Gillott track. The sentimentalist.

dodgy phone pics of the complete here- http://www.lfgss.com/thread112076.html

my amazing photoshop skills strike again. I could alter the drop-outs so it would be in keeping with the period of frame?

Yes, I would do this with care & angle grinder. ^^.

I just realised how much further up your seat stays end compared to the red bike a few posts ago. Could it be dangerous to smooth that curve between stays too much and end up with a fragile joint between seat stay and dropout? Rest of plan looks good.

Still undecided regarding the dropouts. I think once I have stripped the frame of paint I will have a better understanding the direction I will take.

Picked up this wheelset. MP(?) special lightweight stainless steel 27 1/4 rims, laced to Airlite hubs. Will strip down, polish and rebuild with new spokes.

also picked up this brooks

I am on the lookout for any 1940's components that would compliment this build. PM me if you have anything you no longer want, that I might.

Heres some pics of mine as requested :)

Please don't do any restoration work or even cleaning to those wheels. Just get them tensioned properly and have the bearing repacked and running smooth and just rock them like that!

Thanks for the pictures harv.....food for thought.

James: I think I will build the bike before I do any drastic changes to the frame or re-build the wheels. My main concern is age of spokes.

Can add these cranks to the list of components.

Love Milremo stuff, I think it's the own-brand name for Ron Kitching, Usually means decent quality continental kit at knock down price!

Pretty much finished on my Gillott project, will post pics once I get round to it.
Like the way this is going.
Rusty spokes can be a bit of a pain, often tricky to true without twisting them up, bending and sometimes shearing them as the nipples often get a bit jammed up, especially on old sprints where they get gummed up with shellac - things get a bit messy, so I must admit, I usually get the wire cutters out and deal quickly and neatly with them!

Just been reading about Ron Kitching. http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/kitching-holdsworth.html

Please post pictures of your Gillott. Would love to see the finished bike.

Also have this stronglight chainset on my Pat Skeats, I could swap them over....

What's the saddle? B17 narrow? Looks exactly like the one for my Hobbs. Making good progress with this!

^^surely you can do a better job on the alignment of the chainring?!;)

really nice project, dedication!

Subscribed. Lovely frame!

^^surely you can do a better job on the alignment of the chainring?!;)

really nice project, dedication!

shift the ring one bolt clockwise.

^^surely you can do a better job on the alignment of the chainring?!;)

really nice project, dedication!

you are not the first one to pull me up on this. it is an old picture. you are totally right, off by one bolt....now has the correct alignment........

but should use the stronglight or the milremo?

What's the saddle? B17 narrow? Looks exactly like the one for my Hobbs. Making good progress with this!

i can not remember, the model number/name has been rubbed off over time, it is in amazing condition for its age. it doesn't have saddle bag loops, maybe this is a clue..

you are not the first one to pull me up on this. it is an old picture. you are totally right, off by one bolt....now has the correct alignment........

but should use the stronglight or the milremo?

I'd go for Milremo - keep it English as much as you can.

I have been looking over Mark Stevens Flickr pictures. One thing I have been able to determine... this looks like it was originally built as a track frame due the round fork blades. If it was a road bike they would be oval..... My concern was that once I removed the paint I would see the remains of braze-ones and this would require even more work in restoring it......we shall see....I could be wrong.

Maybe the old owner wanted to modernise the frame?

Looking to track down some Lauterwasser bars. Steel reproduction could work. Any clues on stockists? Or any other suggestions on handlebars?

soma?

The Soma bars seem to lack the elegance of the originals.....

I would say Lauterwasser are more 1930's usually used on old clubmans built for 26" wheels.
GB spearpoint stems are quite nice and fairly easy to find and I think the clamp size is 25.4mm which gives you options in terms of bars.

I think you are right regarding bars... Ideas?

I would also be happy with a Titan or GB under-slung stem.....

Have enjoyed this thread...
My dad had a Gillott track frame in the early fifties, I've never even seen a pic of it, his road frame however he still rides almost every day. He ordered it in late '50 and it was collected early '51, I recently looked at the order and it has the lugs, frame angles, chroming and everything else specified...

Try some more research on the bars and stems for track bikes.
I recall reading that, in the late 1940s, there was suspicion as to the strength of the aluminium/hiduminium, as it was relatively new and untested. Steel components may have been favoured by the track riders due to their known strength.
Many early bars had a steel ferrule for that reason. (like my GB 'Maes" bars)
(heads off to look through old magazines)
Philip
[edit] GB released the Hiduminium stem in mid-1948 (The Bicycle 16 June 1948 p8)