# 1951 Rudge Roadster



## tyred (25 Jan 2010)

I've been rebuilding my Grandad's old three speed in my spare time over the winter. Here are some pics if anyone is interested.

This is what I started with. Had been stored in damp conditions for a very long time.






My dog didn't seemed impressed.













Chromework was in very poor condition. The frame had a lot of surface rust and pitting in places. The front mudguard fell apart but the rear was okay. I re-inforced the weak spots with glassfibre matting underneath. Mechanically, it was okay apart from the Sturmey AG hub which sounded very gritty. This turned out to be rust on the dynamo magnets rather than a problem with the gear part.









Looks a lot better now I think. A friend has a spare front mudguard for me but he lives a long way away and I haven't got round to picking it up yet.





Fully enclosed chain case. 'Tis the devil's own invention. I was tempted to bin it and replace with a hockey stick guard.





Dunlop rubber saddle cleaned up very nicely with some car upholstery cleaner. I wish it was a Brooks but it's comfortable in a springy sort of way. It's like riding to the shop on an old sofa.





Original pump brought back to life with a new washer took out of a pump from the pound shop which had a similar diameter.





Dynohub works despite me taking it to pieces. It's pathetic compared to modern lamps. It would be better mounted lower down, I think.





I decided not to paint the tip of the mudguard in brilliant white as it was originally. I prefer it in black.






Handlebars cleaned up not so bad after all. Brake levers have very little chrome left. I had to paint the wheel rims in silver as the chrome had completely flaked off them.

Total expenditure was about £35 including new tyres and tubes, paint, brakes and loose bearings in various sizes. It rides nice if you're not in a hurry. Brakes are pitiful, even compared to long reach calipers on chrome rims. There is something majestic about riding down the road due to the high, upright riding position. It's such a quality, well made product, I was putting it back together thinking that it will still be going when I'm dead and buried, all 42lb of it.


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## tyred (25 Jan 2010)

What you find inside an SA three speed hub. Mine had a threaded driver and I wanted to change the sprocket to lower the gearing. I took the splined driver out of an old Raleigh Twenty wheel I have and fitted it to this hub so I could fit a 22t sprocket to bring the gearing down to sensible levels. I originally though the bearings were gone in this hub as it seemed very gritty but it turned out to be rust on armature in the dynamo rather than a problem with the geared side of the hub.


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## Yellow Fang (25 Jan 2010)

Well done tyred, beautiful job.


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## Cranky (26 Jan 2010)

Yes, lovely job. Is your dog impressed now?


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## Davidc (26 Jan 2010)

That's a really nice job! Lovely to see a classic bike restored to its former glory.

Think I'd have done the mudguard ends in white, just for authenticity though.

It reminds me of the Humber bike I had from about age 7, which was like a smaller version of that, complete with rod brakes! There were loads of bikes very much like that one around in the 50s and 60s. They slowly gave way to the ones with straight handlebars and cable operated caliper brakes.


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## Yellow Fang (26 Jan 2010)

I have a couple of questions:

What's so bad about fully enclosed chaincases? They seem like a good idea to me.

Do you think there might be metal fatigue anywhere, in particular the handlebars? I bent my granny's handlebars as a teenager, straining too hard on the pedals. For years I felt rather guilty about this until I discovered that steel can weaken over time as the grains grow in size.


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## tyred (26 Jan 2010)

I'm happy with the way it turned out given how little I spent. The handlebars seem strong enough to me. I know someone who rides a 1931 BSA Sports on a regular basis without problems.

The trouble with the enclosed chain case is that it makes fitting and removing the back wheel a very long drawn out affair. Part of it unscrews, then two plates slide out, you then unscrew the gear change rod, unscrew the axle nuts, unscrew the chain tugs to slide the axle forward, unscrew the bolt holding the chain guard on to the chainstay so you can move it a little, try and get the chain of the sprocket and unhooked around the axle and then slide the wheel out. It also made fitting and jointing a new chain a very tricky business but I guess it lasts a very long time in there. The original chain was in remarkably good condition but it was too short with the jump from 18 to 22 teeth in the sprocket. It needs to be pushed through and engaged on the crank, then turn crank gently to pull it round. A hockey stick chain guard would still keep your trousers clean and avoid all this hassle.


