Cycling UK Forum

Indeed, they did some lugged models (a friend owned one, early 1980's), the lugged ones I saw were the cheaper end of the range (as is the one in the photo). Cheaper racers tended to look rather generic, so harder to identify!
Do the transfers look original, or have they been added later by a previous owner?

Yes, DIY ironmongery or DIY plasticmongery works.
If you have yet to buy the mudguards Tortec mudguards come with a plastic bracket and cable ties just for this purpose. Tortec are almost as good as SKS, and almost as expensive, come in a variety of widths (incl narrow), but only come in Henry Ford black - unlike Mr Ford, there is a reflective stip along the edges option.
If your LBS sells and fits these mudguards, they might have some unused brackets laying around.

A friend shoved this web site my way, retro styles bits, including 120mm width 5 (five) speed cassettes, pseudo Maxicar styling,

http://www.cyclesgrandbois.com/SHOP/gb_lfqr_r_120.html

http://www.cyclesgrandbois.com/SHOP/snxd_r_120.html

The stems look as though you'd have trouble getting the bends through the clamp(too long?) when fitting - I see they have a hole on the left for bells.
Now those cassette hubs. Are they forward compatible, if so, which speed indexable?, in which case, what thickness sprocket, what spacing between cogs, oh the options are endless. As it all looks retro, may be its designed specifically to not index with anything?

Years ago at my LBS in the work shop cellar there was a wheel salvaged of a bike, shimano parralax hub (fat barrel, so pretty recent) with um, a 5 speed cassette. no shims or spacers, on it. A total and utter mystery.

Any Japanese speakers out there to translate the site?

Yes, most rack mount child seats are rack specific.
If you buy a Hamax type mounting seat (big bracket on the seat tube), you need a clear run of seat tube (top pull front gear routing is a no no here, the seat tube cable stop is usually in the way. Also if the frame is very small, the fit isn't always that good (mounts too low for good wheel clearance). Best take the bike with you if you are going to buy this sort (seat tube) of mount, helps to be served by someone who has fitted/tried to fit some of these seats who knows where the pit falls are.

The make" Family Bike" used to offer a rear mounting seat option on their bikes, it had jaws each side of the seat, you simply screwed them up (knurled plactic knob) like a vice onto the top of what ever rack you had on.

I do remember some years ago seeing that some company in the USA made replacement cups for Shimano hubs. I can't remember any details, and a quick look on the web drew a blank.
As an electronics engineer you may be tempted to do what a friend of mine tried once, he filled the cup pits in with solder. Not suprisingly, it didn't take him long to realise it was not a good idea!

Bush and Muller LED front dyno lights now start from £18.50 rrp : -

http://www.amba-marketing.com/amba_cata ... r=1m7b0s99

I'm sure someone out there can convert lux into watts output.
Amba used to list the basic B&M halogen model at £15, but don't seem to anymore.

I think the holes for the mounting straps are OK, as they are pretty much sheltered by the saddle (and rider).
I have used my carradice for years, things stay dry. If used in heavy rain all day, I find water does soak through the lid eventually (think lid damp inside, rather than torrents of water). If that was a worry for you, a plastic bag spread cross the top of the contents would do the trick.
I rarely use/tour with mine stuffed full and the flap extended - I would imaging with heavy rain there would be some inpress of water.

"Aspestos" pads are Raleigh leather "rain cheaters", meant to work well/better/less badly in the wet.
Poor braking might be stiff cable? Could try replacing, or if the end is not frayed, take the inner out, wipe off (minor) rust and/or white powder (corroded galvanised zinc plating), oil and refit. If badly rusted, replace inner/outer.
Toeing in the pads might help - in this case, toeing in will be an adjustable spanner on the bit where you bolt the brake pad on and genty twist the brake arm to toe the pad in. Sometimes a screwdriver (not your best one though) through the bit you slide the brake pad up/down in can do the twisting action.
The calipers will be steel, so "adjusting" by bending will be fine.

