Elgin Blackhawk - American Vintage Bicycles

Elgin Roadster vintage bicycle
(600 USD)

Elgin Blackhawk – Beauty Meets Brawn

When you consider how nice the Sears Elgin Blackhawk was and how it embodied pretty much everything that a school-age boy dreamed about in a bicycle, it’s surprising that there isn’t more information about this classic cruiser on the internet.

Great Bikes, Bad Timing

Elgin was the house brand of the Sears Roebuck Company. The Westfield Manufacturing Company built the Blackhawk for Sears and was only in production for two years – from 1934 to 1936. The Elgin Blackhawk was loaded with a lot of cool standard features like:

steel clad wood rims made by Lobdel
twin-bar motorcycle style frame
massive two-tone gas tank that housed a tool kit
chrome forks and fork truss bar
kickstand
semi-high rise bars
beautiful, sprung red leather saddle

Optional accessories included a rear rack, battery-powered pancake horn, headlight, and speedometer. There was nothing subtle about this bike. It was heavy, low-slung, and it looked like it meant business. It looked like a motorcycle. With a price tag of $41.95 at the height of the Great Depression, a kid had to have very generous parents or a highly successful paper route to own one.

The Blackhawk’s Exquisite Sibling

	1936 Elgin Bluebird Skylark Twin 60 Robin Vintage Bicycle Handle Grips. Blue (New - 125 USD)
	1936 Elgin Bluebird Skylark Twin 60 Robin Vintage Bicycle Pedal Blocks Fox Grips (New - 100 USD)

Besides the economic disaster that had befallen the US during the 1930s, it’s possible that more of these bikes weren’t sold because it competed with another Elgin bike, the beautiful Bluebird. The Bluebird was even more expensive than the Blackhawk, costing around $52. Production of the Bluebird was around 4000, and only some of the bikes were sold. Today, the Elgin Bluebird is the most valuable balloon tire bicycle, and unrestored specimens sell for as much as $20,000.

Blackhawk Values

1920s PIERCE ARROW PREWAR VINTAGE BICYCLE ANTIQUE SCHWINN ELGIN ART DECO MOTOBIK (Used - 4125 USD)

The Elgin Blackhawk is a highly collectible and valuable bicycle in its own right. A quick search on the internet only turns up a few examples for sale. So, what’s it worth? A nice example can set you back a cool $ 5,000 if you can find one. Don’t let it disappear if you’re lucky enough to stumble across one at a yard sale.

More Elgin Vintage bicycles on eBay.com