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

I may have to put this thread on ignore, as it makes me want a ridiculous project for which I do not have the time, space, or money.

Lovely bikes luckyskull, stedlocks, and all.
I'm especially jealous of the trade bike.

I would love some lauterwasser bars, but they're pricey!
I've observed the, on eBay going from anywhere between £50-£250 ....the last ones were NOS granted! I love the Carlton ratty, btw :0)

I recognise that chainring! You don't have a stronglight puller, do you? Or a 'work around' for removing one?

thanks again Pat, really finished the build. its a steel cotter pin stronglight chainset, so i use a vice to pop out the pins.

my lauterwasser bars came free with a bike.........but you are right. £50 -250 depending on condition age and style(some have a slightly nicer shape than others)

I may have to put this thread on ignore, as it makes me want a ridiculous project for which I do not have the time, space, or money.

Lovely bikes luckyskull, stedlocks, and all.
I'm especially jealous of the trade bike.

i may have a 30s frame and a 50s frame up for sale...... i will try and tempt you in a little bit. ha ha.

That Skeats is a beauty. I like it more the longer I spend looking at it.

thanks buddy, thinking of changing a few of the bits. Benelux cyclo or simplex tour de france 5 speed derailleur and 49d chainset..... but i'm not in a major rush at the moment.

Thanks ElGato, any way to measure? I won't have to worry about brake drop but don't want to mess up the geo

If the brakes are still fitted to the frame, measure the distance between the centre of the fork end to the edge of the brake block that makes contact with the rim. Multiply that distance by 2 and it will give you roughly the ERD of the rim that was fitted, so you might be able to work it out from there. Being 26 x 1 3/8" 590mm and 28" 635mm

1957 H.E.Green, flanked by 1949 Hobbs Raceweight and 194/5/X Hawkes.
I'm including the frames here; one was a complete bike just taken off 2 years commuter duty..and the other's a slow CP.

those lugs! i love the ratty build, but are you not tempted to restore it?

Certainly tempted, but I fear it may be costly in terms of paint with the colours I have in mind. One of those jobs that always gets put off.

... and it doesn't help that I picked up a new 50s(?) track iron today. I'm pretty sure it's a '59 Gillott- shall report back with pics soonish :)

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i quite like those brakes, so steampunk.

We need to see the gillott ..... That is all!!

^ this.

Owned this for a bit

Raleigh All-Steel 1948

love those bars^

sorry to keep going on about wheel sizing, but it looks like 700c will not be too far out for fit if they are 28in so will try these and see how it goes.

700c will be close either way, whether it's built for 26" or 28" but if you want to keep rod brakes, I do not think there are 700c rims for rod bakes.

"HEAD-CLIP" experience anyone?
I am trying to fit a head-clip on a 30s lightweight build. The major problem i have so far is that the stem wont go into the forks. It's a head-clip style Reynolds stem (without the bolt to tighten it) it will only go in the fork hole about 1cm....Am i doing something wrong?

^ Have you assembled with headset and forks on the frame? Just wondering where the interference is... if it's with the stem against fork or stem against headset? Only asking the question to see if you can deduce where it's tight. You may have already checked! Personally I don't have any experience with this set up.

Here are the pics of yesterdays purchase...

nice, looks very much like a Gillott. what age is it?

i have just put the headclip together on the frame/forks, not tightened the bolt on the clamp or lock-nut. just cant seem to get the stem in.....

... that's odd, have you had the vernier gauge out?

I think it's late 50s but I'm not sure, the chap I bought it from had it sold to him many years ago as a Pratt. But those are defo Fleur De Lys lugs that Gillott used. Got a stamp on the non drive track end, but doesn't sit in line with Gillott style of stamps from what I can see. Shall strip a couple bits at the weekend and see what that reveals.

...be good to see what's under that red paint.

"HEAD-CLIP" experience anyone?

31/32" not 1"?

Just finished fitting a headclip on mine last weekend ( bit of a pain) and the problem I had was bearing size related but the stem went in no problem.
I thought at first that you might have ended up with a tandem one but it would not even have got into the fork steerer 1cm if it were.

the stem came off another 30s bike( FW Evans or sunbeam). both sets of forks take a normal 1" stem, tried a GB quill stem(with bolt), went in both with no problem....i'm stumped.

Edit: just measured both sets of forks, they are the same size. measured the stem, its the right size to go in the hole. 22mm for all of them.

Just finished fitting a headclip on mine last weekend

pictures?

found this on another bike forum, i think this could be the issue:

"can't fit the stem into the steerer tube - it's the correct size, but I suspect the clip has been overtightened without the stem in place and the tube has been deformed. As with most clippy steerer tubes, there is a cruciform cut in the tube the top of which is about 1/2" from the lip of the tube - i.e. the locknut sits just above this.

I can only advance the stem in as far as the top of the cut. There is no debris in the tube and I am using a light coating of copper grease. I don't want to force the stem in because it looks as if there is a slight deflection and I'm afraid of causing even worse damage.

At the moment I am at a loss of what to do. I have considered inserting the stem as far as it will go and then attempting to tease open the cruciform slot with a screwdriver - all in the hope that the clip will properly reform the cut when fastened. "

replies:

"I had the same problem with my 1937 Hetchins. Trying to ignore the remarkably thin wall of the headclip steerer tube I used a wedge type ITM quill stem to reshape it. Insert stem to appropriate depth, gently take up slack with expander bolt, twist stem from side to side. Repeat until headclip stem just fits.... "

"Take your frame into any small engineering workshop and they will have an expanding parallel reamer which will leave your head tube round and only take a few minutes to sort out."

I like the second reply a little more, just need to find a engineering workshop in north or east london......