|
OldRoads.com
For current Discussions, go to our main site: OldRoads.com |
| I've just picked up a 3speed ladies,tagged front and rear Excelsis Cycle Co. ,made in England. Does anyone know anything about this bike? I've had no luck finding any info on the web so far. |
| I am in the process of restoring a nice French Peugeot touring bike from the 50s. It is very unusual and has an old unique three speed Simplex derailluer system. I need the following parts to complete my work. Any suggestions will be helpful. Rear Reflector, this unit lights up from a generator. What I need is the lens at the top of this assembly or I will buy the whole assembly if necessary. Look at these URLs to see what I need. Rear Reflector http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37399682 http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383805 http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383808 Wing Nut, I need two of these, they are alloy. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383813 Pedals, unusual shape with ring in center, could use a pair or just a left if you have only one. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383820 http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383815 http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383817 Hand Grip, need one of these but will buy pair if necessary. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1152841&a=8469637&p=37383824 Thanks for your help and or suggestions. |
| I posted some interesting British bike stuff on ebay over the weekend. More to come in the future. Take a look under my e-bay name Wheelman@nac.net to see what is there. Ray |
| All -- Why were traditional roadsters made with seat stays that bolted on to the rest of the frame? I have a Pashley neo-Roadster that includes just such construction, and I still can't figure it out. Will Rodger |
| English Roadsters are the only bikes I've ever seen with bolted-on frame members. Don't know why they are built that way, but I've heard that this contributes to alleged high-speed wobble. |
| Bolted on seat stays make it easy to replace them with specialty carriers, etc... Also it requires putting let heat stress on the frame during construction. |
| I've seen early 1900 ads.for large boxes that bolt onto roadester frames,also in manny parts of the world they are still used for everyday work(such as carring two 5 gal. milk cans)---sam |
| If the backstay got damaged it could be replaced easily this way. |
| A question for the planetary community. When using a cog made from a modified Shiamano casette cog(six of the nine spline engaging protrusions are filed-off),it is found that the two S.A. spacer-washers are insufficient to fill the space on the driver; the unfilled space results from the Shimano cog being somewhat thinner than the S.A. . I would like to hear from someone who has solved this problem. |
| You need a thinner spacer. You already knew that I know. I personally had one thinner spacer from one of my Sturmey-Archer F.M. hubs and so I used that. I guess you would need to ask a bike shop and see if they have one thin spacer lying around. I'm sure you could make one somehow. My mechanic told me to weld this cluster cog onto a regular S.A. cog and that way it is more sure or solid. The metal being thicker with the Sturmey-Archer cog. Good Luck |
| I have put a Shimano 24T sprocket onto a Sturmey-Archer AB 3 speed hub. When I bought the sprocket at the bike shop, I also picked up a couple of Shimano rear hub spacers which go between the different sprockets on a rear hub. I had to file 6 of the 9 teeth off the spacers but then this helped me compensate for the fact that the Shimano sprocket was thinner than the original SA sprocket. It all worked fine. Paul |
| As Christopher and Paul have noted, a bike shop should have thinner spacers available-these also are used to space out the BB fixed cup or freewheel. I have stripped the 3 internal tabs off one Shimano 28T sprocket and then just welded on an old SA cog to it after grinding the SA cog down to just a circle (no teeth remaining). If you're careful in grinding off the excess tabs and matching the profile on the Shimano cog to the SA driver, though, it'll probably work ok without a SA cog welded on. |
| I attached a Shimano cog to a Sturmey-Archer cog with machine screws a few years ago. It just happened that the Shimano had holes that lined up perfectly with the space between the teeth of the Sturmey. There was no appreciable runout and it is working fine. I have also modified the Shimano cog on a couple of bikes and had to use thin spacers. |
| I have just got a red Phillips english bike with a light on the front-a infant carrier on the rear-and thin tires-can anyone tell me it's age or value? |
