fixing Rudge whitworth Chainguard?
- Thread starter dav1d
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Are you talking about the fully enclosed chain case or the simple "hockey stick" guard? I presume the former.
The back won't come off. There are a few small panels around the back of it to aid wheel removal, the main two have screws, the others slide out. At the front, the "saucer" which covers the chainwheel pops out like the lid of a paint tin. To fit, you need to remove the chain, the crank, the back wheel, put the guard in place, put the crank back on, feed a bit of stiff wire up through the guard and hook the chain and slide it back into place, put the wheel back on, joint the chain, adjust chain tension and fit all the covers. Unscrew, the bung on the top and liberally drip oil in while turning the crank to lubricate the chain.
These are an absolute bastard to fit and make it a total PITA to remove the back wheel.
On the plus side, you won't have oily trousers and you can laugh at people who moan about road dirt finding it's way on to the chain.
The back won't come off. There are a few small panels around the back of it to aid wheel removal, the main two have screws, the others slide out. At the front, the "saucer" which covers the chainwheel pops out like the lid of a paint tin. To fit, you need to remove the chain, the crank, the back wheel, put the guard in place, put the crank back on, feed a bit of stiff wire up through the guard and hook the chain and slide it back into place, put the wheel back on, joint the chain, adjust chain tension and fit all the covers. Unscrew, the bung on the top and liberally drip oil in while turning the crank to lubricate the chain.
These are an absolute bastard to fit and make it a total PITA to remove the back wheel.
On the plus side, you won't have oily trousers and you can laugh at people who moan about road dirt finding it's way on to the chain.
Thanks. Yeah, it's the fully enclosed one. Damn, seems the minuses outweigh the plus side! What if the chain comes off (not fitted it yet), would I have to go through all that rigimole again?
Fortunately, I can fix punctures without taking the wheel off if neccessary, may come in handy with this!
Fortunately, I can fix punctures without taking the wheel off if neccessary, may come in handy with this!
Are you talking about the fully enclosed chain case or the simple "hockey stick" guard? I presume the former.
The back won't come off. There are a few small panels around the back of it to aid wheel removal, the main two have screws, the others slide out. At the front, the "saucer" which covers the chainwheel pops out like the lid of a paint tin. To fit, you need to remove the chain, the crank, the back wheel, put the guard in place, put the crank back on, feed a bit of stiff wire up through the guard and hook the chain and slide it back into place, put the wheel back on, joint the chain, adjust chain tension and fit all the covers. Unscrew, the bung on the top and liberally drip oil in while turning the crank to lubricate the chain.
These are an absolute bastard to fit and make it a total PITA to remove the back wheel.
On the plus side, you won't have oily trousers and you can laugh at people who moan about road dirt finding it's way on to the chain.
fixedfixer
Veteran
Well I don't know if what you have is an 'oil bath chain' but I found this which has some great historic illustrations. 1897 "Little Oil Bath" on a Sunbeam. They also had a system of getting the rear tube out without undoing the drive side wheel nut. And what about the front gears on the BB - well ahead of their time. As for bike sizing, check out the photo of Sir Edward Elgar (I'd get vertigo) Great stuff.
PS if the site belongs to someone on the forum - thank you. I enjoyed reading that.
PS if the site belongs to someone on the forum - thank you. I enjoyed reading that.
The chain shouldn't come off. Check the chainline before fitting the guard and your bike probably has track ends and chain tugs to keep it tight. It needs to be tight to keep it from rattling on the bottom of the chaincase.
The Rudge chaincase is not oil tight, or at least mine isn't. You could possibly solder up the seams if you really wanted. To the best of my knowledge, only Sunbeam made a genuine oil bath chaincase. If you ever see a real Sunbeam roadster, have a good look at it as they were beautifully engineered and the fit and finish is far superior to the Raleigh built bikes of the time. There is one sitting as a period piece on the platform in a steam railway museum near where I live. Sunbeam
The Rudge chaincase is not oil tight, or at least mine isn't. You could possibly solder up the seams if you really wanted. To the best of my knowledge, only Sunbeam made a genuine oil bath chaincase. If you ever see a real Sunbeam roadster, have a good look at it as they were beautifully engineered and the fit and finish is far superior to the Raleigh built bikes of the time. There is one sitting as a period piece on the platform in a steam railway museum near where I live. Sunbeam
