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which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your vintage bicycle.
| This old bike restoration game is all very well as long as you're prepared to deal with the dangers that lie lurking ahead. Let me explain........... I was watching paint dry the other night (I know that sounds rediculous but just bear with me)on an almost restored 20" rear inner wheel rim when I happened to notice the word "butyl" on the new innertube box. What does butyl actually mean I thought to myself ? Anyhow, out comes the dictionary......you know, the one that needs a forklift truck to transport it ! Well.....of or containing any of four isomeric forms of the group C4H9, nuclides, compounds etc etc ! Can someone please put this into laymans terms for me. While the paint was still drying (and also recovering from the shock of having to go on a chemistry course to understand the reply to the last question) I decided to remove the rear section off an enclosed chain guard belonging to the remains of an old 1930s Raleigh. When doing this job I fully expect bone dry chains coated in that white insect/spider webbing lava stuff and one or two of our eight legged friends, what I don't expect is an eight legged monster friend with eyes as big as mine carrying a copy of that well known periodical "How to scare humans" ! It was BIG. Anyhow, when the paint had finally dried I decided to retreat to the warmth and relative safety of the house kitchen in order to fit the rim tape, innertube and tyre (I always get great satisfaction out of this job). Problem was, I forgot my trendy tyre levers.......oh well not to worry though there's a draw full of them underneath the draining board. This now became a serious matrimonial issue as I was caught red handed by my wife utilising our best wedding present cutlery on an tatty old bike (her words not mine). The moral of the story is :- (1) Don't always ask questions ! (2) Open ancient chain guards with great caution ! (3) Only use your best cutlery for eating off ! Finally, can anyone advise me on what make of adult 1930/40s 26" wheels black rod bike I have here, it has no markings apart from the letter "S" at the top of both forks and a BSA 3-spd hub mated to a quadrant gear change. All for now. Steve the boy with no books apart from the dictionary ! by: 212.134.18.75 |
| Thanks Matthew, Apart from being interesting, that also sort of answers a lot of questions for me. What I forgot to mention in the description of the bike was the fact that it has two gear cable pulley wheels by and above the bottom bracket in order to get the correct angle for the cable to link with the toggle, it also has the rear brake contact area assembly etc sited at the top of the wheel and not at the lower part of the wheel (as on my other rod bikes), the rod linkage pulls down on a "V" shaped bracket with a hook on the other end which in turn lifts the blocks up towards the wheel rim when activated. It does work but I wouldn't want to measure it's efficiency in comparison to other methods of braking - I think that means that you wouldn't get me going down a very steep hill on it.........well, not unless I had a parachute attached to me or an extremely friendly sponge pit at the bottom ! Steve I'm going to try and get this photo downloading stuff sorted out. by: 212.134.22.3 |
| There is a reply after Matthews but it appears to have sited itself between the eigth and the tenth of January on my screen. Maybe it will sort itself out. Steve by: 212.134.22.3 |
| Hi Steve, the bike sounds unusual and for that reason all the more interesting. Photos will be useful. Matthew - marvelling by: 86.0.107.151 |
| The mystery bike has turned out to be a "Sunbeam". The reason why I struggled to identify it was because at some stage in it's life it has been painted heavily in yes you guessed it........BLACK. I had suspected it would be a Sunbeam mainly because of the chainguard and the "S" letters on the forks in fact I stared at the chainguard with a torch at various angles until I spotted the very faint outline of the word Sunbeam underneath the heavy black paint. Another mystery over with for now ! Steve still haven't resized/downsized my photos. by: 212.134.22.44 |
| Butyl tubes are supposed to leak air less (slower, maybe?). That's what they always say, anyway. by: 68.110.10.124 |
| Steve, sounds interesting.post up a picture so the more knowledgeable members out there can take a look at it.Images of its specific items are sometimes useful for identification. Cheers Pete. by: 195.137.87.130 |
| In addition to pics,your location might help too---a lot of the Ausy bikes had letters or stars(as in Melvern Stars) on them.And I'm not up on sunbeams--did they have letters on their forks?Sunbeam did use a lot of 26" wheels. Some bikes we never I.D.---but we keep asking questions----sam by: 66.142.90.48 |
| Thanks folks, Once I've figured out a way of reducing my photo sizes, I will post-up some pictures. Someone told me that it might have been a Womens Land Army bike ? I've never actually seen one of these (or even a picture of one), I did mention this to my mother and she seemed to think they were "round"......what I think she meant was loop framed ! Would an army bike have bothered with a 3 speed BSA hub ? I would have thought that they would have gone for a basic no nonsense single speed. Thanks Steve I have a lot to learn (in London). by: 212.134.18.31 |
| If you're running Windows XP, go here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx Download the picture resizer. It's a GREAT "toy"! Later! Larry "Boneman" Bone - making things smaller by the folderload. by: 4.154.221.196 |
