show us your vintage road bikes

[Owd Fella]

View attachment 38256 View attachment 38257

I don't think that is a Campag headset. It looks like a TDC with a spare Campag spacer and an extra 'toothed' spacer fitted. The frame itself is possibly 50's with those pointed seat stay tops, headset grease port, Pennine gas pump bracket brazing and Benelux (?) rear ends. Could be a quality maker and needs a bit of research to try and find out. Any numbers on it?

 

[Cypher]

Thank you Owd Fella for your reply, after some more rubbing down we have found what looks like B146 on the BB & 680 stamped on the fork tube inside the headset.
We think that it was originally a 5speed with a Suntour cable guide near BB then a Campag cable end bracket has been added for a front deralier.
Thanks again and we will keep searching the net, LBS & the frame itself for more clues (its like doing a family tree finding clues & moving on a bit at a time)

 

[Owd Fella]

Unusual that you have 2 different numbers unless the forks and frame aren't an original pair. The numbers don't mean anything to me - but they might to somebody on the Retrobike website -
www.retrobike.co.uk
Post a few photos there (in Classic Road section) and see what happens.

 

[young Ed]

http://johnsbit.weebly.com/my-bicycle.html

interesting front brake there, any info?
oh and nice bike great condition keep her just that way!
Cheers Ed

 

[velovoice]

interesting front brake there, any info?
oh and nice bike great condition keep her just that way!
Cheers Ed

Rod brakes. Typical for the era. See e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_brake#Rod-actuated_brakes

 

[Owd Fella]

Unusual that you have 2 different numbers unless the forks and frame aren't an original pair. The numbers don't mean anything to me - but they might to somebody on the Retrobike website -
www.retrobike.co.uk
Post a few photos there (in Classic Road section) and see what happens.

I see you've done it and got some interesting replies.

 

[MontyVeda]

http://johnsbit.weebly.com/my-bicycle.html

lovely looking bike... I hop you wear tweed when riding it but.... what's that lever thingy on the top tube?

edit... just spotted the cable... 3 speed hub gears

 

[Spokesmann]

Great day for a ride...
Beautiful weather today meant I could get my Constellation out for its first run this year. Just a gentle 11 miler around some of my favourite haunts in Plymouth.

 

[Psyclist]

Some beautiful bikes posted on here I acquired this last night. Going to be a single speed conversion (maybe sacrilegious to some of you)

 

[raindog]

Going to be a single speed conversion (maybe sacrilegious to some of you)

Yep - I reckon that would be a real shame.
Nice frame though.

 

[Spokesmann]

Managed to get s few miles in on my Sun Snipe today...

 

[biggs682]

sorry guys have been using a modernish Genesis last few days whilst the Pollard has a rest and clean as like @Spokesmann said it has taken a battering over the last few months

 

[Psyclist]

Yep - I reckon that would be a real shame.
Nice frame though.

If I can stretch my budget I'll use gears, but at this time I'm busy building a mountain bike too. I enjoy singlespeed and it'll be just for short commutes mainly, so I also don't have to worry about adjust gears etc. less to go wrong.

 

[Mr. Mitchell]

lovely looking bike... I hop you wear tweed when riding it but.... what's that lever thingy on the top tube?

edit... just spotted the cable... 3 speed hub gears

I think this kind of three speed lever works well. Hub gears and lever are Hercules, before Sturmeys were fitted to Hercules bike.
I do wear a tweed flat cap right enough. Leather boots, old style trousers, waistcoat, pocket watch, leather gloves, cord jacket (poor man's velvet), braces, neck scarf and an old army bag slung over my shoulder. The only bit of gear that I have that is specifically for riding my bike I suppose is bicycle clips.

 

[Spokesmann]

Out for a few miles today on a 1975 Carlton Criterium...