Non woven spokes will make the wheels flex more (no friction at the crossings). A former girl friend had a reasonable Raleigh racer years ago, at about cruising speed the spokes did sing.

Some suppliers will supply without "premesis" (I do mobile repairs), I know Madison (Shimano/Continental) only supply people with a shop window (so didn't bother applying). Other suppliers don't seem to mind, though they knew me from ordering when working else where.
Most suppliers will only do proforma at 1st (Pay up from for the order). How long that happens for depends on the supplier (or their bank).
Pays to keep on good terms with the local competiton, we all get on OK around here. If stuck to help a customer out, send them to the opposition to get sorted.
If you are not in a big town, you may struggle to get turnover.
Selling parts, online is a big competitor/ Not only on price (some things get sold for pretty much what I pay trade), but convenience. Why make a 10 mile round trip when someone can deliver to your front door within 24hrs, probably for less money.
If you don't have a big customer base in your area, maybe have 2 halves to your business (eg, in Canada some bike shops sell skiing equipment to get them through the winter). You may have a gap in your locality, say for garden accesories/habberdashery/hardware/office suppliers or whatever it may be. One LBS extended into the garden shop next door, ditched the gardening stuff, but continued a roaring trade in Christmas trees every year!
Remember, if you don't have a large cycle commuter market, it will be pretty quiet in the winter. Working in a LBS in a cycling city, there is/never was a christmas rush.

Yes, some V brake arms are longer than others (I'm ignoring mini V's here), the longer ones can make a difference for fat tyres (esp with mudguards) clearing the noodle/cable.
Trek often use long arm V's on some of their hybrids (700/720 sorts of models). I find the extra arm length makes them a pig to adjust, as the lever moves more - closer to the bars - than you want (a bit like trying to adjust V's with canti brake levers, but not quite as bad). Tightening the adjustment then brings the pads a bit close to the rim.

I also occasionally drove a 1980's VW polo as per LollyKat's photo with 2 tandems on the roof, handling was affected - after our 1st roundabout, I was severely told to take all roundabouts really slowly, I admit, there was a considerable list as we went round....
Driving a Vauxhall Belmont (Astra with boot added) with 2 tandems on the roof to Switzerland was alot more stable.

When I worked in a LBS some years ago (when 8s was coming in), 7s DT levers (and I think thumb shifters) all worked on 8s cassettes using the spare slot/click on the lever. Whether this was my Mr Shimano's intent or not I don't know.

What surface are the bikes deing parked on? If concrete, get a high security floor loop (ring for bolting to concrete garage floors - you disable the bolt heads once fitted). Axa, Abus, Oxford Products to name a few do these.
If tarmac, not strong enought for putting expander bolts into.
DIY option (esp if no concrete surface) is to dig a hole under where you park the bikes, get a hardened (ie not cheap) D lock, fill the hole with cement with the shackle end sticking up to form a loop for locking things to (ie, the lock/key hole end is buried in the concrete). Even if the concrete comes abit loose (say with soil shrinkage in dry weather), it would be rather a heavy lump to drag with 4 bikes attached.
Also might like to look at Plant Lock http://plantlock.co.uk/ , with damp soil in, 2 of us got one (no bikes attached) with difficulty onto the back of a transit flat bed. Surrounded by bikes, we wouldn't have done it. I suppose you could try to empty the soil out I suppose....
Also can you fit wall loops to lock the bikes to? More hassle if your bike is at the bottom of the pile, but also harder for ner do wells to do their worst.

From working in a LBS some years ago, some BSA hubs (unless I'm confusing with Hercules 3 speed hubs?) were the same internals as SA (in which case the hubs I remember are different from the one in the toehead link). I always remember the boss as saying never fit the SA spares in a BSA hub, as the SA parts were alot harder wearing than the BSA parts, and the SA parts would annialate the BSA parts in the hub if fitted.
I don't know if this is true, one thing I have learnt is to keep your boss happy, so I never put SA parts in BSA hubs!