Craftsman Bicycle Tool Kit????

[Beerman]

Picked up a Craftsman bicycle tool kit at a flea market while working out of town. Missing one of the pieces, but has a crown logo pouch that's excellent-all of the tools in it look unused.

Never seen one of these before, and I've been hitting flea markets for 30+ years.

Anyone else have a kit such as this?????

Just kinda wondering if it was one of those catalog only items that was never sold in stores.

 

[thehorse13]

Pictures?

 

[Beerman]

Pictures?

Was afraid someone would ask that. It's DEEP inside a packed truck, plus I was one of these guys caught up in the Photobucket fiasco. Haven't really tried, but don't know how to post photo here at GJ just yet, other than via Photobucket.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Put the photos on a computer, hit Go Advanced under the Quick Reply window, hit Manage Attachments, hit Browse, find your file, hit Load, hit Close This Window, then Submit.

 

[Beerman]

Hopefully, these work.

 

[Jim C.]

I saw a complete set on eBay about a year ago. I don’t remember if it sold or not, but I do think it’s a relatively scarce item. Too bad your set is missing one of the tire tools. That could be a tough piece to get. Still a very nice find and in great condition. Thanks for the pics.

Jim C.

 

[bluebolt]

Ooh Crown logo! Nice set!

 

[gungatim]

wow, got to say in all my years I have never seen one of those before! super find! I'm sure the collectors will be quick to point out whatever catalog/year/era it is from...being a bicycle kit, they probably were strapped under the seat or something, getting weathered, losing parts, etc., probably why they are rare....just a guess.

 

[3baygarage]

Thanks for posting pics. I don't think I've seen this set either, just the bike tools.

 

[Beerman]

Glad the pics worked.

Was in GA working temporarily and found a honey hole of a flea market (actually 2). The guy I bought this off of, had about 1/2 of the tools out of it, and was trying to sell them INDIVIDUALLY!!! Had a whole mess of other stuff in a pile as well. I rounded up all the pieces of the set I could find, and fortunately found 11 of the 12.

Guy claimed he was a regular vendor. Told him I'd check back with him, and if he could find the 1 missing piece in his pile of stuff, I'd pay him a premium-with my goal of having a complete set, obviously. Unfortunately, never saw him set up again.

I've been collecting vintage C'man for about 25 years, and have never heard of, let along seen a set like this. The fact that the tools that are there look completely unused, is also amazing to me.

I believe that the Crown logo was last used in 72 or 73, putting this set at close to 50 years old, at a minimum.

The two screwdiver handles do have some yellowing from age, but otherwise look unused.

The only thing I'm not too sure about is why are the wenches metric?? If this was produced in 72 or 73, at the latest, what sort of foreign-made bicycle would be out there, produced in mass market amounts, that would justify needing metric wrenches????

 

[j.t.d.]

This is right in the middle of the "Bike Boom". There were millions of import bikes coming into the U.S. at the time. Awesome find. By the way "crown top" is really a "tire tread top". I saw a Sears Tire ad a long time ago using that.

 

[gungatim]

lots of French and European bikes imported in that era, later Japanese bikes came over. Europe got pretty good at making bikes after WWII when cars and gas weren't as available, that's also when the Solex mopeds import peaked. they were all metric. (you think that craftsman set is rare, try to find a complete French solex tool kit...)

 

[Jim C.]

I've been looking for one of these for a while now. I finally tracked one down.

Jim C.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice snag, Jim.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I've been looking for one of these for a while now. I finally tracked one down.

Jim C.

Very nice. It looks like it's never been used.

 

[Jim C.]

Thanks Lugz! Stuart, I’d have to agree. I don’t think any of the tools have ever been used with the exception of the 13mm x 15mm DOE wrench. It has a couple light scuffs on it. The tool roll isn’t gem mint but it’s very clean and crack free. It was a good day.

Jim C.

