Cycling UK Forum

Just found this book review of a German language illustrated history of bicycle makers working in Vienna
Austria in the 50 years 1930 - 1980. Reviewer has linked to publishers website. Has anyone else heard of this
book?

Link to review is here:- http://grubb1937.blogspot.co.uk/

From photographs the frame looks to be 1930s or 1940s. MERLIN was the brand name of E.A. & A.L. Merlin, 219 Goswell Road, Clerkenwell, London. They were in business before Bob Jackson and were associated with the Polytechnic CC. Would explain why Bob Jackson didn't recognise the frame number.

Hmmm. Been reading about a NATIONAL Strategy. Surely the devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be lobbied as part of any National strategy as they have the final say in their respective areas??? Or does National now = regional, i.e. England only?

Original Claud Butler frames had the frame number usually stamped on the bottom bracket shell. There should be two numbers, one above the other. One is the date code and the second the consecutive frame number. It may be hard to read because of the paint. Use tracing paper and a soft pencil to go over it and see if you can decypher the number if hard to read.

Good information on the marque is available on this link:- http://www.nkilgariff.com/

Take your hub gear to a bike shop which can service a S.A. hub gear. The Tiwanese who now own Sturmey Archer produce a specific grease which should last between services (and is capable of being converted to oil lubrication if necessary). It is advisable to clean and renew the grease when the hub is stripped for servicing. If you do use oil for lubrication, DO NOT USE 3 IN 1. Use lawnmower oil from the like of Halfords. 3 in 1 is a vegetable based oil (and the same caveat applies to chainsaw oil as well) than contains acid which attacks the pawl springs and will eventually lose you the bottom gear as well as causing surface corrosion to the planet cage, gear ring etc. It becomes watery in hot weather and thickens up in cold weather. If I only had a fiver for every AW3 I've had to service where the bottom gear has stopped working, where the owner has proudly told me they lubricated their hub with 3 in 1 oil.

I see Peter Weigle, probably one of the best frame builders in the US doesn't have a website either. His best advert is his work......

How did people manage to buy, or research anything, or indeed make an informed decision, before the advent of the internet?

It is sad to see CTC members who have contributed a lot to the CTC Club over the years, like Freeman1901 above, being treated in such a fashion, but the CTC is now much improved by becoming a Charity. As such it will seek to maximize (SPIN) all the publicity it can. The rise in membership to £41 is only the beginning of rising membership costs and I would expect alienation of many who have contributed to the old CTC Club will continue. Such is the progressive, all encompassing, bright, new vision, of a cycling charity.

I wonder how much racing the team will do in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland? How will the success in promoting women's cycling be measured, bearing in mind the racing licences cannot be issued by the CTC and will the figures be given a breakdown by region?

Just heard from a friend in Donegal at the weekend that the Road Safety Authority in the Republic of Ireland are proposing the introduction of compulsory cycle helmets. Cycling Ireland require all their licence holders to wear a helmet and failure to do so invalidates their cycle insurance cover.

If this legislation goes through, then Ireland will be off the map for any cycling for a lot of people.

Regions pages are very slow to load. It is now interesting to see how much relevant local information is posted on the respective regions pages. A bit of padding to take away from the lack of content. Good to see the CTC is still working hard in Northern Ireland and offering value for money on the subscription?, as they have not had the time to update the N.I. page since June 2012. Any wonder the compulsory helmet legislation was tried there first!

Just caught this thread. I have to agree with some of the earlier posts about the CTC from disillusioned members. Current 'Cycle' magazine does not compare well with club magazine when I joined and like other correspondents, I don't even bother to read it anymore. I will not be renewing my membership.

The new 'Local' section of the website is interesting, as the paucity of information about cycling related activity for Northern Ireland (should read Belfast D.A.) at last honestly reflected, will put a spotlight on and present the challenge to justify the tag 'National Cycling Organization', particularly if the level of activity/schemes in the 6 counties outside Belfast for the past 27 years is anything to go on. Sustrans seems to have done a lot more to promote cycling outside Belfast than the CTC and were first to get involved in contesting the compulsory cycle helmet legislation.

Don't believe £39 membership fee was value for money, nor do I believe the increase to £41 (at the last AGM) in these tough economic conditions represents any better value and I suspect the CTC will keep coming back at frequent intervals to hike the membership fee further. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this new charity.

531colin wrote:

How can you "endorse" peoples experiences of "their local LBS"? Do you use all their LBSs?..... Because you "don't have to use any of the (the) LBS in my area"?

9&10 speed chains are liable to break if joined by re-using a rivet instead of the joining link supplied.....thats why you are instructed to use the link.

