togglechaintour bikes

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GavinC
Posts: 387
Joined: 9 Mar 2009, 10:38pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GavinC »

Mike

The Moulton is absolutely beautiful! I want one...

...then again lurking on this thread has already led me to obtain a 700c wheel with a Sturmey AW hub for a bike build that was originally going to be a single speed, and also to buy a decrepit 26x11/4 wheel with a Sturmey AM 3 speed hub for no reason at all other than it was cheap :oops: Now I have to find a bike for that!

Where will it end?

My name's Gavin, and I'm a closet TCTer
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MikewsMITH2
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Joined: 19 Sep 2008, 10:25am
Location: POOLE Dorset

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by MikewsMITH2 »

Welcome Gavin and congratulations for "coming out". As you can see from my Moulton and Tim's lovely red Raleigh TCTing doesn't just have to be about heavyweight roadsters. There are genuine classic lightweights (ruined in most people's opinions :oops: ) with hub gears and your AM would go nicely on one of those or an FM even better :mrgreen: Or even better class stuff like Moultons. We're a broad church. Graham does get a bit exercised by the thought of aluminium frames on the tour though (even though he has some in his closet) and barred my Bickerton from the event, so I had to send it to Japan. :(
S.O.S - Save Our Steel!
1971 Raleigh Mercury
2010 Condor Fratello
1980 Peugeot Tandem
1989 MBK Aventure MTB
195? Viking Severn Valley
1951 Raleigh Lenton Sports
See them here http://tinyurl.com/Mikewsmiths-Bikes
GrahamNR17
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Joined: 15 Nov 2009, 6:31pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GrahamNR17 »

MikewsMITH2 wrote:Welcome Gavin and congratulations for "coming out". As you can see from my Moulton and Tim's lovely red Raleigh TCTing doesn't just have to be about heavyweight roadsters. There are genuine classic lightweights (ruined in most people's opinions :oops: ) with hub gears and your AM would go nicely on one of those or an FM even better :mrgreen: Or even better class stuff like Moultons. We're a broad church. Graham does get a bit exercised by the thought of aluminium frames on the tour though (even though he has some in his closet) and barred my Bickerton from the event, so I had to send it to Japan. :(

I do NOT have aluminium in my closet :shock:
GavinC
Posts: 387
Joined: 9 Mar 2009, 10:38pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GavinC »

MikewsMITH2 wrote:Welcome Gavin and congratulations for "coming out". As you can see from my Moulton and Tim's lovely red Raleigh TCTing doesn't just have to be about heavyweight roadsters. There are genuine classic lightweights (ruined in most people's opinions :oops: ) with hub gears and your AM would go nicely on one of those or an FM even better :mrgreen: Or even better class stuff like Moultons. We're a broad church. Graham does get a bit exercised by the thought of aluminium frames on the tour though (even though he has some in his closet) and barred my Bickerton from the event, so I had to send it to Japan. :(


Thanks Mike :)

The AW is destined for a nice 80's 531 mixte frame, but I definitely see something a bit more 'classic' in my future. Maybe I'll have sonething in time for next years TCT. My only concern would be that the level of restoration work that you guys have done and shown on this thread is awe-inspiring to mere mortals like myself, and I'd be worried about every little dent or rust spot on any bike of mine :D

Speaking of Bickerton's, I finally got the parts to repair mine from Derek Baker and it is now on the road. However, riding it is without a doubt the most scary bike riding experience I've ever had!

Gavin
GrahamNR17
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Joined: 15 Nov 2009, 6:31pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GrahamNR17 »

Don't be put off or intimidated, Gavin. An "as original" unrestored bike is, in my opinion, a much more thrilling experience to see and to ride than these over-restored things. Most of these bikes are better than they ever were new, and as such are completely unfaithful restorations. I think the key is "have fun" and do whatever you like, to whatever level of over or under kill suits you.

My James was a rust heap, and the pitting can still be seen all over the frame. I opted not to fill any of the pits after de-rusting as it just wasn't worth it. So it now has a lovely orange peel effect :lol: But I love it to bits anyway 8)
kwackers
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Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by kwackers »

Millennium Post!
GrahamNR17
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Joined: 15 Nov 2009, 6:31pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GrahamNR17 »

kwackers wrote:Millennium Post!

