Hard Rubbish/Flea market finds

[bychosis]

$15 got me this.


Primed to become my baby seat bike, my wife's bike currently has the baby seat and her bike is a bit small for me to ride properly. Needs some new grips coz I don't like sticky ones, a new spoke and wheel true and full service then more purple anno parts

It isn't the same model, but the same brand as my first "better" MTB, and roughly the same era too.

[ridinwithdale]

G'day Guys,

I picked rescued an old Dragster style bike today. Its fairly well weathered, but the branding stickers are MYER SPEED, I haven't been able to find much on Google about this brand. Can anyone give me any info on the brand or places to look for info?

had one a long time ago, I believe they were a rebadged repco frame, mine had 3 speed shimano hub....I could be wrong...it was a long time ago

[TTar]

I've noticed throughout this thread the only interesting finds are made in isolated backwaters. Places like Brisbane. I couldn't believe that any exotic finds were to be made in Sydney anymore, so you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this BSA Granada the other night thrown out for council clean-up. I'm not sure how special it might be, but simply discovering it in suburban Sydney makes it magical;




I can't date it with any certainty, but it comes from the days of dork discs done properly;




I've not been able to find anything online explaining this serial number convention, but NL6401908 appears on the rear top of the seat tube. I'm inferring from other Raleighs that N might refer to Nottingham, L to December, 64 to 1964 the year and 01908 meaning it was the 1,908th frame of that design. If anyone knows for certain...?




This tyre might need replacing;




I have vague memories of seeing something like this before, but the suicide part of these levers are Dia-Compe and the life affirming parts of the levers are Weinmann. Can that be right?




In the dark, I didn't notice the embossing on the saddle when I was rolling the bike home, but I do remember thinking it looked to be in remarkably good shape;




When I got it home I lifted it by the seat and felt something unusual -- turned out to be a nameplate





Don't know what I'll do with it (I'm open to suggestions), but it appears to have all the original components and I reckon it could be returned to working order without replacing anything (except perhaps that tyre).

[QuangVuong]

I find it amazing youre able to find that in our area, esp before the scrap metal collectors.

Where is that rear light wiring going? It's split at the rear rack mount, but the other end seems to enter into the chainstay. But it does look to be in fine condition. Replace and ride.

[TTar]

I find it amazing youre able to find that in our area, esp before the scrap metal collectors.

Where is that rear light wiring going? It's split at the rear rack mount, but the other end seems to enter into the chainstay. But it does look to be in fine condition. Replace and ride.

I'm thinking I may have dreamed the whole thing. I crossed paths with half-a-dozen scavengers while I was walking it the kilometre home on Sunday night. I shudder to think what might have happened to this if they got to it first.

The wiring that "seems to enter into the chainstay" is just a severed length of wire going nowhere. I'd guess the light's wire went to the positive terminal of one of those dreadful bottle dynamos with the frame earthing the whole deal.

I would like to make it rideable, but the thought of doing a hard core restoration on this seems almost criminal to me. I like the idea of retaining the bike's "history". If it's possible, what appeals to me is to remove as much rust as possible without losing surviving finishes and then arresting further deterioration -- let the bike age gracefully.

EDIT: I done you wrong, QV. The wiring you mention does indeed enter the chainstay and there's another wire entering the underside of the downtube. I do think still it forms the negative circuit for a dynamo, though.

[jonbays]

I would say this is a 1976 Raleigh Nottingham built BSA. Basically the BSA branded version of the Raleigh Gran Prix. Nice but not truly exotic to be honest with you.

[TTar]

I would say this is a 1976 Raleigh Nottingham built BSA. Basically the BSA branded version of the Raleigh Gran Prix. Nice but not truly exotic to be honest with you.

Around here, if it's not a Huffy, it's exotic!

I've no reason to doubt the 1976 date, but were Raleigh still branding bikes BSA two decades after buying them out? I have no expertise in this field, but half of it does look 1976ish to me but the other half looks older -- probably just wishful thinking.

