togglechaintour bikes

[hubgearfreak]

good chap

you got PM by the way

[robc02]

Thanks Graham. I need 286 x 1.8mm plain gauge stainless - 32 of them.

His reply:

I should have some 'imperial' ones (111/4"), they'd probably be rustless, rather than stainless, if that is OK (may well be more 'authentic'!)

Any use? Either bell him direct (01379 650419) or I can pick them up Saturday afternoon.

Carlsberg don't make Local Bike Shops, but if they did...

Thanks Graham. I don't fancy rustless - they turn grubby grey very quickly! The originals haven't done that so I'm assuming they are stainless. I'll contact him to see what he can do.

[Roadstersrevenge]

Sorry, I've been afk for a few days.

My comments on Mike's bike were pureley subjective, as I'm keener on restoration than modernisation. As much of a fan of Raleigh bikes as I am (god knows I've enough of 'em) I think we can all agree that he's done a truly wonderful job of polishing that particular turd

The "engine" arrived this morning, in excellent order, needs very little work actually, it does need a new carb & coil/lead, but it's got fantastic compression and not a trace of rust!

The two bikes that came with it are not quite so good condition wise - a very poorly ladies unknown (probably a Raleigh) - it's one redeeming feature is that it has a Terry's tennis racket clip on the front fork. Destined for the skip I fear.
A much nicer (I think) pre-war Raleigh men's roadster, very nice large Lucas bell (Steve, you have incoming PM btw..) quadrant shifter and I think K series hub, I've not had a chance to give it a proper look yet. All plastered in about 2-inch thick black hammerite!

Cheers!

Tim

[fossil]

any pre restro pics Steve ?

[MikewsMITH2]

When I bought the Lenton, it had the original 1951 Brooks B15 saddle. Steve advised me not to ride it! The leather had dried out completely and was brittle and crumbly and all the rivetsd were missing or completely rusted out. And someone had nicked the Brooks badge. I decided to have a go at restoring it to usable but "aged" appearance. I soaked the coiver in leather food for 2 months and sent the frame and various parts off for powder coating. In the meantime I ordered new large headed copper rivets and new badge rivets off the Brooks website. They were sent DHL from Italy! I have since found these copper rivest are available much cheaper elsewhere! I managed to get a replacement period Brooks badge off a forum member. Today I put the saddle back together. Here is the saddle as I found it



Here it is after restoration:



and here is the underside:



I have now refitted it to Lenton and had a brief ride. Obviously it is much more supple than a new one! I plan a longer test ride perhaps tomorrow...

[Greybeard]

any pre restro pics Steve ?

Do you mean me? If so ...... this is it (though with new tyres and a temporary modern saddle )



The next time you see it, it shoud be sparkling - and it will have a complete front wheel and a skirt guard
Steve

[hubgearfreak]

incredible mike, really.

when you say you soaked it for two months, do you mean you applied something like proofhide every day for two months, or was it soaking in several pints of liquid for two months?
what is this leather food? where would you buy rivets from?

anyway, stunning work. there's obviously no such thing as a dead one really, is there?

[robc02]

When I bought the Lenton, it had the original 1951 Brooks B15 saddle. Steve advised me not to ride it! The leather had dried out completely and was brittle and crumbly and all the rivetsd were missing or completely rusted out. And someone had nicked the Brooks badge. I decided to have a go at restoring it to usable but "aged" appearance. I soaked the coiver in leather food for 2 months and sent the frame and various parts off for powder coating. In the meantime I ordered new large headed copper rivets and new badge rivets off the Brooks website. They were sent DHL from Italy! I have since found these copper rivest are available much cheaper elsewhere! I managed to get a replacement period Brooks badge off a forum member. Today I put the saddle back together. Here is the saddle as I found it



Here it is after restoration:



and here is the underside:



I have now refitted it to Lenton and had a brief ride. Obviously it is much more supple than a new one! I plan a longer test ride perhaps tomorrow...

Mike, I'm full of admiration. It takes a special kind of zealot to go to such lengths!!

(I thought I was such a zealot, but you put me to shame.)

[MikewsMITH2]

when you say you soaked it for two months, do you mean you applied something like proofhide every day for two months, or was it soaking in several pints of liquid for two months?
what is this leather food? where would you buy rivets from?

