Vintage Humber Path Racer Build

Lauterwasser bars - you know you want to.

That stem is absolutely bloody gorgeous.

You are so right about the Lauterwasser bars

Inspired by your project, I'm looking to do something similar. This is, I think, the same frame (Humber 'aristocrat')?
Practical question - do you think this frame could take a pair of 700c/ how does one check the clearances; what sort of tolerances do you have to leave?

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-Humber-The-aristocrat-Cycles-Bicycle-Bike-/00/s/MTAyMlgxNjAw/z/tMUAAOxyyF5RRPrD/$T2eC16ZHJGIE9nnWrPcoBRRPrDFO3%21%7E%7E60_12.JPG

That's cool , and a timely reminder for me to get on with the project , kinda lost momentum recently , back on it now . Just fitted the front brake , slung a chain on and took it round the block , more soon with pics .
As to your question - Your bike is different than mine- it has smaller 26" wheels and caliper brakes . As long as your not fitting mudguards , I'd say 700 would fit
only way to be sure is to fit a pair and make sure there not to close to the frame / forks anywhere.

Looking forward to it, love this build and has inspired me to do something like that myself. What will you end up using this bike for?

Good question - original intention was leisurely rides along the canal with the Mrs in the summer , but having had a first test ride today , i may well use it to ride to work from time to time , great fun ,certainly attracts attention and interest .

Not finished yet , still some detail stuff to do , but a sneaky preview .

Back to business , namely brakes . I've fitted a genuine Edwardian front 'bobby dodger ' brake , these were fitted to path racers back in the day to make them road legal ,in a time when the feds could be bothered with such formalities.Well it's not exactly sophisticated or ergonomic , but it does work in a speed modulating sort of way.

Rear braking is taken care of by the rear coaster hub . Never used one of these before , pushing back on the pedals , like you would with a fix , doesn't do much , kicking back locks the rear wheel up , like someone sticking a broom handle through the rear wheel . Getting the hang of it now , after all , I want this bike to not only look like a 100 year old , but to ride like one as well .

interesting front brake, I have never seen one quite like it. It looks like a fun bike

this is such a nice and inspiring project.. many thanks

This is the headbadge on my 1946 Humber

i know i had my reservations about this to start, but it does look really quite great. a rad rat rod. is the brake effective?

Hello

I'm brand new on this forum....this is my first question..

do you or does any one have an old antique path racer for sale ??

contact :

thanks for responding

The Humber's finished ! To be honest it's been finished for a while now , done a fair few K's . I'm absolutely stoked with the bike , all that extra time getting everything set up perfect has really paid off . It's a real serene ride , no rattles or squeaks and the super slack angles coupled with the duplex forks and fat tyres means a super smooth ride . Kinda got used to the brakes , you just have to make allowances , like driving a VW with drum brakes. The only problem with the bike is , it just takes ages to get anywhere , not because me or the bike are slow , you just keep getting stopped my people curious about the bike , it does seem to attract attention .

Anyway , last batch of photo's for you , all taken by the Mrs , hope you like them as much as I do .

In the end I stayed with the inverted North Road bars , although I did narrow the width and shorten them . Then I wrapped the with white cloth tape , then 7 coats of shellac mix . This is much , much easier than some people would have you believe , you just buy a 240 ml bottle of brown French polish ( shellac / meths mix) from a specialist decorating shop , I got mine online for £3.95 plus PP, problary enough for 3 bikes , apply with a bit of sponge .The handlebar stops are wine bottle corks , from the wine bottle cork mountain in my kitchen .

The finished machine

The type of brake lever shown here was more usually clamped to the (near) vertical tube of the handlebar stem, not to the bars themselves.

In this more orthodox position the rod connecting the lever to the brake stirrup will be straight, and will the brake will be more efficient (although not necessarily brilliant).

I realise that the long extension may make the lever awkward to reach if mounted in the way that I'm suggesting, but that beautiful stem is anachronistic on this bike.

It is possible to get roadster brakes to work reasonably well, but it takes a bit of patience. Unfortunately most of the rims are chromed and this is a lousy surface for braking, after a few tens of thounsands of miles you will get down the steel under the chrome, and then you'll find the braking improves!

I do own an actual prewar 'path' frame, and I'm hoping to assemble it with period kit, but I'm afraid it doesn't have top priority at the moment.

i agree with the above.
@Clubman i would really like to see said prewar 'path' frame......

I realise this is an old thread but thought you might like to see my path racer imitation. 1 before shot and several afters.

