
Columbus, Ohio
Updated 5.24.2009
"Carl, called 'Teck'" by all his friends, was born in
Elkhorn, W.Va., and arrived in Columbus, Ohio, as a pre-schooler when his
father was transferred there. He attended the New York Technical Institute
(hence the nickname "Teck") and upon graduation he became a draftsman and
designer for the New haven Carriage Company in Reading, PA. Becoming
homesick he returned to Columbus and became a sales representative for
Lozier automobiles and later for Rolls-Royce. In his spare time he built
models of steam engines, boats, and airplanes."
"The early 1940s found Teck building nationally acclaimed
lightweight multi-speed bicycles at that time. The bicycles, approximately
30 in number, were mostly built with to order for friends."
note: the head badge on the bike has the year 1935.
"He wanted to build the best bicycle in the world using the best products so
he wrote to all of the bicycle manufacturers in America asking countless
questions, pouring over catalogs, comparing weights, material types and in
general left no stone unturned."
"Teck also wrote to all the European factories asking them
for all the information he could get. He chose to deal with several firms in
England who in turn bought some of their materials from plants located in
other countries. Much to his regret the only part the U.S. manufactured that
was superior to any of the foreign products were sprocket chains. He uses
American paint to, and his finished product weighs 18 to 22 pounds."
In the documentation I found a chart of lugs by "California
Cycle Company". These don't appear to be the ones used by Seaman but I
thought I'd mention it. CCC was located in Mineola, Long Island, NY.
"Mr. Seaman also had a patent for the
'spring' steering wheel, and the automobile horn ring. He also designed the
first radiator ornaments in use in the U.S. and sold them originally to
Cadillac. Mr. Seaman also had a quite extensive car collection."
Angel Garcia
Special
thanks to
Frank Allocca, Chester, NJ
Click
on images to see larger view Updated 11.16.2008 |