[Tasman]

I Googled images of a BSA Granada and all the ones I saw had Sturmey Archer hubs and none of them were wearing drops. Confusing! I have a BSA Bermuda built by Raleigh at Nottingham in 1976 according to the frame number, but again, S-A hubs and a more upright riding position.

[TTar]

I Googled images of a BSA Granada and all the ones I saw had Sturmey Archer hubs and none of them were wearing drops. Confusing!

That's confusing me as well. Plus that combination of serial # position and convention doesn't conform to anything I've been able to find. And yes, those "racing" drops are odd on that bike as it's also got mudguards, the rack, little lugs on the seatstays to attach the rack (the rack's fitted backwards in the photo), the pump pins on the top tube, there's a braze on for fitting a light on the forks, what looks like factory drilled holes in the frame for the wiring (as spotted by the astute QV)... in short; an enigma.

It could just be a customisation of course, but that BSA badged frame (especially the serial) remains a mystery.

[koen]

Its looks exactly like a model made to compete with the other bikes of the mid seventies era. Its exactly like Peugots of that time and in Australia MalvernStar and others made bikes with the same kind of specs, drop bars rear rack, mudguards and dynamo lights.

[DarrylH]

That photo showing the tube sticker also seems to show very poor brazing on the seat stays - is it as bad as it looks?

[WyvernRH]

I Googled images of a BSA Granada and all the ones I saw had Sturmey Archer hubs and none of them were wearing drops. Confusing!

That's confusing me as well. Plus that combination of serial # position and convention doesn't conform to anything I've been able to find. And yes, those "racing" drops are odd on that bike as it's also got mudguards, the rack, little lugs on the seatstays to attach the rack (the rack's fitted backwards in the photo), the pump pins on the top tube, there's a braze on for fitting a light on the forks, what looks like factory drilled holes in the frame for the wiring (as spotted by the astute QV)... in short; an enigma.

It could just be a customisation of course, but that BSA badged frame (especially the serial) remains a mystery.

No JonBays has it right, Raleigh produced BSA, Sun, Humber etc well into the 70's in parallel with their own brand. Mainly the difference twixt the Raliegh branded bike and the 'other' was the paint job and the head badge. IRRC you could get this model in 10 speed & 5 speed versions with a Simplex derailleur and drop bars or a 3- speed version flat bar and a Sturmey AW (more popular in USA I think).
Don't get exited about 'racing drops' etc on a fully equipped bike, drop bars do not equal 'racer' except for marketing purposes. They came like that, the target market expected drop bars on a 'proper' bike in the 60's/70's. Also you really need mudguards, racks and lights in the UK on a utility level bike (which this is). Fairly normal on higher end bikes too. My circa 1960 Claud Butler Courier (a 'Sportif/ Entry Level Racer' model it would be called today) in Accles and Pollock tubing has the fork light braze-on, mudguards and rack mounts.
I think you will find that most if not all of the kit on that bike is the original stuff. I would hazard a guess that someone has added the Dia-Compe 'Death' levers later on (it's only a matter of popping the blank out of the pivot bolt a screwing them on) or possibly to replace bent originals. The old-looking parts probably look old cos the design of the bits put on the lower end frames hadn't changed for donkey's years. That Nicklen chainset was probably made in the 70's but you could have bought one basically the same in 1950. The Simplex gear design dates from the early 60's but was still being made and fitted in the 70's 'bike boom'. Weinmann centre-pulls changed very little twixt 1960 and the 1980's.
20-30 steel is one above gas-pipe in Raleigh talk.
A good guess at the frame number too I think.

Cheers
Richard

[TTar]

That photo showing the tube sticker also seems to show very poor brazing on the seat stays - is it as bad as it looks?

Sure is. Unequal amounts of braze and one side (left in the photo) doesn't make full contact with the lug -- '70s British workmanship, I guess...

No JonBays has it right ...

Cheers
Richard

Wow, thanks for that. I knew someone here would know precisely what this is.

