On yer bike!

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

Oh that Castle!!!!!

 

[Red Tractors]

My '61/'62 Raleigh Grand Sports, although it now wears period Bluemels fenders and a leather seat bag.

 

[PADDY]

Lovely bike!

 

[Red Tractors]

Thank you, I should have taken some before pictures, I got her from a good friend as a frame and two grocery bags full of parts.

 

[jamespowers]

Frost-Bite Season is definitely 'here' in the UK..!! Been out on a cycle today on the 'old girl,' and it was 'hairy' at times on some of the route with ice, like sheet glass covering the track!! I was just all over the place (and that's my excuse for having a strong coffee laced with Cointreau on my desk as I type this up!!).
There were parts I just had to dismount and walk, but such are the hurdles of cycling at this time of year in Northern Europe.
The old girl stood up well to the beasting I gave her & my decision to pump some of that 'green gunge' stuff into the pneumatic tyres, seems to have worked in combatting thorns on the ground which have been a right pain in puncturing the rubber nearly every ride.
Today was also good for reviewing my winter kit, as there were parts of me that just basically froze!! But, as ever, a very enjoyable afternoon's cycle ride on a vintage bike that is still going strong
Quick change, shower, glad-rags donned and whoooshhhhh out-the-door!! as a gorgeous 1930's Art Deco cinema awaits me this evening. Going for my yearly dose of Jimmy & Donna at Christmas.

Apologies for the quality, but only had my cell phone on me & it's a case of , self timer, push timer button, run like hell, compose oneself, hope it's pointing in the general direction. A case of 'Point, push & pray!!"

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz260/ROSSANDHARRY2/36677a41.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz260/ROSSANDHARRY2/34eb4402.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz260/ROSSANDHARRY2/d1ea4307.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz260/ROSSANDHARRY2/1d70498f.jpg

You make me wish I still had my Floval Flyer. As it goes, a trashed Huffy Thunder Gorge is what I use now since the former was stolen less than ten feet away from me. New tires, crank, gears, seat and a host of other tweaking made the Huffy roadworthy again. Now my sons and I ride around the block a few times per week.

 

[esteban68]

Sweet RT, they look like GB 66 centrepulls with superhood levers?

 

[PADDY]

I've been after a strong, sizeable (without being 'overly' large) saddle bag for the Roadster. Found one on 'Gumtree' (the online store where people advertise things they don't want/need), and it's 'new!!' The chap said he bought it for his bike and on attaching it realised that it wasn't 'quite' what he had in mind. So Paddy 'Old Sport' got a good deal for a lot less wonga than it retails at.

Yes - you might be thinking, " It's a 30's bike, so WHY is he popping a modern saddlebag on the old rotary thing??"

Well, these chaps down in Lancashire (somewhere over on the NW of England) have been making their canvas and leather bike bags since the 1930's and they are all for using as much 'natural' material as possible. The Defence rests it's case M'Lud!!

I went for the green & barley colour as it does blend in nicely with the racing green of the Triumph!! First try out is in an hour as I cycle to work (it's a PADDY CYCLES TO WORK DAY).

So chaps and chappesses of the Cycling Classes, "What do you reckon?"

(iPhone pics, as the camera has given up the ghost!).

 

[herringbonekid]

I'll probably open up (if someone doesn't beat me to it) another thread on locating VINTAGE CYCLE WEAR & ACCESSORIES, as I'm after things from a brass bell to trouser clips, to wet weather gear to saddle bags.

ALSO - best vintage bike forums on the WWW to get further information and help? - Thanks Chaps.

you've probably found this website/shop already:

http://www.theoldbicycleshowroom.co.uk/

...they're good for vintage/classic parts. i got some 30s repro grips for my recent bike project from them.

ALSO... did you find a UK forum for people into rod-brake roadsters ? i was looking for the same thing with no luck.

 

[PADDY]

I'm mobile right now, but there's a Dutch vintage bike website that does NOS and repro vintage bike kit too!!

iPhone Comms

 

[herringbonekid]

late 40s Mercury revamp

i purchased this late 40s Mercury army bike before Christmas. as far as i can tell Mercury were basically Phillips roadsters that were re-branded and re-painted
for army personnel use. the bike was in need of a little bit of attention as you can see:

since the original logos were already gone i decided it wouldn't be sacrilegious to give it a complete reinterpretation and paint it black.
oddly enough as i began to strip the green paint off, i found out that it had been black once before:

i suspect that this bike was 'civilianised' black after it made it out of the army, then painted green later in life by a re-enactor who wanted to 'restore' it.
here's the bike almost down to bare metal, and the serial number on the seat tube that all Mercury army bikes seem to have:

...that isn't paint on the chain-wheel and cranks. it might have been green paint once but now it's black grime !
after several attempts at hand painting with a brush, smooth attempt, and 'weathered' attempt, i decided to have the frame and mudguards professionally stove-enamelled.
every part has been cleaned, wire-brushed where necessary, and all (loose ball) bearings replaced with new. i left the bars and rims in a lightly 'tarnished' state which i like.
here's the bike finished before and after:

 

[herringbonekid]

the only new parts i added were a Brooks B73 saddle (which i already had), new tyres and 1930s repro grips:

the hubs are still the original army green:

...

 

[PADDY]

Great day out today!!

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

i purchased this late 40s Mercury army bike before Christmas. as far as i can tell Mercury were basically Phillips roadsters that were re-branded and re-painted
for army personnel use. the bike was in need of a little bit of attention as you can see:

Nice job, well done you.

 

[PADDY]

Lovely repro grips - I'll be checking those out soon to add to my mount.

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks fellas.
Paddy, www.cyclesofyesteryear.com has a good rear carrier if you're looking around for one, very vintage style (might even be deadstock). look under 'spare parts'.

 

[PADDY]

Thankyou

 

[Edward_Lindey]

What are the curved bars that go from the handlebars down to the front hub called, and what service do they do?

Edward

 

[PADDY]

Hello Edward! I think what you're referring to are the brakes. You pull the levers with your extended fingers.

 

[Edward_Lindey]

Not the brakes. These are the bars that attatch right under the handlebars and go down to the center of the wheel hub on the front tire. They split so that they go to opposit sides of the tire. I have seen them made out of aluminum and steel.

Edward

 

[herringbonekid]

Edward, i think you must be talking about this sort of thing. these only seem to be found on American 'cruisers' not on European roadsters, and i have no idea what they are for !