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## tyred (26 Jan 2010)

Davidc said:


> That's a really nice job! Lovely to see a classic bike restored to its former glory.
> 
> Think I'd have done the mudguard ends in white, just for authenticity though.
> 
> It reminds me of the Humber bike I had from about age 7, which was like a smaller version of that, complete with rod brakes! There were loads of bikes very much like that one around in the 50s and 60s. They slowly gave way to the ones with straight handlebars and cable operated caliper brakes.



Isn't the Humber the one with the weird fork design?

I've come to the conclusion that cable operated caliper brakes were the single biggest improvement in bicycle design in the 20th C. Rod brakes are heavy, trickier to adjust, make it awkward to take a wheel off and don't appear to work as well as even the most basic caliper system.


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## Yellow Fang (26 Jan 2010)

tyred said:


> Isn't the Humber the one with the weird fork design?
> 
> I've come to the conclusion that cable operated caliper brakes were the single biggest improvement in bicycle design in the 20th C. Rod brakes are heavy, trickier to adjust, make it awkward to take a wheel off and don't appear to work as well as even the most basic caliper system.



I expect you're right. However, a friend's just bought a Pashley Princess, and I like it except the cable operated brakes look anachronistic.


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## mr_hippo (26 Jan 2010)

Davidc said:


> Think I'd have done the mudguard ends in white, just for authenticity though.



I think white paint on the rear mudguard was part of the wartime blackout regulations, how long it survived into to 50s as a 'fashion item', I do not know.


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## Arch (28 Jan 2010)

Lovely job, Tyred, well done. So nice to see an old bike brought back to life.


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## raindog (29 Jan 2010)

Superb tyred - a real labor of love I should think.

Talking of enclosed chain guards, I seem to remember as a kid being told that some systems actually had the chain running through a couple of centimeters of oil under the chainwheel. Have I dreamt this? It would certainly lead to long chain-life.


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## tyred (29 Jan 2010)

I think Sunbeam used an oil bath chain guard. I don't think mine would be oil tight but there is a nice knurled brass screw to remove to drip oil on the chain for lubrication purposes.

All I need now is the right gear - plus fours, vee-neck tank top, tie, tweed jacket, flat cap, pipe and an ounce of Player's Navy Cut


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## chris667 (30 Jan 2010)

raindog said:


> Superb tyred - a real labor of love I should think.
> 
> Talking of enclosed chain guards, I seem to remember as a kid being told that some systems actually had the chain running through a couple of centimeters of oil under the chainwheel. Have I dreamt this? It would certainly lead to long chain-life.


Yes, you see 90 year old bikes with chains that are as good as new.

Given up now. Ah, the things we do for "performance".


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## hubgearfreak (30 Jan 2010)

from a friend of mine.....
remember, that if you need to turn the bike over, to work on it upside down, to not turn it on it's side, but rotate it around the back wheel - like a wheelie, then all the way over. if you get it wrong, you'll drip oil on your tweeds.


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## TheDoctor (31 Jan 2010)

That's a nice looking bike.
*applauds*


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## Arch (31 Jan 2010)

tyred said:


> All I need now is the right gear - plus fours, vee-neck tank top, tie, tweed jacket, flat cap, pipe and an ounce of Player's Navy Cut



See here - tweed with a handy reflective thread woven in!

http://www.dashingtweeds.co.uk/dt/about/

How about:

http://www.dashingtweeds.co.uk/dt/tailoredoutfits/tailored-outfits-sub1/


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## Hilldodger (1 Feb 2010)

We've just had a complete and original, one owner 1947 gents Rudge donated that really needs to go to a good home.

Can either be serviced and used as is or restored.


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## tyred (1 Feb 2010)

Hilldodger said:


> We've just had a complete and original, one owner 1947 gents Rudge donated that really needs to go to a good home.
> 
> Can either be serviced and used as is or restored.



Just out of interest, does it have a "steering lock?" 

Mine doesn't and I've been informed by my firend who collects catalogues as well as bikes that mine is very odd as Rudge sat at the top of the Raleigh range at the time and they almost always had a lock on the forks and a 4 speed hub and the DBU. A model specced like mine is not in the post war Rudge catalogues. A couple of explanations being offered is that mine must be an ex-police bike (but they didn't have a full chainguard) or that it was one of several batches of bikes bought by the Catholic church over the years in Ireland and supplied to parish priests (but they were invariably built at Hanover Quay in Dublin, mine is definitely Nottingham).