| My wife has the bike they bought new for her sister in the mid-50s, a ladies Rigby. It's the only one I've ever seen or heard of. It had AW rear with 32/40 spokes, mattress seat, cable sidepull brakes. The paint was pretty bad so I repainted it simple black in 1973. I've also put on a B72 and retrofitted the rear wheel with a 40-spoke AW alloy shell wheel, with FW innards. I still have the original wheel, date code 55 or 56. The bike is kinda so-so quality, the brake calipers are stamped and flex a little, the frame is light tubing and has a slight downward bend in the middle. Bike went into storage when she bought the Cannondale hybrid a few years back, but she'd never part with it. In fact, it's due for overhaul so I'll put it in the queue with the other winter projects. Has anybody ever heard of Rigby, or know anything about it? |
| Anytime I get something and nobody has never heard of it I say to myself "Cool!" I mean that puts you in a neat area. At least it is not something common where 10 people can answer your question. Sorry I can't help apart to say that It sounds English made. Good that you swaped the innards and are using a F.W. and don't you just love those alloy shells? |
| Hello friends! This is the first time i post anything here, and I want you to know, that I'm danish, so please excuse me, if my english is not (at all) perfect. I'll do my best. On 12/29/00 Dewane suggested that you should check out the danish Raleighs on www.citycykler.dk. If you did, you might be interested also to have a look at www.urania.dk/prisliste/frame-indhold.htm. Here you will se better pictures of the danish Raleigh modelrange, including the Tourist and Club Classics. Check out www.raleighcycles.dk too. Go to "voksen-cykler" and then "Raleigh". In Denmark - like in Netherland - bicycles have a very important role in everyday transportation. Denmark is a small and flat country, and taxes on cars are high. So we have a lot of bikes in the streets - including english three-speeds. And there is still a market-demand for these bikes. I dont know of any other country in the western world, where you can walk in from the street and buy a Raleigh Tourist de Luxe complete with Brooks saddle, enclosed chaincase and 28" steelrims. As far as I'm told (from a long-time-danish-Raleigh-dealer), the frames are manufactured somewhere in Asia with original machinery from the Nottingham-factory, and the paintjob should be done in Netherland. Until sometime in the mid-80's most danish Raleigh roadsters came with the three speed SA coaster hub, but it was forced out by the Torpedo-hub, partly because many danish mechanics hated to work on the SA-hub. The Tourist roadster is still a very popular bike in Denmark, but these fine vehicles are not considered anything special by the average danish cyclist. People think of these bikes as something you dont have to think about. So there is not much romance and nostalgia in it. Except for me. I love the majestic ride on a Tourist de Luxe. I have three: In may 2000 I bought a new one. I did not want the Torpedo/SACHS-hub, so I ordered it with the SA 5-speed Elite hub and hubbrake in the frontwheel too. When I took a close look, I found out, that the rearhub was manufactured in 2000, while the fronthub was made in 1998 (it's kind of NOS!). This is a fantastic bike to ride and to look at. I paid 5.100 kr. for it (about 640 USD). My to other roadsters are "real" made in Nottingham roadsters: A 1975 model and a 1979 model. Both have rod-operated brakes. The 1975 model is my "newest" bike. I bought it in the autumn 2000 for about 60 dollar. I had to rebuild the frontwheel, but now I ride it every day. I bought the 1979 model i 1985 on an auction for stolen bikes. It was originally fitted with Dynohub in the frontwheel, but I had to replace it after I was strucked by a Mercedes Benz. I used this bike a lot, and a couple of years ago I left it outside my house with damaged wheels and other malfunctions. I was about to get rid of "this piece of junk", but fortunenately i cleaned it up, rebuilded the wheels, and now this bike is honourable retired. The other day I found a 1958 Raleigh Club de Luxe with rodbrakes waiting for someone to take it to the junkyard. There is a lot of work to do, if this bike is going to be roadworthy - but maybe one day it will. Thank you. Thats all for now. |
