In the meantime until i make it big i have a few old British Bicycles, nothing of great value and most are the wrong size for me and sit about in the garden and junk collection...
1953 Raleigh Sports...
I love collecting old stuff, from metal detecting, to car boot sales etc...
WW2 stuff...
Tonka`s...
1973 Tennets Lager can! :D
Skip find - 1950`s `Trusty`...
Triumph..
Raleigh...
73 Moulton...
Always room for more...
When i started my new job i had planned to in time buy a couple of old bikes that i have always wanted,
Two classic British bikes - A Scottish made `Flying Scot` road bike, and a WW2 BSA Paratrooper bike,
Two classic bikes that could cost upwards of a £1000 each unless your lucky to get a barn find cheaper. Thing is the Para bikes which are really just basic gas tube steel single speed bikes with big wing nuts that folded the frame and nothing to write home about in quality and for the money you get a rough made bike which has more history then quality about it.
A Flying Scot would be a lovely made frame set but with skinny road tyres i really cannot see me actually taking it out cycling and really enjoying it as i soon get bored on tarmac and i need my bikes to be at least capable of cycling Railway line walk ways at the least, forest road gravel even better if you can escape traffic...
So i put that idea on hold for a bit, and after a whole load of 700c drop bar and 29er bikes and everything it seemed in between these types over the time i have been blogging i had already settled on riding a 29+ wheel set in frame sets of two Surly Pugsley Fat bikes as road/commuter/Gravel/trail bikes having tried all types of bikes with road going ability, which you can read about Here...
That itch...
But i still had an itch for something old and classic to ride to work the odd day and sunny Sunday afternoons for a pint or two...
But why buy something old that has a few things that well are pretty crap nowadays compared with some modern parts now available...
Imagine being able to buy a new British bike with classic styling but also modern running gear?, something with low maintenance Drum brakes and hub gear and wide enough big wheels for Railway line walk cycling off road?, modern sealed bearings and puncture proof tyres etc...
Well you can and for just under a grand from Pashley...
The Pashley Cycles Speed 5...
Constructed with British Reynolds 531 tubing specially drawn by Reynolds here in the UK and a frame built in their 1930`s frame jigs to the same size as the 1930`s Pathracers of yesteryear...
This pic pretty much sums up 1930`s cycling on drop bar bikes...
This guy is cool and he know`s it....
Wide 28" British Westwood rims on fatter than modern road bike tyres and slack geometry,
I ordered one which was delivered in a huge box built up complete ready to go once you straighten the bars, set the saddle height and added pedals...
Unpacking the bike that came from Tredz cycles and along with some free tools and sweeties was a real cool manual, front wheel wing nuts and i soon had the bike built up, adding a Carradice Barley tool bag, wooden mudguards, and Cork Ergon grips i also ordered...
Built up i rode the bike to work a few days, i had it in my head to build the bike to use daily with the full mudguards, tool bag that would carry waterproofs etc, and i fitted a riser stem to raise the seriously low drop bars to make the bike more computer friendly...
While the bike was more practical like this with the bars higher and mudguards etc i still had to make a few more changes, like the toe clip pedals were too small for my size 11 feet, so MKS Sylvan touring pedals were added after i tried using my `TIME ATAC clips pedals, but while more practical these were just not right for the riding style of this bike... the Sturmey Archer 5 speed Internal Gear Hub (IGH) likes to ride and change gear at a relaxed nature, this bike as seen below looks nice and relaxed but i was not really seeing the bike for how it was designed to be ridden...
Not as it should be...
This stem looked all wrong but it thoughi it worked better at the time, until i tried standing out the saddle to climb hills.
Then i thought about it and i was deft trying to build the wrong thing with this bike and what it is originally designed and built as...
Pashley already make more suitable practical bikes for commuting, but anyway i already have a superb bike for doing this on that that can also double up as a shopping bike by being capable of taking loaded panniers home from the shops - The Dawes Ultra Galaxy...
So i decided to put the Pashley back to a naked cafe racer and while the new Brooks Ti Swift saddle will take a while to break in on a fun bike i swapped the saddles with the Dawes adding the Carradice bag - after waxing it and giving it the heat gun treatment...
Left to soak in overnight and buff up the next day the Dawes was ready for more commuting...
Not all perfect out the box...
The Pashley as it came was not all perfect and i opened up the headset to see why it was running either loose or tight...
Problem was a damaged lower bearing race which i degreased, and re greased with clearer grease to keep an eye on the bearings i re assembled it and also added a spacer to the threaded fork as that seemed to be causing the headset to not be tensioned enough, which prob allowed a bearing to drop out it`s race...
I added a MKS Track chain tensioner which required the axle washer to get a little bit Dremmel work - hey this thing is British! tweaking is the norm!...
All Commuters, all purpose set up...
So back to near stock build with the mudguards removed, that can always be refitted if say away for a weekend likely to be wet, and a worn in older comfy 1960`s Brooks Professional saddle, it was now ready for fair weather commuting and Sunday afternoon blasts around back roads,
The Dawes Galaxy will take care of year round commuting,
The 29+ Surly KramPug for detour offroad commuting...
How it should be!...
Riding the bike as it has been designed is deft the way to go!,
Wee bit film,
Song is `Common Knowledge` by Quantic
Pashley Speed 5 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
There is some good reading with info on the old Path racers and the predecessor of the Pashley Speed 5 - `The Gov`nr` on this website Here...
More soon...
I wanted a Guv'nor when they first appeared... tad too small for me though - think I would have put the north roads the right way up, for my back's sack! :)
ReplyDeletePashley make some fine old skool bikes... Wish Raleigh could return to UK ownership and do the same - they would do well.
ReplyDeleteHi.
ReplyDeleteInterested in your comments regarding Flying Scot bikes.
My father has recently died aged 91 and owned a 1960 fixed wheel bike with all the Italian parts.
I wonder if you might be interested in purchasing it?
I restored the bike shortly before his death, but it hasn't been ridden since the early 1980's.
If you need any further details please contact me.
I have the speed 5, I'm about to flip the bars over, which turns it into a cruiser. Also, where did you get your mudguards please? cheers for the superb post
ReplyDelete