰🪩🌸

Blowing the Yard Sale out to next month. Officiall

Blowing the Yard Sale out to next month. Officially POSTPONED to Saturday, October 14th due to Hurricane Lee. 💨

We’ll plan to be open though and we will have new Camping Gear on sale inside the shop for those venturing out. 🏕️

Very happy for a sunny day this week! ☀️
We’ve got bikes out, a volunteer shift this morning, and a team of students volunteering this afternoon! 🔧
This evening @mainecycling is leading one of the last road group rides of the season, leaving from the Gear Hub at 6pm. Join us and bring your lights!

#shopusedshoplocal #reducereuserecycle♻️

Antique of the Week from the deep woods with @jess

Antique of the Week from the deep woods with @jessebillypilgrim

Marin the bicycle company was founded in 1986 in Sonoma County, which is close to Marin County, the county Marin was named after. This bike is named the Marin Muirwoods and it is SOO cool. The Muir Woods is a stand of Old Growth Redwood trees that is located on Mount Tamalpais and is named after one of the most famous naturalists of all time, John Muir. If you have never heard of John Muir, I would have a hard time explaining his wild and sometimes controversial history in just a couple paragraphs. I would definitely recommend watching the Ken Burns Documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea.

I am a little pressed for time this week and I apologize that I wasn't able to go into my usual deep dive, but what I can say is that this bike is various shades of Highlighter Colors, it rides like a dream, it is luckily too small for me and I think it is the coolest bike we have right now.

I am going to take the easy way out this week and just leave you with a big pile of John Muir quotes.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news”

“The world's big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
― John Muir

#antiqueoftheweek #muirwoods #marinbikes

(POSTPONED DUE TO HURRICANE LEE— Sat. OCT 14th)

(POSTPONED DUE TO HURRICANE LEE— Sat. OCT 14th) It’s that time again: we’re having another Gear Hub YARD SALE!!! Next Saturday, Sept. 16th we’ll be filling the lot with bins of parts, cool and funky frames, HUGELY discounted camping gear ⛺️, etc.

Basically we’re pulling out all the squirreled away parts and bobs from the year so you can dig through and find your treasure. ⚜️⚱️🥧🏆🏴‍☠️

See you next weekend!!

#yardsale #shopusedshoplocal

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The Portland Gear Hub
155 Washington Ave.
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 761-7632

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