My new commuting steed

Wrath Rob

Here it is in all its glory



So, what FCN is that? Its about 40 years old, its got tubeless, sewn tyres on racing rims , 1 crank, shimano rear derailleur, 5 close ratio time trial gears on the back, no front ring and the original saddle. It does have some provenance however as it was custom built for my dad by Harry Perry, he then used it for racing, ultimately breaking the hour barrier for 25 miles by posting 56 minutes something, back in the day when he had healthy legs and a working knee.

I'm off to Holdsworth in Putney to get some advice on what I can salvage (maybe the tyres ) and what I need to replace to get it SS for the winter ride.

While we were digging this out of his loft we found his old track bike too, though I balked at no brakes and a fixed wheel. Apparently for a while he ran it with a front brake when doing his 30 mile commute to London. That's 30 miles each way. He was slightly bonkers, my dad. Shame he got knocked off his motor bike, breaking both his legs and FUBARd his knee in the process. Oh well, he now plays golf instead.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Hmm.

If one of more of (a) the bottom bracket (been there, done that); (b) the seatpost (been there, done that); and (c) the stem haven't completely seized into the frame, you'll be pretty lucky.

Assuming you can get those out, you'll need someone to push the rear dropouts closer together to get a SS hub to fit. After that, I'd guess you're looking at scrapping everything apart from the frame & forks. If those tyres are tubulars and don't disintegrate on use, then you could use them, but you'll need some tubular wheels (nice as those ones look I'm not sure I'd trust them) and then you're into the joy of tubs.

How's the fit? And how stiff is it? That rear triangle looks enormous.

Littigator

I've just about finished restoring a 70s BSA for my wife and it's come up a treat. It's amazing what a bit of TLC elbow grease real grease and some new tyres & brake pads will achieve.

Strip it right down and give everything a bloody good clean then you can properly assess what's salvageable I reckon. Almost everything was on mine.

Nice frame by the way, I look forward to seeing your final results.

Wrath Rob

I can't really comment on stiffness and the like as I've not got much to compare it too. Given how my dad made it fly I'm not envisaging it being unsuitable for me riding through London. Comparing it against the Boardman it is already lighter, though the B has a full chainset and 4 lights on it so it may not be a fair comparison at present!

The LBS was pretty positive when I saw them earlier. It will need new wheels (£100 for a set!), cranks, rings, cables and brakes, all of which I knew. The total will be somewhere around £150-180 and I'll swap the saddle, pedals, tyres and tubes over from my Boardman, saving me some cash, at least until I by new, upgraded parts for the B! Hopefully the parts will arrive soon and I'll be on the new machine next week, post-man permitting. I'll post the transformation picture once I've got it back.

The next question is gearing. The bike man was recommending a 48-18 but he's relaxed with giving it a go and adjusting it to suit.

always_tyred

The cool people go around on their single speeds, but you've trumped them all with a zero speed.

Cue dark glasses emocion -> 8)

el_presidente

That is very nice& a worthy project imho. Do you know what tubing it is?

Greg66, the rear spacing will be fine. On my 531c Graham Weigh with 130mm rear spacing I just fitted a 120mm track wheel and tightened the bolts, the wheel remained dead central and you can't really see any bend in the stays. That age of bike will prob have 125mm rear spacing (if I recall what Sheldon tells me) and there will be no issues.

el_presidente

Greg66 wrote:

Hmm.

If one of more of (a) the bottom bracket (been there, done that); (b) the seatpost (been there, done that); and (c) the stem haven't completely seized into the frame, you'll be pretty lucky.

Assuming you can get those out, you'll need someone to push the rear dropouts closer together to get a SS hub to fit. After that, I'd guess you're looking at scrapping everything apart from the frame & forks. If those tyres are tubulars and don't disintegrate on use, then you could use them, but you'll need some tubular wheels (nice as those ones look I'm not sure I'd trust them) and then you're into the joy of tubs.

How's the fit? And how stiff is it? That rear triangle looks enormous.

Had a rough day Gregg? the seatpost, stem, handlebars, calipers & brake levers will be perfectly serviceable. New bearings in the hubs & headset will make them good as new. LBS released my seized BB after I had spent weeks swearing at it

Wrath Rob

I think the callipers will be replaced with some nice dual pivot items but yes, I'll keep the handlebar and the levers. I'll have to check the stem out to see if its compatible with my Charge Spoon. Hopefully it is as its a nice, comfy saddle for the commute. I'm starting to get a little excited about it now!

greg66_tri_v2.0

el_presidente wrote:

Had a rough day Gregg? the seatpost, stem, handlebars, calipers & brake levers will be perfectly serviceable. New bearings in the hubs & headset will make them good as new. LBS released my seized BB after I had spent weeks swearing at it

A bit. I live in a disposable society. What can I say?

