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

There will be plenty. There are plenty for the Brazzo on FB

FB was built for tyre kickers. Everyone who dragged everyone else there via the network effects is the sort who have no idea what they're looking at.

My first ride ever on a '50s bike. Rolls slow, but I think that's mainly the heavy 27 x 1 1/4 tyres.

The seller believes it's a 1958 Don Louis of Herne Hill. He had it renovated by Major Nichols in 1980. He also added a Unicanitor, '70s Cinelli bar and stem and a Campag seatpost and qr.

I've a few changes to make. The caliper is too deep for 27" wheels. I think I'll run it with two brakes. And I'll change the saddle. Happy so far.

1 Attachment

Nice that :)

Nice. You can always swap wheels for sprints for faster ride.

Hope it’s ok to discuss a 1951 bike in here.

I bought this ‘track’* frameset on here and had intended to use it on the velodrome but the discovery that it fits 27” wheels has probably put paid to that (as there are no 27” tyres available that will work on a steel banked indoor wooden track) so I’m wondering about using it for some time trialling.

*it’s really I think more of a path/track having braze ons for a rear brake callipers and cable and a frame pump. I’d have had to remove these to use it on the velodrome so perhaps it’s not such a bad thing that this doesn’t happen.

As I understand it, racing on roads was really in its infancy in the 50s, having been banned since the 1800s and I can’t see any sort of specialised tt equipment (handlebars) in photos of the time. How long would it have been before special tt bars became common?

1 Attachment

it fits 27” wheels

Then it will be fine with 700C clincher or 28" tubulars

path/track

Path=track. A dual purpose frame/bike/club is "road and path"

How long would it have been before special tt bars became common?

Road time triallists used road or track drops until the 1980s, then briefly pursuit bull horns on lo pro bikes before tribars took over.

Then it will be fine with 700C clincher or 28" tubulars

"fine" for steep banked track use where bb height is very important? I have some nice TA cranks which I think will suit it but they are 170mm making then bb height even more important.

My colleague has a Flying Scot he uses on the track and I think it's a similar age and maybe also designed for 27s but running 700s.

I do intend to chuck my track wheels on it and see what the bb height is like once I'm back at work. I don't have any 23mm tyres at home or I would have done so already.

Measure the BB height above ground with 700c/tubs on. Lee Valley specifies a BB height of 285mm or more. My guess is yours will be lower than that. Other than sixes, '50s track racing was pretty much all on larger outdoor tracks.

If the frame works for you on the track, you could always tape up the braze-ons to get within the rules.

"fine" for steep banked track use where bb height is very important?

Well, it's important if the track management measure it before letting you play 🙂

28" tubulars are not the same size as 700C, they're about as big as 27" clinchers of the same cross section.

In the end, you just have to measure and see if you fit the rules at whatever track you're going to.

I mean, if it’s Glasgow then I’m the sheriff!

I want to be safe though.

Hadn’t thought about 28” tubs, had only really looked at 27” clinchers. I’ll have a look and see what’s available.

Edit: thought you meant that 28” tubs were a different thing to 700c tubs. Or, to be clear, 622 tubs.

700C/622 tubs.

But they're not 622, a 700mm/28" tubular rim is 632mm diameter. There is no "C" because that is a letter designating the difference between tyre overall nominal diameter and bead seat diameter for a clincher tyre.

While the sidewalls of a clincher rim mean the rim OD and brake alignment are similar for 700 tubular and 700C clincher, the tyre sits "higher" on the tubular rim so the rolling diameter of a 700×25 tubular is slightly larger than a 700×25C clincher

I've always found rollout for clinchers and tubs to be very close - around the 22-23mm mark, anyway. We used to measure lots for roller racing.

very close

Yeah, just got my tape measure out and it's basically insignificant for the problem at hand. I seem to recall not being able to get away with 49/18 for medium gear on 22mm tubs, whereas you can on 23-622 clinchers. As far as @M_V goes, even the 4mm difference in radius between 700C and 27" isn't going to help if the frame has 3" BB drop 🙂

This any good to anyone ? £10 posted

1 Attachment

Any body on here want a damaged Gillott Continental frame for £15. Can be saved no doubt if you have frame building skills or if your willing to spend a bit. The forks are bent, not sure if they. Can be straightened maybe or may need a new steerer column- I had a head on crash into the side of a delivery motor scooter a while back. Also, the top tube has a bit of a bend near the head lugs but this was their prior to the crash and it rode and handled fine, so could be replaced or not I guess. At the very least you prob want to inspect the head lugs under the paint for damage.
On the plus side, dropouts are new- had them fitted at Varhona Frameworks last year ( cost over £100) and it's full 531, and rode lovely) so if you have the skills or the inclination would make a beautiful vintage 50s Gillott n the end. 22 inch frame I think. ( I forget- need to check ).

I would keep it and have it repaired later but have something else coming instead, and have no room for multiple unused and damaged frames to be stored, so need it gone really

Thanet - Silverlight.
Optimistic price I think
https://ebay.us/y2m9Ej

1 Attachment

All their bikes are very optimistically priced!

P&P £100 as well - Where's it stored ,The moon !

Thanet

Les Cassell was clearly a clever bloke - not so much as a bike frame designer, but as a self publicist. The Thanet design seems to be addressing a non existent problem, but there's always a small market for weird frames - it has to be small because if lots of people had them they wouldn't be weird any more and so lose their attraction.

Hilary Stone has written a good pamphlet on Thanet, and I seem to remember that he says local clubmen laughed at them, calling them 'ploughs'. It wasn't unknown for the BB to break out of its 'truss' and no one could claim they were aero!

If you are a rich completist frame collector then the price quoted will seem reasonable. If you want a sensible vintage bike to ride, forget it.

Love this BITD insight & common sense reply.

Echo that!

Appears to be a very nice R O Harrison frame
https://ebay.us/DCO6MS

1 Attachment

1947 Evelyn Hamilton
https://ebay.us/XwIPFC

Interesting article on Evelyn https://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/classic_builders/hamilton-evelyn-cyclist-and-heroine/

1 Attachment

https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/79519/

And

https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/79597/