Sympathetic early road/club restoration

Hey guys been a long time since I have posted here

so I have had this very nice bike waiting to be restored for a while now I got a great deal online and have been saving so I can do a sympathetic restoration

the previous owner had already stripped away the multiple paint jobs it had been given over the years so I am at square one

It's an unidentified 30s- to early 50ish (by my fairly uninformed reckoning) frame that has a head clip and came with a convincingly worn Major Taylor stem and basically all the parts look fairly original or at least of the right era

I am thinking of getting all the parts re-chromed/nickel plated (depending on the most historically appropriate choice) including the fork ends and chain stay/seat stay/ drop out tips as they look like it was this way from what's left of the original finish (probably use london chroming)

then my plan is to pick a colour for the frame forks and have it painted coated somewhere

however I am building this back up as a bike I will regularly ride so if you guys have any ideas or advice or think I should do something else (i don't want it to feel perfect like an unreadable museum piece) then I would like to hear your opinions

thanks

edit (also just for background my other bike is a rescued 30s lightweight with a head-clip that I put together with modern light weight parts in an unffussy way but it's about to be sent off for repair as one of the dropouts cracked so this will be a ridden but slightly better looked after bike )

Nice find. Looks very similar to a BSA path/track frame I brought here recently.
The lugs, braze ons and forks look pretty much identical.

Still trying to found out some more information about it so if I come across anything I'll let you know.

cool thanks, it has a code on the down tube by the seat post lugs and another under the BB

looks like it might have been painted blue or red originally there are tiny traces of both

I know it's a stupid idea but I have always wanted an nickel plated frame :P

any more opinions before I set the ball rolling on this?

should I just oil everything to protect it and keep it bare an utilitarian :p

should I just oil everything to protect it and keep it bare and utilitarian :p

This. It's pretty cool as it is, just service it, change the tyres if required and off you go.

looks rad as it is!

whats the consensus on riding unprotected frames?

It's survived for 60-80 years with paint.

How long will it last without?

It would be a shame if a trendy (cosmetic) choice made you the last possible user. Restoration would suggest replacing paint and plating. Preservation would have left the 'historical' finish in situ but addressed any defects that might allow corrosion. Stripping and oiling is not a long term solution, no matter how much you like the look - your choice of course, but I would plan a more appropriate finish at some point before bare/cool/rad becomes rusty/needing major work.

^ This.

use a sharp blade to take off the cracked / crusty layer on the brooks you could have a nice suede saddle

or clear coat it....... i really think it looks amazing as it is, but for use everyday maybe a tasteful restoration could save it for another 70 odd years.... i would say it is 30s early 40s, looking at the lugs could it be a FW Evans? serial number on the seat post cluster? any more pictures?

i really like this bike, not sure i would use it for my everyday bike, especially in London.....

It's survived for 60-80 years with paint.

How long will it last without?

It would be a shame if a trendy (cosmetic) choice made you the last possible user. Restoration would suggest replacing paint and plating. Preservation would have left the 'historical' finish in situ but addressed any defects that might allow corrosion. Stripping and oiling is not a long term solution, no matter how much you like the look - your choice of course, but I would plan a more appropriate finish at some point before bare/cool/rad becomes rusty/needing major work.

agreed I wasn't making it as a trendy cosmetic choice as it had already been stripped, I guess I was thinking more along the lines (as you are) of wanting to preserve it while also not giving it a disingenuous make over

it doesn't need to look perfect or brand new but I do want it to be weather and fairly user resistant :3

would it be sacrilege to powered coat the frame? dose anyone do stove bake enamelling any more on this scale or is a simple paint job the more historically accurate? and if so where is good and reasonable these days?

witrh a sharp blade to take off the cracked / crusty layer on the brooks you could have a nice suede saddle

would love to have oiled the original at the very least but unfortunately it damaged passed repair, it has deep structural cracks by the rivets

I'm going to source an appropriately aged 'new' one from somewhere and put in a gallows seat post if you guys don't think thats a silly (over the mark) idea as the old aluminium one has some deep gouges in the seat end that don't look too safe (otherwise I would have just buffed it out)

one of my all time favorite bikes.....

or clear coat it....... i really think it looks amazing as it is, but for use everyday maybe a tasteful restoration could save it for another 70 odd years.... i would say it is 30s early 40s, looking at the lugs could it be a FW Evans? serial number on the seat post cluster? any more pictures?

i really like this bike, not sure i would use it for my everyday bike, especially in London.....

I have a short commute to work and secure parking but I would probably only ride it in a day a week or so cos we have a lil battle at work, a few other guys have very nice classic British rides and atm I feel out gunned

thats so lame isn't it

that gear mech is sexy!

whats the Marque, Lucky ?

that seems like as good as a reason as any. i would say you are onto a winner. but please give me first refusal if you ever pass it on.....

looking at the head-tube lugs, could it be an Evans?

that gear mech is sexy!

whats the Marque, Lucky ?

it is a cyclo standard 3 speed gear and the frame is a 'famous' James. its not one of mine, but i am restoring something quite like it.

oh thats a close match lucky!

mine looks to be a simpler slightly more utilitarian model, the only braze ons being the pump holders which have been flattened (might be originally like this I don't know) and a small circular hanger on the gear side chain stay

when I got it it was set up flip flop fixed/ss I wonder if that braze-on means it was originally geared ?

The FWE above is a touring model..... Most bike frames of this age were often multipurpose. Geared in the summer or for touring trips(sturmey archer or cyclo type system), then fixed/ss in winter, as a town bike or certain races......Your bike looks like it was set up for racing/grass track. Very cool.

Is the serial number on the seat post cluster? more pictures.

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/designs/hsfwevans.html

OK here's the seat post cluster stamp and a few more snaps to show age, might stick to re-chroming as some of the parts if not the frame are a little pitted, bet it's going to cost a painful amount :3

heres that lil hanger

and some pitting on the major taylor, the handle bars have a really lovely patina from all the paint jobs over time seems a shame to cover it

and just for interests sake here is my very cheaply obtained and very light 30s 40s frame that up until it got a crack in the seat stay by the chater lea dropout was my main ride, it has very nice simple flowing lugs and is supper light, also takes a headclip, I had built up with cheap aluminium parts and some of those cheap charge bars for a lauterwasser ish look (this was before the soma ones ect) , it's hopfully going off to get fixed and re-sprayed then I am going to build it back up with broadly the same parts (maybe some more quality) as it was just so light and a dream to carry up stairs ect

the serial number on the seat-tube cluster would also point towards FW Evans.....

thanks lucky looks like your dead on

I was thinking black for the frame anyway which is nice as that other evans looks good like that

now to research paint places