Cheers Simon

Built from a 1975 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, this machine uses a Sturmey Archer three speed coaster brake, a Williams 52-tooth chainwheel and crank arms, and a 'bobby-dodger' front brake. I added a Brooks B-17 saddle and Raleigh Gran Prix quill stem with dropped North Road-style bars. It shifts using a top-bar-mounted Sturmey gear selector. The 28" stock rims were powder-coated black, with crème Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tires.

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Much of the assembly was in my apartment in Greenville South Carolina.

Built from a 1975 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, this machine uses a Sturmey Archer three speed coaster brake, a Williams 42-tooth chainwheel and crank arms, and a 'bobby-dodger' front brake. I added a Brooks B-17 saddle and Raleigh Gran Prix quill stem with dropped North Road-style bars. It shifts using a top-bar-mounted Sturmey gear selector. The 28" stock rims were powder-coated black, with crème Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tires.

I think there may be a typo here. That chainring is never a 42 - it looks to me like a *fifty *two. Probably originally intended for a Moulton.

Combined with the 28" wheels and a rear sprocket that looks to me like a 16, this machine will need a massively powerful rider to go anywhere without a good tailwind.

This raises the question - what are these attractive roadster based machines to be used for? Certainly not for path racing; 'path' in the era of these machines meant 'track', or what is now referred to as a 'velodrome'. It seems to me that these machines are not suited to any sort of competitive riding, but, given the right set up, they can be quite rewarding for touring: in fact if you want to recapture the idyll of pre 1914 travel ( think Wind in the Willows) this is *the *way to go.

And I suppose this is why I'm reading this thread. I have a project to build an imitation Edwardian roadster, but this has been temporarily halted by the discovery (recently referred to in this forum) that the New Hudson frame I was intending to use cannot be modified to suit my requirements. Having been frustrated there, I'm now working on a 1940 Silver Sunbeam frame which originally belonged to my Dad. It's not wonderful quality, but I think I have enough to build a passable thirties style tourer which should be efficient enough to carry me over fairly long distances.

I don't believe there's much point in building a bike which isn't going to be ridden, and be a pleasure to ride.

I'll post here about the Sunbeam here in the near future.

...and heavy. It was never intended as an actual racer, but to replicate the style of this type of bike. Around our parts, there is a network of bike/walking trails laid over abandoned railbeds, and our Metroparks have well-paved paths with moderate elevations. I probably wouldn't qualify as "massively powerful", but it's actually a fun machine on gentler grades, and the gear train allows a decent clip. When we aren't suffering through a Polar Vortex, I'm on it quite a bit.

Regarding the Edwardian roadster project, I found eBay to be the best source for vintage bike parts, many of which come from within the UK.

Well, whatever you do with it you have created a nice looking machine.

Did I guess correctly about the number of teeth? If it is 52x16 with a TCW hub and 28" wheels, you will have gears of 68.5, 91 and 121.3 inches.

We have (in the south of England) an annual time trial competition (for 'The Tin Can Trophy') for hub geared machines. One of my clubmates has won this and he has a TT machine with an AW hub (same ratios as TCW). His sprockets are 60 x 18 which give very similar gearing. My friend says that for TT purposes this is virtually the same as having a single freewheel of 88", since the 68" bottom is only useful for warming up or riding out to the start, and the 120" top is too high to be of any use at all.

It just so happens that he's a strong enough rider not to need gears!

Yes, sorry, my mistake. 52 tooth chainwheel. Hub is the SC3, not the TCW, which was infamous for its distinct absence of braking capability in the higher gears, as well as the tendency to not engage 2nd (at all) when not in perfect adjustment.

Per Tony Hadland's Raleigh book, I believe timed internal-hub competition has deep historical roots in the UK , since before WW1, all multi-geared road bikes relied on internal-hubs, primarily Sturmey Archer and predominantly 3-speeds, both close- and wide-ratio, depending on venue.

My bike is primarily not much more than an aesthetic exercise, as well as an attempt to experience a bit of what riding this type of machine must have been like then.

Just a note that I have the same 'The Humber' frame and forks, dancing man chainring and some bits and bobs incl. some break parts if anyone is interested...

Tealemma,
I may be interested in some of the other parts, if still available, do you have any rod brake parts / 28" rear mudguard?

@cino Wow - love what you did to the Humber! Very cool project and interesting thread.
I have some questions about the finish on the frame! I am just starting a new project (New Hudson - see pic) and was hoping you could share some of your expertise.
I am looking for linseed and was wondering if you used boiled or double boiled oil.
I have also noticed the linseed oil has a red colour - did you use the reddish oil or were you able to find a clear oil?

Last but not least - 2 years down the road, how did it endure the elements and do you still own and ride the Humber?

Thanks in advance,

Rogier
Milton - Cambs

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