I bet you've spent days watching just so you could do that, haven't you? :lol:
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Greybeard
Posts: 1394
Joined: 1 Oct 2008, 6:48pm
Location: East Yorkshire

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by Greybeard »

Seems that policemen aren't the only things that are getting younger :?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antique-1980s-Ral ... 5adae3f7ef

My beard's older than that :shock: (mind you, it's also older than many of the coppers I've worked with :roll: - reminds me of my favourite 'Old Hand's' expression : "I was in uniform when you were still in liquid form")

Steve (wot is now officially an ebay antique and whose 1909 Rover Popular must therefore be a fossil)
GrahamNR17
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Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GrahamNR17 »

Greybeard wrote:Seems that policemen aren't the only things that are getting younger :?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antique-1980s-Ral ... 5adae3f7ef

My beard's older than that :shock: (mind you, it's also older than many of the coppers I've worked with :roll: - reminds me of my favourite 'Old Hand's' expression : "I was in uniform when you were still in liquid form")

Steve (wot is now officially an ebay antique and whose 1909 Rover Popular must therefore be a fossil)

:lol: :lol: :lol: He forgot the words "very rare indeed!" :lol: :lol: :lol:
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hubgearfreak
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Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by hubgearfreak »

spark303 wrote: My only concern would be that the level of restoration work that you guys have done and shown on this thread is awe-inspiring to mere mortals like myself, and I'd be worried about every little dent or rust spot on any bike of mine :D


there's a lot to be said for an unrestored 3 speed. theft-proofness for one.
i wouldn't worrry, you'd be welcome on the TCT with or without rust. going slowly, enjoying the countryside and not wearing lycra is much more important. welcome 8)
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MikewsMITH2
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Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by MikewsMITH2 »

Fitting Cotter Pins

Holly is having an original Nicklin cottered chgainset. I have good BB cups and a NOS axle, so I am ready to fit the cranks. I thought I knew how to do this from when I was sprog with many unhappy memories of attacking them with a fatherless file and beating them in and out with the coal hammer, but I now find that this is not the recommended method :oops:

I don't have a fancy press but I do have a large G clamp plus a top quality pair of cotter pins from the the Raleigh Chopper owners club at an unbelievably high price. I found the cheap ones to be too soft. So what is the exact procedure for "no tears" fit and forget cotter pin installation! I had to keep tightening them on my Raleigh. :oops: They have settled down now though. :D
S.O.S - Save Our Steel!
1971 Raleigh Mercury
2010 Condor Fratello
1980 Peugeot Tandem
1989 MBK Aventure MTB
195? Viking Severn Valley
1951 Raleigh Lenton Sports
See them here http://tinyurl.com/Mikewsmiths-Bikes
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MikewsMITH2
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Joined: 19 Sep 2008, 10:25am
Location: POOLE Dorset

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by MikewsMITH2 »

I do NOT have aluminium in my closet :shock:


What happened to the dog hauler with the dedanglers and the cheap Viking? Scrapped? I thought they was ally :shock:

Anyway I am now purged of such stuff - mine are all steel (with a few grammes of carbon fibre on the Condor) The Bickerton was just a moment of madness. Gavin you need to adjust the clamps on the hinge really tight and not hold on to the bars too tightly! Alspo check that every fastener holding the frame together is tight. A woman rode a Bickerton right across America (the book is called Daisy Daisy). I expect she was a bit lighter than my 14 stone odd though :oops: And she probably didn't know any better.
S.O.S - Save Our Steel!
1971 Raleigh Mercury
2010 Condor Fratello
1980 Peugeot Tandem
1989 MBK Aventure MTB
195? Viking Severn Valley
1951 Raleigh Lenton Sports
See them here http://tinyurl.com/Mikewsmiths-Bikes
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hubgearfreak
Posts: 8212
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by hubgearfreak »

MikewsMITH2 wrote: Fitting Cotter Pins


first of all have they got flats on them, or do you need to file them on?

either way, file them until they're a good fit.
once you're happy, give them a fairly firm knocking in, grease or oil helps.
tighten up the nut.

don't try and draw them in with the nut, they're not designed for this - the fairly stout tap wedges them in, the nut stops them coming loose.
GrahamNR17
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Joined: 15 Nov 2009, 6:31pm

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by GrahamNR17 »

The aluminium Viking was given away, the towing bike is the Raleigh Courier fitted with dedanglers and ally wheels 8)

So there :P
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MikewsMITH2
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Joined: 19 Sep 2008, 10:25am
Location: POOLE Dorset

Re: togglechaintour bikes

Post by MikewsMITH2 »

OH good. At least you've come out as a reformed aluminium user.
S.O.S - Save Our Steel!
1971 Raleigh Mercury
2010 Condor Fratello
1980 Peugeot Tandem
1989 MBK Aventure MTB
195? Viking Severn Valley
1951 Raleigh Lenton Sports
See them here http://tinyurl.com/Mikewsmiths-Bikes
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