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

Most probably you're right. They're old bluemels ones with quick release fastenings so not too fiddly to put pack in if required. Of course, that still means it'll take me nigh on an hour or two to get them set up right with only one or two cuts to the fingers if I'm lucky....
:)

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=392124

Its a long thread.... Skip to the end and work back lol

Cheers for the link, got a response in the Claud thread, it's a '77.

Bike looks OK in the pic, is it the area around the bottom bracket that's rusted?

Quite a lot of blistering under the paint on all the tubes, where the rust has broken through the paint, the tubes/rust is quite flaky and dusty and the tubes feel very thin, almost like you could push a screwdriver through without much pressure. Haven't had the bb out, but looking down the seattube I would say yes. I don't want to give it him back and say try it, see how you go, I wouldn't ride it, so up on his garage wall it will go.

I came across this article on Dave Keeler quite by chance:

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/DaveKeeler.html

It struck me that his position looks pretty similar to yours on your Benotto, and I think it's fair to say that he was by far the most successful British Paris-Robaix user.

@jontea. Thanks, just curious :)

Hobbs which looks like a 30s continental

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/vintage-bike-hobbs-of-barbican/1370787072

1 Attachment

You could fit non-threaded cups which tighten on their own internal threads. Mavic make one, which I believe is the 610. It can be used when the BB threads have completely failed. It's also easy to adjust the chainline as you can slide the whole assembly left/right.

Mr Stone has the Mavic and other examples https://www.hilarystone.com/bottombracketother.html

Looks to be. Frame deserves a proper re-sprays and some box lining, at the very least. All the Pre -war continentals I've seen photos of are very bling

Chap on instagram is selling a Holdsworth Cyclone Deluxe with proceeds going to NHS -
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-_0WHAFN2q/?igshid=1l8yyhk8n1vj0

1 Attachment

1938 never felt so 80's :-D

1 Attachment

Need to wrangle the 5spd block off the rear (very fecked) wheel of the Holdsworth and it looks like a two-pin thing (two large slots and two small pinholes that don't look structural but what the fuck do I know...), so any top tips as I don't have tool specific for this. Maybe I just need to buy Park FR-2 type thing - as I I need to keep / re-use the block. Probably this is a piss-easy-walk-in-the-park-what-on-earth-is-the-problem-you-fool for those on here, but my life is mostly a freewheel/cassette-based challenge. Answers and abuse most welcome.

I’ve not managed to get one of those off without the tool. They can be a sod to get off. Might be best to not try chipping at it with a chisel or screwdriver because those slots are really weak and mangle easily. It’ll give the tool its best chance.

It's not just you, I have had so many problems with freewheels, most of them probably bought on by myself.
Firstly is the freewheel worth keeping?
Because the tool to remove it is not cheap.
The park tool _FR 2 has the wrong size prongs you will need
this;
https://www.vartools.com/en/2-notch-freewheel-remover-for-cyclo-regina-4-5-6-speed-var-p450.php
Use the tool to release the complete freewheel from the hub. It locks into position using the hub spindle and tracknuts or quick release spindle and lever depending on your hub.
I have just bought one for myself which you are welcome to borrow.
If the freewheel runs smoothly I would leave the pinholes alone as if you use them to undo the nut all the ball bearings will fall out and the freewheel will separate into two parts.
If you are going to take the freewheel apart
You will need a wrench or vice to then unscrew the centre part of the freewheel from the hub.
It will be very tight.
Getting it back together is very fiderly and you will probably wish you hadn't bothered.

Suspected this might be the case. Ho-hum. Don't s'pose anyone has one f/s before I head to 'other' places to buy?

Ha! Sounds like I’ll not bother, I lose my patience even with loose bearing bb maintenance. Will look for a new (old) block instead, once I collect the wheels and see what’s needed.
Then I might be tempted to have a go at it, just for larks :)

Use the "destructive" method - just remove the face plate and then use an adjustable. I posted more detail a few pages back. Works every time, and is NOT destructive !

Will check that out, cheers
Edit
Well, you made that sound simple enough. Nothing to lose, will try it.

I have one to take off too. I thought, if the removal tool is going to cost £20 delivered, I'll weld the freewheel up and take it off with a chain whip, then just get a new freewheel if I want one. But bloody hell, those 6-speed Regina freewheels cost a bit! I'm sure I wouldn't have paid more than £20 for my 13-21?

Just to add in my tuppence, I traumatized myself removing and servicing a Regina freewheel, but I would do it again :)

I bought a Var tool, it has become quite chewed up, which is frustrating as they are not cheap. Luckily it still works. You want to do all this with the hub built in a wheel, it really takes a lot of force to get a stuck one off. [If the hub isn't in a wheel I think you need to take the freewheel apart, clamp in a vice, etc. I haven't done that, but there are descriptions elsewhere if you search.] The tool goes in the 2 large slots and then you use a big-ass wrench to turn the tool. Use a skewer to hold the tool on the freewheel, but after it releases remember to loosen the skewer. I was so enraged at this point I didn't and stripped the $£!##!#£ threads from my hub. Still living with that expensive mistake.

The pinholes are for removing the face plate allowing you to disassemble / service the body. If the freehwheel turns nicely I wouldn't bother taking off the plate again. My experience with those pinholes is the plate is on so tight you need to use a punch. I'd probably soak / try and flush with kerosene and then oil with something like Phil Tenacious Oil or alternative. As mentioned above, in my experience you have to be an octopus to get all the balls and pawls back in and put the body back together. They will go everywhere, so if you open it, do it carefully over an ice-cream tub or something. I used grease to stick them all in place while reassembling and there's a trick with cotton thread to hold the pawls but I'm buggered if I could do it easily.

You can get all but 1 sprocket off the body using 2 chain whips. Using a fine wire wool on the sprockets (even the gold ones) brings them up nicely and you can do the one not removed in place.

Aerospace 303 Protectant

Thanks @BigBlock, will give it a go. Pretty decent colour match on the sleeves and cables, possibly a bit too jazzy :)

1 Attachment

Turned out my freewheel was a Suntour, not a Regina. And after a lot of swearing I decided to stop messing around.

1 Attachment

What happened to that, it looks like it's been soldered!

We now have six speed fixed!

Why not just unscrew the outer bearing plate (as described above) and remove the centre by holding it in a vice?