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## Davidc (1 Feb 2010)

Is it possible that your grandad didn't buy it brand new as catalogue, but got it second hand from an organisation which had ordered to their own spec.?


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## Hilldodger (1 Feb 2010)

tyred said:


> Just out of interest, does it have a "steering lock?"



Nope, it doesn't.


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## tyred (1 Feb 2010)

Davidc said:


> Is it possible that your grandad didn't buy it brand new as catalogue, but got it second hand from an organisation which had ordered to their own spec.?



I would say you're right. The other oddity (although it could easily have been fitted later) is the Dunlop rubber saddle. I understand that these are usually found on shop bikes, etc due to their water proof nature. A purely civilian spec Rudge would have had a Brooks.


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## GrahamNR17 (5 Feb 2010)

Congrats on bringing the Rudge back from the dead. I hope you get many years enjoyment from it 

I've been sitting looking at my half-restored James for the last 6 weeks with my arm in plaster, so I'm chomping at the bit to get out in the garage for some proper tinkering


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## TonyH (8 Mar 2010)

*I have a old Rudge bike from mid 20th Century.*

It is in need of some tlc, and I was so impressed by your rebuild that I thought I'd offer by bike to anyone who wanted a similar renovation project.



tyred said:


> I've been rebuilding my Grandad's old three speed in my spare time over the winter. Here are some pics if anyone is interested.
> 
> ]


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## tyred (9 Mar 2010)

TonyH said:


> It is in need of some tlc, and I was so impressed by your rebuild that I thought I'd offer by bike to anyone who wanted a similar renovation project.




Thank you. I've now got a NOS mudguard and will fit at the weekend and i also want to try and make the pedals look a little more presentable.

What type of bike is that you have?


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## TonyH (11 Mar 2010)

I have a old Rudge bike from mid 20th Century.

It's a 3-speed and has an axle based dynamo in the front, though it's lost it's lamp, original leather saddle.

I'll try and get pictures


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## solitaire (9 Dec 2014)

tyred said:


> What you find inside an SA three speed hub. Mine had a threaded driver and I wanted to change the sprocket to lower the gearing. I took the splined driver out of an old Raleigh Twenty wheel I have and fitted it to this hub so I could fit a 22t sprocket to bring the gearing down to sensible levels. I originally though the bearings were gone in this hub as it seemed very gritty but it turned out to be rust on armature in the dynamo rather than a problem with the geared side of the hub.


Lovely job........Lovely dog too.


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## uphillstruggler (9 Dec 2014)

bravo

that's a cracking result.


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## EltonFrog (9 Dec 2014)

You've done a nice job there, I like that a lot.


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## tyred (10 Dec 2014)

Not sure how this pooped up from the dead but thanks for all the nice comments. It's still running and I've since had the wheels rebuilt with new rims. I try to ride it when I can but I have so many bikes/projects on the go.


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## Cycleops (10 Dec 2014)

tyred said:


> It's such a quality, well made product, I was putting it back together thinking that it will still be going when I'm dead and buried, all 42lb of it.


42lbs! That's almost as much as a full sus Mountain bike!


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## tyred (10 Dec 2014)

Cycleops said:


> 42lbs! That's almost as much as a full sus Mountain bike!



In day to day riding, the weight is largely irrelevant anyway in all but the hilliest of terrain.

Big heavy 28" wheels take a bit of effort to get moving but roll along effortlessly once you do.


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## GarryG (10 Dec 2014)

Just out of interest what type of paint have you used? Still need to get around to do my '38 
Hercules, wasn't sure whether to paint it or not, but your pictures have convinced me.


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## tyred (11 Dec 2014)

GarryG said:


> Just out of interest what type of paint have you used? Still need to get around to do my '38
> Hercules, wasn't sure whether to paint it or not, but your pictures have convinced me.



I used Japlac Enamel. Clean the frame well and treat it with Hammerite Kurust if there is much rust. Preparation is the key and it's best done outside in warm weather imo.


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## gbb (4 Jan 2015)

Brings back memories of working in Cyprus, the plantation I used to visit had two or three 1950s Rudges for getting around the farm..and this was only 4 years ago. They were rough looking visually but very well maintained and they didnt seem to have problems getting new wheels or rims at least.
I can still see Gogos riding around with one of the girls perched on the handlebars .


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## steveindenmark (8 Jan 2015)

I love any bike built by a motorbike company.

What an excellent job.


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