Pre 1950s rides of LFGSS: old bikes, vintage rats, classic lightweights

or you're a strong climber used to riding round the Chilterns on fixed

5 years ago (actually Kent Hills) now, not so much.
I have thought about the Cyclotouriste option - current period correct intention is a nice original chrome pair of Gnutti cranks with a simplex adapter.
I’m not sure what the bcd is on this setup, I can go as low as 45 or maybe 44.

I still hang on to fixedwheel in a curmudgeonly retro-grouch way.

Quite right too!

I think the origin of the term must come from the days of the introduction of the free wheel - - before that everything was fixed, and there were just 'ordinaries' and 'safeties', so it's inappropriate to think the term 'fixed' refers to a lack of variable gears. In any case, fixed gear is not a good description since you can usually turn the wheel round onto that other sprocket.

Re that Condor Ebay description ... I didn’t check but just lifted from classiclightweights or somewhere wasn’t it? Can’t believe it sold for that unless they got very lucky and hit the piñata first time? Fixed gear means fixed ✊

@falconvitesse re Brooks Sprinter ... heck yeah, the alloy one that sold a while back was pretty much the holy grail but this is also v nice.

Re ano on CL hubs ... tell me, what? where? I can’t be arsed with FB anymore but think I miss some interesting bike stuff. I’d be very interested to find someone with a blue front!

before that everything was fixed

I’ve heard this argument before, I agree and I’m sticking to it.
And I don’t care what anyone else says.

Sheldon had a good counter argument, but I’ve forgotten it.
😀

Re ano on CL hubs ... tell me, what?

Ah, I think it was on ‘Mystery bike frames and components’ page (good resource btw)
I take it it wasn’t you and you’re not Stuart Fazackerley ?
He has a pair of mis matched CL hubs. Can’t remember which way round.

I gave up FB at NY but got sucked back in because of Gillott group.
I only occasionally visit vintage bike related stuff, the rest is for the birds.

the rest is for the birds.

😂
I dropped Stuart Fazackerley a message on FB "A guy I chat to on LFGSS put me on to you ..." nice and dodgy!

Sounds like he has a small green front and large green rear CL hub. I dream of that being the problem :)

The vintage bike world is very small.

Just not as small as I thought. Although, filling out the address on a recent eBay sale (btw my Mavic rims will pay for my Argos Gillott respray with double box lining!!!) I recognised the address from when I’d sold shit before -at least 6 years ago.

Your Avatar;
I just watched My Neighbour Tortoro today with my son.
🙂

Waaat, which Mavic rims?

Re Totoro ... I love the Studio Ghibli films and other Japanese weird wonderfulnes. I watched a lot of them with my kids over the various lockdowns. Great Sunday morning films while Mrs Veloham is laying about in bed. So magically drawn, fantastical and weird as ####.

Edit - can’t quite remember why I had a pic of Totoro on my computer when I had to pick an avatar but I’ve grown to identify with him.

I sold 2 pairs of 90s Mavic rims
And netted over £400!

One was a crazy rare pair of SSC sprints though.
Also a Mavic front derailleur which went for £86!

Bike people are nuts!

😉

Edit: obviously not netted as I must have paid something for them originally- the SSC were £90 I think.

I picked Action Man over a decade ago - I had a beard and a buzz cut at the time.
For the record Ed Scoble adopted a similar Avatar years later
🙄

Nice. I’m making a big push to clear stuff / raise funds. Will be nice to stop!

Shame everyone has an Airlite rear hub to sell, I must have at least 3 rusty ones in bits on my workbench.

While we’re on the subject of anodised hubs though - if anyone has a large flange green Airlite rear hub I’d be keen to discuss it. I have a nos front. Ideally would like to meet someone with a sf blue CL front and a lf green Airlite rear for swapsies.

Re Ed Scoble ... you’re the OG. I had to look him up, but have now started following him 🙃

90s road bikes are hot again.
Or something (I still love mine)

I have a rear DF Airlite with excellent barrel (probs rechromed) but a cracked flange, I might buy a rear for parts.
I have an excellent front already.

You can have one of mine. I have DF sf and lf and SF lf. Madgetts will take off the flanges for you and have a jig to put them back on. I tried cocking about putting them in the oven and the freezer but couldn’t get anywhere. Don’t know how precisely they need to be lined up putting them back on.

What a beauty. Shame its collection only!

the TdF mech struggles to get onto a 22 sprocket, although a 23 is said to be possible. I'd guess the JUY 51 is probably a bit better (no direct experience).

The Juy 51 claims 26t

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Talking of hub spares, if anyone has an FB large flange rear body I'd be keen to have it-I have one with a bent flange I'm keen to repair. Also, anyone has a dark red anodised airlite rear, I need one for my Paragon Andy Bone. Preferbly large flange but I'd settle for small. Incidently, does anyone know if Bayliss Wiley did anodised hubs. My dad's old Carlton has some rather faded green large flange hubs, but I could swear they were BW. (The corrosion on the hub centre makes it rather hard to check without taking apart the wheel to clean up the hub properly...)

The Juy 51 claims 26t

If you can find a 26 sprocket I'll certainly be interested to hear how well it works.

I find these old derailleurs intriguing, I suppose because they were heavily advertised but didn't really work very well and yet big races were won using them. I guess that from about 1952 on nearly every pro would have chosen a Campag Gran Sport, but of course they didn't get to choose their kit ( they still don't!)

Johnny Pound (see Gillott thread) told me that he chose to use a Huret when he was in Belgium in the early fifties because he thought it was more 'robust' (his word) than a Simplex. They both look equally flimsy to me, but Mr. Pound generally knows what he's talking about.

Anyway, if I had unlimited energy and (now, it seems) money, I'd love to experiment with these old mechs to see how well I could get them to work.

I guess that from about 1952 on nearly every pro would have chosen a Campag Gran Sport

Strangely not.
http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Derailleurs_-_Tour_de_France_winners.html
I was surprised the Gran Sport was used as early as ‘51 to win The Tour, equally the push rod Simplex derailleurs carried on being used until the early 60s.

Amazingly Suntour invented the Slant Parallelogram Derailleur in ‘64 (!) - easily the best derailleurs for years - no pro teams used them AFAIK.

I’m intrigued to find out how all this kit works too, the bits I’ve got to play with are all in new or excellent condition so if they fail to shift and I can eliminate user error and incorrect set up they might just be a bit shit.
I’ve got a TDC 14/24 freewheel, so I’ll see how that works, square teeth, Brampton chain
Ker-Klunk.

I guess that from about 1952 on nearly every pro would have chosen a Campag Gran Sport

Strangely not.

I don't think you read my post quite carefully enough. My point was that the pros would have chosen Campag if they could have done, but they were committed by their contracts to use whatever rubbish their sponsor chose. Nationalism was a strong factor, so if you were French you would have a huge struggle to use non French kit. If you look at that list you will see how effective this was before the Japanese kit arrived.

One notable exception was Coppi, who caused a big stir in 1949 by insisting on using Simplex for the 1949 TdF, which he won. Tullio was very annoyed with him because he thought Coppi should use his Cambio Corsa which Bartali had won with the previous year - of course, Coppi did not have the same power of prayer behind him that Bartali had enjoyed!