Crescent Världsmästarcykeln World Champions Bike 1950

Crescent was founded as a cycling brand in Chicago in the 1890s.
But it was when a Swedish company started to import them, that the future of this brand took an unexpected turn.
At first Crescent was sold as a budget alternative for people who were looking for a reliable bike with a choice of quality parts.
But some years later Crescent as a brand and its production was completely moved to Sweden, where also a some road bikes were made.

In 1912 the legendary olympic cyclist Henrik Morén established a new 24 hour record and did so on a Crescent bike. A feat which suddenly made the brand famous on an international scale.
And more triumphs should follow in the decades to come: 1928 Henry Hansen won a gold medal in the Olympic Games and in 1931 he was triumphant at the world championships.
The world championships proved to be a good event for Crescent bikes to shine. In 1948 Harry Snell won the title on an orange bike from Sweden. The colour had become iconic and was typical for Crescent bikes by this time.
It was after this Victory that Crescent marketed their racing machines as world champions bikes 'Världsmästarcykeln'.

The exemplar we are presenting here is one of those bikes. It comes from around the year 1950 and had been ridden by one of the athletes of the company's own cycling squad!
The frame itself is a welded, lugless construction that comes with an extra large bottom bracket shell to fit the standard one-piece crankset - probably a remnant of the brand's American heritage.
Simplex shifting makes adjustments to the gearing easy while still providing a classy vintage look which is sustained by a beautiful patina.

A top class European bike of the 1950s.