| Thanks Larry, I'll give the picture resizer a bash a little later - when I'm back on home territory. Steve even more learning to do. by: 195.93.21.70 |
| Hi Steve and all, Land army girls would have used what ever bike came to hand, usually their own and they would not have been issued military bicycles. I am not aware of the forces having 'ladies' bicycles at all during WW2 but Mercury and BSA certainly had contract to supply bicycles to the services during hostilities and after. I know Hercules also provided bicycles to the RAF and probably other forces too. Military pattern cycles were heavy duty, with 26 X 1 1/2 wheels, single speed and supplied in green drab paint, RAF bikes were painted RAF drab blue but it is unlikely that there were other variants due to lack of materials etc. Small men and ladies (WAAFs and ATS) just had to manage or use their own bikes. In WW1 the cyclist regiments were paid to supply their own bicycles, my gt uncle was in the 1 Essex Cyclists. Matthew - history is what we make of our future by: 82.20.19.92 |
| Ebay item 180203417862 Sellor doesn't state the brand... but these look very nice. For anyone that may need tyres for the DL-1 Later! Larry "Boneman" Bone - I'm already tired.... by: 4.154.218.197 |
| For that kind of money I'd expect nothing less than a mint original. I don't think I could ever bring myself to put out $899 for any bike anyhow, especially one that an unknown somebody 'restored'. by: 72.73.197.70 |
| Sorry but the seller hasn't done his research try http://www.theoldbicycleshowroom.co.uk/28-by-112-vintage-roadster-block-tread-black-tyre-26-p.asp The Old Bicycle Co have 4 yes four different types of 28X1& 1/2 tyres included beaded. All for about £10 each, shipping worldwide and all major credit cards accepted. My only connection with the company is as a happy customer. Matthew - sometimes it is what you know. by: 86.31.99.10 |
| They look like Kenda tires, nothing special or hard to get, any bike shop can order them for that price or less. That size never really went away, shops just don't stock them anymore. I'd venture to bet that if you ordered them from the local bike shop you would have them in hand faster than by mail too and for a less money. I bought a set of Kendas from a local shop about 4 months ago and they were only about $25 for the pair. They didn't have them in stock, but they got them in only one day. They looked identical to the ones on eBay. by: 71.251.143.88 |
| Common. thin sidewalls, soft rubber. The trend is to offer the easy to find common stuff for a high price. Thing is, in certain places e- bay is the only way to find stuff. Among my favorites are the Austrian made Semperet's off of the the 1970's Raleigh D.L.1.'S get the book Chasing rickshaws and look over the 28 inch tires the book shows. by: 69.153.9.235 |
| Ebay item: 230210665090 Somewhat local to me. They're saying this is a 70's restoration... yet the quadrant shifter and chaincase say otherwise.... Nice dyhohub... ... The opening bid has me somewhat aghast... Cheers! Larry "Boneman" Bone - Sometimes I just don't get it by: 4.154.218.197 |
| Looks like they threw on whatever they had, and a hat, too. by: 70.231.238.27 |
| What, no bids! by: 64.201.65.22 |
| Hi Folks, The lamp is hardly seventies and looks like it could possibly be a chrome Miller lamp under the black paint. The lamp will be bright but not for long with no rear lamp to balance the dyno load. The gear selector is pre-war. The Oxford City Police helmet may well be worth a tidy sum as most City Police forces were amalgamated into County Constabularies in the 70s. It is an uncommon item. The bike is very pretty but not my cup of tea, restored to within an inch of its life at considerable expense I guess. Matthew - I'll never shine like that by: 86.31.99.10 |
| Raleigh, Rudge, Humber, Robin Hood, Phillips,and Hercules sticker sets are being offered on Ebay auction 150202889083 at "Buy It Now" for $10.00. per set. I've ordered one set to fill in some small missing decals on my '69 SA 5 Sprite (haven't seen them yet) but I'm still trying to find decals for a '51 Beeston Humber Clubman. Check it out. Ted by: 76.126.32.53 |
| Those on ebay are not original type decals, they are printed on clear backing. They may be better than no decal at all though. I believe the originals were some sort of water slide decal. by: 72.73.197.70 |
| Hi Ted and Joe, The originals would have been water slide transfers or possibly on some cycles varnish slide transfers. The latter were more resistant to abrasion. Lloyds cycles hold many of the more common transfers. Search for the name and you get there. Matthew - stick with it. by: 82.20.2.32 |
| Ebay item: 300187020957 It's already bid up higher than I would pay... so perhaps my thoughts on worth are a bit off-base... still, a very nice machine indeed. Cheers! Larry "Boneman" Bone by: 4.154.222.22 |
| Really nice...I wouldn't be surprised to see it go for 5 or 6 hundred. by: 24.222.223.49 |
| Here is another auction, 2 1958 Raleigh Reg Harris bikes. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250202243824&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching by: 142.161.123.117 |
| wow that was a steal on the lentons, he could get 350.00 just for 1 of those by: 69.231.86.118 |
| Went for $230...a steal for nice steel. by: 24.222.223.49 |
| Yeah, I see that. $300 with shipping. Not bad actually.... I can't say I've ever seen one of those before. 'Twould be nice to have... ;-) Cheers! Larry "Boneman" Bone - should have, would have, could have.... by: 4.154.223.66 |