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

Yellow Peril

Mike, Yellow Peril looks rad. I'd strip n rebuild and ride it as is with that patina :)

My '56 Holdsworth is currently off the road due to needing nothing more serious than a chain, maybe I'll post it's lovely nervex lugs sometime. It's a rather ratty build of cheap parts, but I like it nonetheless. It's a family heirloom or summink

Mike, Yellow Peril looks rad. I'd strip n rebuild and ride it as is with that patina :)

Thanks RoK, not sure what the plan is yet, but you mentioning patina made me laugh. I started a project thread on retrobikes the other week of an old frame I'd picked up locally. I was going to put it up here, but it wasn't a fixie and being a newbie and all I wasn't sure of the rules ... Can you start theads on projects with gears??? (Retrobike is a good forum, but they are rather misguided in their ideas of what makes a bicycle 'vintage' ... 1983? ffs ... That's practically brand new from where I'm sat! :-)

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=277100

Circa 1950 Jim Guard of Southampton. Original paint, pinstripes and transfers. Now this is what I class as Patina, and it will be carefully preserved.
The Yellow Peril is just an old junker, and the paint isn't original or very old and just looks scrappy. I'm not sure what the plan is yet but it wouldn't play on my conscience if I striped it and re-enameled it black.

Jim Guard lightweight by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

GB Hiduminium brakes by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

IMG_5316 by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

Apologies if you've answered this already, or I've missed a link or reply ... this is the Super Champion Osgear isn't it? What's it like? And is it comparable to the Cyclo Ace? I've got that on the Jim Guard I've posted above, but have no experience with these types of gears. I need a three speed freewheel and hub for mine ...

I was also bidding on the Jim Guard, you just beat me. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

I should imagine the super champion and cyclo ace work about the same. but the Ace uses 2 cables?

Jim Guard looks lovely Mike, would like to find a nice box lined frame myself..

Yeah, I've posted over on Retrobike, good site but not many super old rides there.

I was also bidding on the Jim Guard, you just beat me. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

I should imagine the super champion and cyclo ace work about the same. but the Ace uses 2 cables?

Yeah, sorry about that ... ! I knew I really wanted it, but I didn't have deep pockets. I made a stab at what I thought it was worth, and added a fiver to be safe, then chipped in at the end. (I have a rule of only bidding once on ebay, if it's not enough then that's the luck of the draw. Bidding up in £1 increments drives me nuts ;-) So I'm guessing that fiver made the difference this time. 9 times out of 10 I'm the underbidder though.

Yes, there are two cables I think. Next time I've got 5 mins I'll get some better photos of it in day light. After seeing 7ven's excellent Hobbs thread and his beautiful photography has given me a good benchmark.
I've read that the Osgear was preferred to the Cyclo Ace?

J-Rok, I love your old Carlton track frame!

[QUOTE=J-RoK;3934452]Elgato, nice job on the Baines- I need that bar/stem combo you got going on.

Thanks J-RoK, love the awesome lugs on your Carlton!

[QUOTE]
Yes, there are two cables I think. Next time I've got 5 mins I'll get some better photos of it in day light. After seeing 7ven's excellent Hobbs thread and his beautiful photography has given me a good benchmark.
I've read that the Osgear was preferred to the Cyclo Ace?

Nice project there and a bargain too. I would like to know how you get on with the Cyclo Ace. I've got an Osgear that I would like to setup once I have got the time to play around with.

I believe Osgear was preferred to Cyclo Ace because they made a 4 and 5 speed as well as the 3.

i am trying to find a tension arm for a super champion.......if anyone has one, please let me know.....

And is it comparable to the Cyclo Ace?

The super champion is also indexed, the cyclo ace is friction.

You will also need to get a spoke protector disc.

Really glad it ended up on the forum and i will get to see it restored. Happy to see you will leave the paint. As they say: "It's only original once".

Just took this ratmobile for a spin. The frame is a Ellis Briggs from the 40s.

Stronglight 49d with chain ring adapter. Dunlop ss super lightweight rim, Reynolds seatpost. mega impressed with how it rides. fixed with two brakes.

That looks like a super ride. Like the stem! And the fork crown.

Lauterwassers set off a period machine, they really are the business. Would like to know more about them, there must be an article about Jack out there somewhere, I feel a googlesearch coming on ...
Shocked at the prices they are fetching now as well, you're lucky if you get change from £100 on a good set.