What I meant was: why would WR want to keep any of that stuff? I mean - look at that seatpost. I've seen prettier scaffold poles. and the stem may be serviceable, but I'd imagine that the finish is blotchy - you wouldn't want to keep looking down at that, would you?

Calipers: I'll take the modern brakes over the old ones, thanks. Stopping is high on my list of wants. And the levers - well, they're a bit, umm, fugly. And the cable exit is a bit, umm, double fugly. No? The bars you could keep, but that depends on how good the finish is on them now. A new set of bars is not a big outlay though.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Wrath Rob wrote:

I'll keep the handlebar and the levers.

Whoops! Just skim over my post above. Nothing to see. Move along now.

Wrath Rob

Old Skool Bike!

Or I'll ride it for a week, get pissed off with them and then change them for something where I can run the cables under the tape and have a cleaner look

giltkid

Greg66 wrote:

el_presidente wrote:

A bit. I live in a disposable society. What can I say?

What I meant was: why would WR want to keep any of that stuff? I mean - look at that seatpost. I've seen prettier scaffold poles. and the stem may be serviceable, but I'd imagine that the finish is blotchy - you wouldn't want to keep looking down at that, would you?

Calipers: I'll take the modern brakes over the old ones, thanks. Stopping is high on my list of wants. And the levers - well, they're a bit, umm, fugly. And the cable exit is a bit, umm, double fugly. No? The bars you could keep, but that depends on how good the finish is on them now. A new set of bars is not a big outlay though.

Have you no soul? Its a thing of beauty from a bygone era, made with love - the aim should be to keep as much as possible original. Have you thought about suggesting to the National Trust that they install some UPVC double glazing on in their properties? Maybe some stone cladding too.
Also any blotchy aluminium will polish up perfectly - you can use a polishing mop on a drill with some polishing soap and clear lacquer it afterwards.

greg66_tri_v2.0

giltkid wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

A bit. I live in a disposable society. What can I say?

What I meant was: why would WR want to keep any of that stuff? I mean - look at that seatpost. I've seen prettier scaffold poles. and the stem may be serviceable, but I'd imagine that the finish is blotchy - you wouldn't want to keep looking down at that, would you?

Calipers: I'll take the modern brakes over the old ones, thanks. Stopping is high on my list of wants. And the levers - well, they're a bit, umm, fugly. And the cable exit is a bit, umm, double fugly. No? The bars you could keep, but that depends on how good the finish is on them now. A new set of bars is not a big outlay though.

Have you no soul? Its a thing of beauty from a bygone era, made with love - the aim should be to keep as much as possible original. Have you thought about suggesting to the National Trust that they install some UPVC double glazing on in their properties? Maybe some stone cladding too.
Also any blotchy aluminium will polish up perfectly - you can use a polishing mop on a drill with some polishing soap and clear lacquer it afterwards.

Before they got their injunction, i used to write suggesting that they tear down their buildings and replace them with glass and concrete structures. Or roads.

Alu will, but something that old may have chrome electroplating. Not much you can do with that once it goes.

Belv

I'd polish it up (fit a chainring!) and sell it as a piece of cycling history.

Wrath Rob

Belv wrote:

I'd polish it up (fit a chainring!) and sell it as a piece of cycling history.

Why would I sell it? I would rather this piece of cycling history goes back on the roads where it belongs.

On a side note, there is an identical bike that was built for my uncle, a track bike and my dad's old training ride up there. Plus several sets of wheels. Given that the LBS recommended that I sold the hubs on eBay I reckon my dad is sitting on a bit of cash up there! I need to find more about the hubs from Mr LBS so that I can do some research.

dirk_van_gently

So when do we get to see you on "Cash in the Attic" ?

itboffin

Make sure you kit your new steed with a suitably vintage "white" saddle



:roll:

Wrath Rob

Update time, Holdsworths have just called to say it will be ready for collection on Saturday. I'll have to take the pedals off my Boardman, which will mean I have 2 bikes with no pedals on them, but apart from that it will be ready to rock and roll! Bring on the single speed!