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

Thanks. The earlier ones have a year stamp on the back (not sure if always but definitely some do). I have one with a 54 on it.

You get the odd nice freewheel cheaply, this is a snip. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Campagnolo-Super-Record-50th-Anniversary-Freewheel-6-Speed-13-23-T-Rare/224378485277?hash=item343dfffa1d:g:-PAAAOSwcSlgM-al

That is an ambitious price. I just searched for Campagnolo 50th Anniversary freewheel thinking that seller was nuts, but it's the world that's nuts!

I'll admit this is a nice looking freewheel but how many euros a ride do you think an alloy one works out at?!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/campagnolo-7-speed-50-th-anniversary-alluminium-freewheel/264976725855?hash=item3db1d7f75f:g:td0AAOSw1rJf152z

I think the 50th anniversary thing is all about conspicuously haemorrhaging money.
The guy who bought my SSC rims (£270) was going to get them built onto 50th hubs 🙄
I didn’t tell him the hubs are a decade too old. 😂

Regina Gran Sport Corse 5 speed

Do you think that’s original though?

Note to self; This obsession has to end!!!

I will try and get a look at the rear of it in a day or two to see if I can find a date stamp like @veloham mentioned.

I think that it could be original -
The guy I bought the complete bike from only had it about 24hrs, They purchased it from the original owner and the rest of the parts are from the right time period for the age of the frame, but of course it could be a later replacement - https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/324825/

Edit - The frame does have a rough repaint as well.

Great badge.

🙂

In fact my road bike currently has a 24 bottom sprocket (and a 42 inner ring).

Times change, and we change with them!

💪

I did enjoy that.

I think I rode Eroica with a 42 x 24 bottom gear (and realised what a weakling I am).

Ride and be Damned.

It may not be the greatest ever cycling book, but the BLRC itself is one of the best stories in British cycling (if you'll pardon those two words together!).

If it weren't for the virus, I could introduce you to an old bloke who still greets people with the words "Up the League!" I seem to remember him wearing one of those badges.

I think I rode Eroica with a 42 x 24 bottom gear (and realised what a weakling I am).

English or Italian ?

As mentioned before, I rode the Italian version with 43 x 22 and that certainly was not low enough - even eight years ago. I'd certainly need a granny ring now.

Can't remember if that's May 54 or 55 Apr, let's go with 54. That's the PC front plate though.

N.B. one nice thing about the Cyclo freewheels is they have a notch in the rear of the body so you can get the final sprocket off (relatively) easily.

2 Attachments

Only the English for me so far. I am keen to try the one in Tuscany, that looks pretty pretty nice. I need to finish the unwanted build for my wife first though, don't think I can swing Tuscany by myself.

Edit - unwanted by her that is, I'm having a great time building it :)

"Up the League!"

👍

I think if it comes up cheap I'll give it a go.

This recent listing of 45 copies of The Leaguer might have been a good read https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383867934921

That does look like quite a nicely made thing.
Good machining.

Maybe I could get interested in a nice FW.

Blumfield Hub - felt washers for dust seals

I'm thinking about having some re-made. [I did try myself with a bit of felt but there was fluff everywhere. I have also tried the red fibre washers plumbers use - not many options in old imperial sizes, that are themselves pretty bespoke to Blumfield as far as I can see, and they are hard and rattly.]

The tooling and minimum order is quite $$ though, so would need to shift a fair few to others.

Would there be any interest here in new felt washers, 2 x front + 2 x rear? Something like £10 for one set, £15 for 2, £20 for 3?

If anyone's going to want these it's peeps in this forum!

Would be a medium density wool felt. My measurements of the thickness of the originals is 1/8" for rear and 1/16" for the front, I might struggle to get that but 3mm and 1.5mm are possible.

These are the measurements I've taken:

• front OD 7/8" (or 22.2mm), ID 19/32" (or 15.1mm) , thickness 1/16" (or 1.6mm)
  
• rear OD 67/64" (or 26.6mm), ID 21/32" (or 16.7mm), thickness 1/8" (or 3.2mm)
  
  

The ID is right on the OD of the cones, I think this is ok, I can't imagine there will be much friction, especially after a few turns of a greased axle. They are supposed to be dust seals after all.

Niche.
😉

I’d have thought if you can source the correct material punch cutting them yourself would be possible if getting them reproduced is crazy expensive.
Or cheaper getting them laser cut?
If you’re only cutting 4 in total an adjustable hole saw/cutter with the felt tightly sandwiched between ply might work?
(Edit; although I wasn’t really thinking how tiny they are)

I have a similar project, I want to cut some washers for a Simplex shifter lever, the originals are like the red pluming washer material. Maybe gasket stock for engines?

How would I go about getting the right size punch cutter? The company I'm speaking to doesn't have it so needs to make one - £32 each for front and back. If I got the material and did it myself I wouldn't have any more to sell to try and spread the tooling cost :)

I guess I would have a punch cutter though #assets

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Efco-Punch-Circle-Inch/dp/B005WWKGUK

😂