| Thank you very much Jacob! The e-mail was most interesting and enlightening, and your English is better than most Americans I get e-mails from at work. The URLs were interesting also. I visited Denmark 15 years ago, and a Dane told me then that one could stand on a beer crate and see the entire country. That's a bit of an understatement, but it is generally flat, which is ideal for riding. I did notice the many roadster-type bicycles there, many without any locks. I was impressed by this, maybe it's changed in fifteen years. It is ridiculous for somebody to buy a full suspension mountain bike when they are going to use it to commute to work or ride to the store. English roadster-style bicycles are perfect for those of us who don't do much long-distance touring or racing. More than five (or even three) speeds can be wasteful for us non-Lance Armstrong types. Most city bikes here don't come with fenders, or even a chainguard. Derailleurs used to have that Schwinn-style chainguard around the chainwheel, this must still be available somewhere. My commuter (a - sorry to say - Schwinn Collegiate with Shimano 3-speed) got stolen last month, and I'm about to pay an ungodly amount of money (quite a bit more than $60) for either a Sports or a DL-1. You solved the biggest problem with the DL-1 by putting a hub brake on the front. Glad to see that this site is now getting international attention! |
| Jacob, Thank you very much for this info! Thank God there is a place in this world where such things still exist and are valued! Here in the US of course anything that isn't made of titanium, and comes with $200 handle bars is passe', and only worth throwing on the trash heap( exept by us of course :-). I would love to buy a NEW roadster, but I will always ride and love my old DL-1 Raleigh. BW, Mark |
| Jacob, Thanks for sharing this. It was good reading and I enjoyed this very much. It is good to hear from other parts of the world. Thanks. |
| There is something magical when riding an English Roadster, like a good Champagne, nothing come close! |
| Does anyone know the value of an almost perfect ninety percent restored vintage Hetchins custom made to owners specs, mostly Campagnolo Nuevo Record parts? Best way to find an interested buyer? |
| I'm an interested buyer. However as such, I probably shouldn't tell you how much the bike is worth. But if you really must know... $5.00 (US). |
| In his "Wild Guesses" list (available at Sheldon Brown's site) Bicycle Classic's Michael Kone says the 60s and 70s curly stay models are worth about $1,500 -- more if the lugs are fancy, less if they're plain. If the stays are straight, $1000 or less. This is in "guideline" contition -- complete, very clean, and only about 4000 miles. The real glory days for Hetchins were during the height of British club cycling in the 1950s. Go to the Cycles de Oro site to see some prime examples. |
| I am considering aquiring a British built one speed rear coaster hub for a custom bike project. What do you recommend for quality, durability, gearing etc? Stewart Warner, Perry, Bayliss Wiley or....... Also looking for NOS British three piece crank set pre 1950 prefer racing model. |
| I am considering aquiring a British built one speed rear coaster hub for a custom bike project. What do you recommend for quality, durability, gearing etc? Stewart Warner, Perry, Bayliss Wiley or....... Also looking for NOS British three piece crank set pre 1950 prefer racing model. |
| Perry are a favourite of mine, Bayliss Wiley are nice vintage stock, Sturmey A. hubs are great...take your pick! |
| This is the second local shop that has gone under in the last six months. |
| Shops are ok here, but the ones closing are retiring. A waste of knowledge and old parts. Another Starbucks there in a month. |
| Correction! Lost lease and may just be moving. Hope so. |
| If anybody has a use for some disinbodied pedal car guts please e -mail me. ChristopherRobin@starmail.com |
| I visited the Benotto web ssite,benotto.com.mx, where I noticed their roadster selling for U.S. $924.00! Can anyone explain? |
| Mexico uses the $ sign for paso .the benotto web sight is in pasos and the price is good.You can order direct from the factory but you must send the money to a bank in mexico not to benotto,haven't figured that one out yet!!Found a benotto bike shop in Novo-Laredo.I'm told there is one in Fl.Did you check out the super tourister 5-speed with alm. (Germany)rims and natural rubber 28' tires?--sam |
| Me too. Especially if they don't mark up the price too much. |
| Albert, I think that they are talking pesos. I think the exchange rate is about 9 pesos to a dollars American. So would be about $103.00 American. |
| Robert, the Benotto site uses the $-sign. If your correct and the price is actually in pesos, the Benotto roadster would be an excellent value. Perhaps another roadster fanatic has more information. I would especially like to know of a U.S. sales agent. |
| I visited the Benotto web ssite,benotto.com.mx, where I noticed their roadster selling for U.S. $924.00! Can anyone explain? |