And just for a giggle, a proper vintage lightweight ...

Light Roadster (Unknown maker) by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

Not sure on the date on this 'light' roadster. I thought 1920's, but it has chrome plated Phillips North Road(?) bars. I think the general rule is chrome replaces nickel around 1930. It's a monster though. 25" frame? Interesting for a shortarse like me to ride, but good fun.

My 'Guv'nor', unknown maker 1920's light roadster by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

^ another great bike.

Lauterwasser Fan Club:
Picked up this combo the other day..... Building up a 30s road bike for l'eroica britannia. May start a current projects. They have some surface rust. Will clean off ok. Thinking about painting them black.

Lauterwasser Fan Club:
Picked up this combo the other day..... Building up a 30s road bike for l'eroica britannia. May start a current projects. They have some surface rust. Will clean off ok. Thinking about painting them black.

You must have misunderstood, it's not 'L'Erotica Britannica'. :)

Would like to know more about them, there must be an article about Jack out there somewhere, I feel a googlesearch coming on ...

in his own words; an interview with Jack in mp3 format
from a project by Tony Hadland

You must have misunderstood, it's not 'L'Erotica Britannica'. :)

nothing like a vintage sex manual for a fun read.

Chucked a pair of 26" wheels on the Jim Guard this afternoon to see what it looked like ...

Jim Guard by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

When funds allow, I'll build up a set of Dunlop lightweight rims.

Right, got this little problem here. This came off a wreck of a bike I bought at an autojumble for £35. Everything was worn out, and the frame was dinged and dented (nothing special) so I stripped it down. I used the set of Alumlite rims on my Hobbs, the rest got put in the spares bin, including this hub, from an older Cyclo 3-Speed. I'm afraid I didn't think I'd ever use it, hence just cutting the rusted spokes to get the rim off. Now I might have a use for it I'm stumped as to how I remove the gears (3-speed and fixed) without damaging the hub?
Difficult to tell but the spindle doesn't appear to be bent and turns 'ok' ... The ends are aluminium. Not sure of the maker, I don't recognise the worn stamp in the hub. The 3 speed is knackered.

My idea was to clamp the hub in the vice, with a couple of bits of soft wood. I don't think it will grip enough to stop it spinning though ...

Bicycle restoration head scratching ... by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

I think the safest suggestion I have seen is to relace it in an old rim
some comments on this thread
and here
I am impressed with the colour, composition and lighting of your photo.

Thanks, I'll check it out later, looks like everything I need to know is in there. Am I on a hiding to nothing though? How do you respoke a wheel when the gears are in the way of the spoke holes ... ?

I think the safest suggestion I have seen is to relace it in an old rim
some comments on this thread
and here
I am impressed with the colour, composition and lighting of your photo.

If you don't fancy trying to re-spoke, you could remove the freewheel by dismantling it then trying some propane heat and penetrant and mole grips on it's core.
I used this method to save a Campag Tipo hub with spokes so rusty they were flexing significantly when trying to unscrew it conventionally.

As for the fixed cog, the same technique plus a dremel and chisel on the lock ring?

A while ago I bought a rear hub that came with a freewheel attached and had the same problem. The freewheel wasn't in good shape so that made things easier as I wasn't going to use it.
I've noticed that you have also got a fixed sprocket on the other side that might or might no be stuck.
If you are not going to need the freewheel then I would unscrew (I think it does unscrew clockwise)the ring at the front of the freewheel by tapping it with a punch hole. Your bearings and the 3 sprocket should come off and you will be left with the main freewheel body.
First unscrew the fixed sprocket:
You can put the main freewheel in vice tight and use a chain whip on the fixed sprocket to unscrew it. Once that became loose, leave it on, screw it again and fit a lockring.
Now the freewheel:
With the main freewheel body tight in the vice use the chain whip on the fixed sprocket to give you leverage and the freewheel should unscrew. If it doesn't use penetrating oil and watch that you don't want to ruin the fixed threads.
You will have to work which direction to apply the force so that you don't end up tighten the freewheel up.

Another more time consuming option:
If the previous doesn't work I will lace as many old spokes as I can in an old rim (you should be able now without the sprockets in the freewheel) tighten the freewheel body in the vice and use the wheel as a steering wheel to give you leverage.

Hope it's clear enough to help.

^^ Kinda what I said.
However, using a vice, grips and whips etc. without extreme care will twist the hub irrevocably as it's centre won't transmit much torque.