I guess this thing should be classified: curio.

But I've just noticed the toeclips are stamped with the Brooks logo. I didn't know Brooks made anything other than saddles. Can I at least claim exotic status for the toeclips? Please?

[Kermit TF]

78-79... My 5 cents.
Nice score.

[WyvernRH]

Can I at least claim exotic status for the toeclips? Please?

Absolutely, and also for the saddle. Very few of the non-leather Brooks survive in any sort of decent condition.
Don't knock the bike too much. it is/was a competent entry-level machine that would have given good service to someone, much like my 1960's 5-speed Raleigh Sprite with Campag (swoon!) rear gear and Dunlop stainless rims that I got (second at least hand) for my 13th birthday. With a few upgrades it took me all over the South Downs and East Anglia on tours, got raced and time trialed when I had to, and was a solid commuter to colleges and work around London.
If I ever catch the errrm... person... who nicked it they will be very, very sorry....(even after all this time...)
Cheers Richard
(sorry, nostalgia attack...)

[The Fixer]

That photo showing the tube sticker also seems to show very poor brazing on the seat stays - is it as bad as it looks?

ERK!!! That doesn't look good at all.

Reminds me of some of the Chinese BSOs that I work on daily.

[lunar_c]

I recently put a bike together for short rides to work etc where I need to carry things built almost entirely from parts I've collected from the last few years of verge side collections.

I started with the last frame I built up, that was sitting bare in the shed after I built up the CAD3 frame I got a few months back, a Reynolds 501 Peugeot Ventoux in 60cm size. Found on the side of the road needing only a new rear derailleur cable stop brazed on. Sweetly riding frame it is, too.

Added a set of Rolf Vector wheels I found on the same pile, with some skewers I found on a buggered set of wheels and some old gatorskins I had. Popped a single speed kit on it I got from ebay for $10.

For cranks I used some 175mm Suntour XCM MTB cranks with the inner chain rings removed and an alloy sugino 40 tooth MTB middle ring I found on another bike somewhere and a sealed BB from a trek 1000 frame set I found somewhere.

Found the brakes on that trek frame too and the front pads from a broken calliper that came with the peugeot.

Then an alps stem and some 44cm no name anatomic bars I found on two other separate verge side collections that polished up nicely. Levers are some old 400EX aero levers.

I put a brooks b17-n on it that one of my best mates gave me for a bday present that I could never figure out what to do with, bought some cheap bar tape and a chain then cabled it up with spares I had in the shed.

It's about 9.5kg and has a 40x16 gear so I run out of gear pretty quick but it's been a lot of fun to build something from a load of disparate parts people threw out.

I might even treat it to some gears soon and put a rack and panniers on it.

[lunar_c]

Here's a pic

[ldrcycles]

Very nice. Is the frame a bit small for you, decent length stem and the saddle back quite a way?

[lunar_c]

I'm 6'4" with long legs. This frame is 62cm ST, 60cm TT .. So about as big as I can find easily. I could probably use something bigger

[LG]

About a year ago on this forum I sold a lovely 1970s 68cm reynolds 531 frame which was massive. Biggest frame I've seen.

[lunar_c]

About a year ago on this forum I sold a lovely 1970s 68cm reynolds 531 frame which was massive. Biggest frame I've seen.

Wow.. How'd I miss that?

[LG]

This was it, I only picked it up for the super record parts that were on it. Beautiful lightweight frame with cinelli BB shell, just a real shame it wasn't 10cm smaller

[lunar_c]

Beautiful! I would've loved that. I think a 64-65cm frame would be my ideal..

I can certainly fit a smaller frame comfortably but I notice even
with my new(er) cannondale caad3 that with the seat post and stem up to allow proper leg extension and then be able to reach the bars without a crazy drop, I get a fair bit of instability at 45-50km/h and above .. An unpleasant shimmy feeling.

[HappyHumber]

hilarious...
I reckon that'd be pushing it, even for you Ben.