You are reading a single comment by @Scilly.Suffolk and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
Scilly.Suffolk
Thanks again for expanding on your reply. Based on what I'd learned about the bike so far, I had decided to forgo a full restoration and build it up as a rat bike. Possibly not the wisest choice, there was grease in the bearings that must be original, it was the consistency of old Loctite 242 and far harder to clean off. Thank god for cheap and plentiful cleaning alcohol. The freewheel turned out to be an old Regina, and of course I don't have the damn removal tool for that one.
I gave the frame another really good scrubbing as well, and the maker's marks emerged on the dropouts, they are by Simplex. The last Simplex item I owned was the rear mech on my Raleigh 5-speed in the mid 1970s. The BB was indeed English threaded, and also turned out to be cup and cone, another thing I haven't seen for a very long time. I couldn't get the fixed cup out even with my biggest spanner, but it's not going anywhere so no real problem.
Amazingly, despite the state of the lubrication with petrified 1980s grease, the headset, BB, and wheel bearings are all in perfect shape.