1940 Monark Superframe 5-bar

This months Bike of the Month is a 1940 Monark Superframe “5-bar”. Restoration done by Dave at nostalgic.net. Saddle restored by Bob Usasi. It has several unusual features, most notable are the handlebars which are designed to be mounted in one of two positions. In the photos they are mounted on the cross bar. This is made possible by the crossbar being the same diameter as the rest of the handlebars, and the stem being a special made 2-piece design. Monark called this the “Can’t Slip” stem. Also notice the springer fork with a single horizontal spring, and the butterfly stand. You may have noticed that the horn button in the tank is painted. This is not a mistake, it is a factory design! The horn mechanism is actually spot-welded into the tank, it can not be removed before painting. The front hub on this bicycle is also special, it is a Musselman “Olympic Racer” which came on some Monarks from this era. The chainguard is typically found on the Monark “Flo-Cycle” model, but was also used on other Monark models. It was installed on this bike for sake of style but is technically not correct.

The front fork on this bike is spring cushioned in an unsual way. The small spring is horizontal and despite it’s flimsy looks, holds up the bicycle and rider quite well.	Notice the unusual butterfly type kick stand mounted under the crank hanger. This was a Monark exclusive in these years.
The chain guard on this bike is the same one used on the Monark Silver-King Flo-Cycle model. It is similar to what would be used on 10-speed bicycles decades later.	Unusual cross-braced handelbars that could be mounted in the standard location or on the cross-bar. These were an exclusive Monark feature from the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.
Unique tank graphics and horn tank with horn mechanism permanently spot-welded in place. Horn buttons were painted the color of the tank on these models. Notice the holes drilled in the front of the tank to let the sound out.	Mussleman high-flange Olympic Racer hub.
Troxel long spring saddle with fully chromed chassis.