I used Autoglym leather treatment meant for car seats. It was in the cupboard and I reckoned it would do. It's a liquid I kept applying it to both sides until the leather stopped soaking it up. I never wiped it off, I just kept adding it. I got the rivets from the Brooks website, but when I was searching for the rivet setting tool I found that these large pan head copper rivets are widely available. I suppose they are used in all kinds of leather "craft" work. I bought a rivet setting tool for 3/16" rivets and ground the end down to make it slim enough and the correct profile to fit in the saddle frame and used it as an anvil whilst I beat the heads of the rivets with a small engineers' hammer. Once the rivets were nice and tight I beat the heads flush with the leather. It took a couple of hours I suppose. After I had built up the saddle, I wiped the excess cream off and polished it up with a variety of Clarks shoe care produucts (my daughter works for them ) until I found the one that would bring the shine back.

I haven't overtightened the tension yet as I don't want to overdo it. I'll have to play it by ear or rather *rse

[GrahamNR17]

Sounds like everyone's really cracking on with OTT restorations and renovations

My BSA is still at Madgett's, awaiting delivery of frame decals. As soon as it's back home it should be a lightening fast build. I'm going very much for the "lived in" look with this one, rather than "better-than-showroom" that Greybeard has guilted us all into by setting rather high standards

[corshamjim]

Well mine is more of a minor repair and some pointless tinkering than an OTT restoration! I was delighted to receive my replacement X-RD5 hub from SJSC this morning so will hope to get it fitted after work if there is enough daylight left. It came with a thumb shifter (I presume it's this one: http://www.sturmey-archer.com/products/ ... cid/2/id/4 ) which seems a bit more classy than either the twist-grip or the plastic jobby that came with the 3-speed. I won't have time to fit that this evening, but will eventually get some new grips and fit it some time before TCT.

My plan is to run the X-RD5 until it breaks. If it doesn't that's great but if it does again I'll throw in the towel and get a wheel built with an S2C instead.

I cleaned the original chain this weekend. It had nearly two years of filth on it but looks like new now and thankfully doesn't seem stretched at all. I'm going to save it for TCT so even if the rest of the bike is a bit grubby at least it will have a sparkly chain! I think my only other planned modification this year is to fit new mudguards as the ones which came with the Pashley are rather wrecked by two winters of salt now (and I fancy some nice black ones to go with the rack and saddle).

[corshamjim]

I'm really tearing my hair out now!

The X-RD5 I ordered turned out to be an X-RD5(W) which is 130mm OLN not 119.7 so I won't be able simply to swap the innards. I doubt anyone at SJSC (nor I for that matter) noticed that SA quietly discontinued the X-RD5 which is listed in their 2006 Catalogue and the X-RD5(W) is a wider beastie (does the W stand for wide axle not wide range I wonder? ).

Along the way I did discover the (W) comes with a chunky wide lock nut too so it's (presumably) not difficult to go from 130mm to 127 mm by fitting the smaller lock nut (which I can pinch from the wrecked X-RD5).

I'll give SJSC a ring in the morning and ask them to take back the hub. Now that I'm fairly happy a (W) will fit the frame I might as well get a wheel built around my 3-speed rather than risk money on another 5-speed. I'll set it in the frame and make sure the chainline looks ok etc, before doing that though.

[robc02]

The X-RD5 I ordered turned out to be an X-RD5(W)

Dunno about you, Jim, but but the reason I would have wanted a five speed was that the middle three ratios were a bit closer than on the three speed. Now that the X-RD5(W) has the same middle three ratios as the AW I have lost interest in modern 5 speeds.

Am I in a minority in wanting closer ratios rather than a wider spread? It seems that a wide range is seen as more marketable than closer ratios. The latest SA 8 speed is sold as wide ratio, but the middle six retain their (almost ideal) 13% steps and just the top and bottom gears have a large jump. It is promoted on the basis of its range rather than its 13% steps.

A certain, well known and very expensive, alternative plays on the desirability of its 14% steps and it is frequently seen as the benchmark hub gear. I am sure a seven or eight speed competitor would do well.

[corshamjim]

Now you come to mention it, I see the X-RD5 which I've been used to had a range of 225%, whereas the more modern (W) is 256%.

Personally I found 225% plenty for most purposes and the gaps I wouldn't want any wider. So on the whole I agree. A gear or two more at the lower end for grannying up steep hills would be useful though, so 8 speeds I reckon would do me fine.

For my commute though, three speeds will be plenty.

[hubgearfreak]

http://bishopscycles.blogspot.com/