 

[d42jeep]

I wish that the one I found yesterday looked like Jim C’s but it’s a little rough. On the plus side it did come with the spoke wrench. On the minus side almost everything else was missing. I wonder if the wrenches should be =v= or -v- marked? The tire tools will likely be difficult to find.
-Don

 

[bonneyman]

I, too, have never seen a bike tool set like that. Nice assortment, real compact.

 

[Tostal]

There's a nos tool kit, seemingly in perfect unused condition, for sale on ebay at the moment for $199.99 + shipping (listed by SKYNON TOOL'S in Bremen, IN.)

If interested, you better hurry, 'cos there's 12 people watching it.

 

[Farleyfan]

Why did I click into this thread, WHY ??
Luckie !! Napoleon Dynamite style

 

[Zrxrunner]

I wish that the one I found yesterday looked like Jim C’s but it’s a little rough. On the plus side it did come with the spoke wrench. On the minus side almost everything else was missing. I wonder if the wrenches should be =v= or -v- marked? The tire tools will likely be difficult to find.
-Don

I think pic 4 if the ebay listing might answer the maker code question. Someine with a computer and bigger monitor might be able to see better, but the one wrench looks to me like is has a -v- and 5 digit code on it? That shud mske it fairly easy to find those and the screwdrivers at least. I got one of the spoke tools included in the crown top box I got recently but no signs of a kit unfortunetly. Is your spoke tool unmarked like mine?

 

[slowtwitch73]

Looks like the only holy grail items are the levers and the bag.

 

[Jim C.]

You might want to include the spoke tool on the holy grail list. The spoke tool in my set is very clearly stamped ”CRAFTSMAN.” I think that might be a tough one to find.

Jim C.

 

[slowtwitch73]

^^ ah I thought it was unmarked. Add it to the list!

 

[d42jeep]

You might want to include the spoke tool on the holy grail list. The spoke tool in my set is very clearly stamped ”CRAFTSMAN.” I think that might be a tough one to find.

Jim C.

Jim,
Are the wrenches in your set =v= or -v- with a part number? I haven’t found the set in a catalog yet. I suppose they could have been made for a few years. I would prefer the earlier markings because I have the wrenches covered.
The spoke wrench.
-Don

 

[Jim C.]

Hey Don, I’ll dig them out this morning and take a few photos.

Jim C.

 

[Jim C.]

Here you go Don. Three of the five wrenches have a -v- code, while the other two have a -vv- code. I don’t think any of these wrenches were ever used. As a matter of fact, none of the tools in the set look used. I do think it’s entirely possible that the set left the factory with different codes. I’ve seen more than one set of Cman sockets with more than one code. It just depends on when they were make. This bicycle set is most likely from the 1970s.

Jim C.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks for the pictures, Jim. I appreciate you going to the trouble. That makes the challenge of finding the wrenches matching yours slightly more difficult but not too much. The screwdrivers and adjustable wrench shouldn’t be a problem. I have one Japan marked tire tool as a placeholder.
-Don
Here is a wrench that I found at the sale that may be original to the set.

 

[Jim C.]

Never a problem Don. l’m always happy to help a friend. The wrench you have does look like a part of the set. Do you have the adjustable wrench? Do you need a model number for it?

Jim C.

 

[d42jeep]

I had kind of a well used adjustable lying around. I think yours or the one in the eBay set was a WF. I came up with a mix of -v- and -vv- wrenches to mimic your set Here they are in the roll.
-Don

 

[Provincial]

I wonder if that kit was included with a bike (or bikes) that Sears sold. That would explain why the set wasn't advertised separately.

 

[Cruzan80]

IIRC, the -V- and -VV- were produced at the same time, which may be why there was a mix in the set above.

 

[Cruzan80]

I came up with a mix of -v= and -vv- wrenches to mimic your set

I knew Don was a prolific collector, but this is the first I have heard of the uber-rare, never before seen, mentioned only in hushed rumors, elusive... -V= wrench!

 

[d42jeep]

Oops. I need a proofreader.
-Don
Edit. Fixed it!
Close
I couldn’t find a perfect example but it could have happened.

 

[pelletman]

Maybe they made a metric and SAE set?