BSA Tour of Britain

[jagman.2003]

That looks superb. Have you any idea how much it does weigh? It'd be interesting to know what impact modern parts have. I had a '70's Tour de France which was well up there between 13 and 14 kg. I'd guess it was a simlar frame.

Thanks, it turned out better than I intended. I haven't actually weighed it. Not sure I want to! But I would guess about 12Kg. Not a great saving. It scoots along quite well though. Not really tried any serious hills yet. I would imagine it's the same frame as the TdF.

 

[jagman.2003]

Frame looks pretty much identical to the 80's Tour de France I have sat in my spare room. Certainly not a lightweight!

I would imagine the TdF is the same frame. Maybe some difference in gear spec. perhaps.
It didn't feel too heavy when stripped. But it isn't a lightweight when built up. Still quite a nice ride though. Just a bit sluggish when the road goes up a little.

 

[jagman.2003]

Just another detail for reference. The Tiagra front brake caliper won't fit onto the old style forks as standard. They normally have a flat surface to press against, whereas the early style forks have curved. A longer bolt & half moon spacers for this conversion was purchased from SJS cycles. Fiddly to convert but didn't take that long & works very well.

 

[banko]

Hi all,

I am building one of these but know little about it. The paint was bad and so I have got it bead blasted and powder coated in British racing green.

I had to swap out the forks because I couldn't find a modern supplier of Raleigh threaded headsets. I have dropped in a set with JIS headset. Do you know what seat post diameter it took? Also, did you have to drill out the rear arch to get it to take modern brakes?

I will post how it goes. It wont be as cool or original as the bluey above but at least a vintage frame wilk be getting ridden!

Chris

 

[BSA_Novice]

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete novice when it comes to older bikes, so hoping to get some advice. I have the exact same BSA Tour of Britain as @jagman.2003 and @banko which was kindly given to me in excellent condition after my bike was stolen. Unfortunately one of the crank arms is damaged and needs to be replaced (see photos), and I don't have the first clue as to what specification I'm looking for. Can anyone help me out with some advice on the appropriate parts I need to get this beauty back out on the road?

Thanks in advance :-)

 

[Cycleops]

Best bet is eBay unless someone here .maybe @biggs682 has one. Spec is the same for any cast crank set if this era. (I think). Its called a cottered chain set.
Your biggest problem is going to be getting the cotter pin out, it'll likely be stuck fast!
You can try a hammer but make sure you take the air out the tyres. Buy some new ones.

Good luck.

 

[biggs682]

@BSA_Novice yep that sure looks broken
all you need is one the same length as the other side measured from centre of crank to centre of pedal
i might well have a cottered crank that would be suitable will have a look and let you know , or you could upgrade it to a non cottered one
nice bike by the way
before you do anything slacken the nut off and give the cotter pin and surrounding area a good spray of wd40 or gt85 or such like

 

[nonowt]

After a good WD40 soak I've used a sturdy g-clamp and a socket from a socket set. Loosen the nut so it's slightly above the thread and the put a large socket over the pin end (making sure there's room for the pin to be pushed out). Then place the clamp over the lot and tighten until the pin is pushed loose. This way you don't risk the damage that a hammer could cause.

Here's someone else's picture:

 

[midlife]

Hunting for used cranks of this age on ebay etc is tricky. They are either trashed and worthless or they are something like Williams / Nicklin listed at more than the bike is worth.

To get you going I suggested a modern copy, they are cheap as chips and available from places like bankruptbikeparts.com

You could get an up to date modern replacement bottom bracket / square taper chainset but involves a bit more digging and mechanical work.

 

[EltonFrog]

@jagman.2003 Looks like you haven't been on here for a while, but just in case, nice job on the ToB.
@banko Ditto, more photos on your bike?

 

[Cycleops]

Hasn't been on for over a year. Shame. I was looking forward to seeing it in all its glory.

 

[carpenter]

BSA_Novice
I think that is a Raleigh crank looking at "crank 1 jpg"

This could be suitable as complete replacement:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-...h=item1cc2cfb5f0:g:Wx0AAOSwIUVcB9bC:rk:6:pf:0

There are also a few left hand arms available - just need to match length.

edit:

I think this may be the same one that you have:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-...228298?hash=item260c5dc1ca:g:KUYAAOSwkFZb4JZ7

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

It's better to leave the nut on the end of cotter pins, so you don't mushroom the end of the thread. Just undo it a couple of turns to remove the tension then give it a good whack with a big hammer. G clamps aren't the most effective way if it's really tight, you need to shock the pin out but without jamming it.

 

[EltonFrog]

It's better to leave the nut on the end of cotter pins, so you don't mushroom the end of the thread. Just undo it a couple of turns to remove the tension then give it a good whack with a big hammer. G clamps aren't the most effective way if it's really tight, you need to shock the pin out but without jamming it.

That’s what I did with my Kingpin and my TdF gave the thing a good twatting with a hammer.

 

[mikeymustard]

gave the thing a good twatting with a hammer.

Aah I love a technical term