1919 Bengal Special Racer
Adam Brenner’s Bengal Special Racer
Sure, this bike is a little rough, but let’s see how good you look in a hundred years.
This Special Racer was originally purchased from the Progressive Cycle & Auto Supply Company of New York City by a local area man named Adam Brenner.
The Bengal was one of Progressive Cycle’s sporting models from the teens or early twenties (judging from the frame angles and tubing sizes) and was probably built by Columbia or another large bicycle manufacturer of the time. In researching this bike, we discovered that the “Bengal Special Racer” model name was later applied to Progressive Cycle’s balloon tire boys’ bikes following World War II.
Interesting details on this bike include the nickel-plated handlebar and stem, the splined crankarm and bottom bracket interface, the nicely machined pedals and cages, and the super-narrow front fork and hub.
Bengal Special Racer headbadge
Splined bottom bracket, custom pedals
Looks like modern fastback seat stays
Nickel plated racing stem and bars
We’ve seen month-old bike chains that look worse.
Narrow front hub, open-crown fork
Mr. Brenner’s son (who was a fairly old man when he sold this bike to Jeff) said that his dad Adam was a bit of a weekend warrior, and occasionally did some racing on this bike in New York and northern New Jersey. The bike was put away sometime in the 1940’s and hasn’t been ridden since.