The presence/absence of single/double eyelets has no bearing on the rims resistance to pothole damage, apart from resistance to nipples pulling through the rim. Leaving aside questions of build quality and spoke number, resistance to rim flats caused by hitting potholes is governed by the rims strength, this is down to:-
1) box section is stronger than U channel
2)wide, deep rims are stronger than narrow, shallow rims
3)thick metal is stronger than thin metal

LBS is a term used by correspondents on this thread. My opinion is due to my experience. I have not had a good experience in any local bike shop in my area. How can you speak about any LBS in my area? I stand by my comments.

9/10/11 speed chains break usually under 2000 miles of use and not just Shimano. It has nothing to do with the joining link. Don't know when you started cycling but it didn't used to happen with the older gearing systems, not at least under 2000 miles. Not rose tinted spectacles, fact. Yes, modern bikes may be so much lighter but the components are not giving very high mileages before needing replacement. Have those I know, who use this stuff, got it wrong? I don't think so, I credit them more as having some experience and common sense.

1) depends on the grade of material and the suitability of the material to do the job.
2) Probably more to do with the cushioning affects of wider tyres. If stronger, are you arguing they are made from thicker material, or just there is more metal in themas they are wider, so they must be stronger. (Intended tyre pressure usage should also have an impact on the design tensile strength of a rim).
3)Oh dear, what do you mean by metal? Are you specifically referring here to one type of or grade of alloy, or is this just a wild generalisation that all thick metals must be stronger than thin metal?

By the way Weinmann Alesas have given me lots of problem free miles along with similar Fiamme rims. My stock is now exhausted, hence the use of modern Rigida 27" rims.

531colin wrote:
There is the occasional thoroughbred too....then the customer just wants new tyres, lower gears, indexed gears, higher handlebars, better brakes, all right now for nothing, and by the way this bit and that bit don't seem to move....thats the usual suspects corroded into the frame, as its had no attention since Uncle Jim died in 1972.........and can't you do it for tuppence an hour, its for charity you know....

Funny my bikes have been maintained since I had the frames built well over 30 years ago. No corroded in handlebar stem or seat post or frame tubes failed so far, gears work fine on friction NOT INDEX, brakes still work fine and the wheels are great. I have tried aluminium and carbon bikes and I wouldn't give them shed room. I don't have to use two rolls or gel handlebar tape on the bars, don't have straight forks so the steel curved forks actually dampen the road vibration, so no sore neck and parts generally last and give good service, much better than a lot of the modern brand names which show little durability, but are great for your style and image. I agree about your comments about BSOs. I agree that 27" wheels are no longer considered 'main stream', but there again neither is 650B but it does not mean they are rubbish just because they do not enjoy a lot of trade support. I started my cycling career on some of that junk you refer to, bought through my mother's mail order catalogue. I couldn't afford a 531 frame until I started working. It didn't stop me cycling and it rode a hell of a lot better than these modern mountain bikes, but certainly not as nice as a good 531 frame.

Have to endorse what hubgearfreak wrote:

as for better frames, saddles, gears, brakes....that's subjective. you know nothing about what bikes the OP has, nor the budget he may have to replace them with. if he's got a Lenton, a Sunbeam, a PX10 and he's going to take your word for it and replace them with a £100 Asda bike he'll be well disappointed won't he?

and also what tyred wrote:

Better gears - yes and no, they work better and are easier to use but the components don't last as long.
Better saddles - Brooks saddles were introduced a very long time ago and are better than any modern plastic subsitute.
Better brakes - definitely, but you can always upgrade the brakes.
Better frames - I've rode modern bikes but am always happy to get back on my steel frames. One word - comfort.

I still ride 27" x 1 1/4" ETRTO 630mm tyres. I use Schwalbe Marathons. Seem to work as well as the 700c 622mm version. In my experience the bigger size wheel rolls better. I recently rebuilt the wheels with Rigida 36H alloy rims to replace the worn out Weinmann Alesas. If built properly non eyelet rims are less prone to getting damaged with flats, but even a double eyelet rim can buckle if you hit the wrong pothole. I would also add that gearing systems under 9 speed don't suffer from the same excessive chain breakages. I also endorse what some have written about their experiences of their local LBS - fortunately I don't have to use any of the the LBS in my area as I can thankfully fix anything that crops up other than a broken frame.

The company was E A Boult, spelled with a U. He was a London base builder and sold frames through agents throughout the country. The business was taken over by Ernie Witcomb in the late 1940s and became Witcomb Cycles.

Anyone experience of the Novatec hub? Thinking of building one into a front wheel for my winter bike.

Previous posts on Witcomb frame numbers are correct. Witcomb usually put their frame numbers on the bottom bracket shell. 613 would suggest that the frame number is a) either incomplete or b) it is a number put on the frame by a refinisher in the past. I have found frames with this in the past. If the paint on your frame is poor, take a stainless steel brush to the bottom bracket shell to find the frame number.