help with an old Healing

[Clydesdale Scot]

Any info on these bikes or how to restore it would be appreciated.

good to see another South Australian here.
As Mark seems a bit slow posting I will offer his brown vinegar recommendation
that should keep you busy for a while. No need to fill the hot tub with it though.
Kevin Clark at Clark Cycles is a good source for the tyres and advice.
Clarks Cycles, 354 Magill Rd, Kensington Park.

[moofish]

Thanks clyde I will check that shop out and probably check my vinegar supplies I can see a lot of polishing coming.

[ldrcycles]

First thing i would do is try and remove the cranks, if they are Williams ones there is a teensy tiny little logo and 2 letter date code on the inside of the crank arm.

[moofish]

I am still soaking all the moving parts with c r c I dont want to strip any threads and Im in no hurry. I think one of the crank arms may be bent, it doesnt look bent but it hits the chain. I took the front wheel off and it has a few dings in it but only surface rust unfortunately I had to cut the tyre off it was way too stiff to get off without damaging the rim. The tube looked like it would have still held air. The drop bars have a crease in them so I think theyre NFG. Fortunately my inlaws have another bike of similar age hanging in a shed. I dont remember what type of bike it was but it had a snapped chainstay. The good thing is that it has drop bars and I think they are ok. Out of curiousity if a chainstay is broken on a frame does that mean its no good to restore or would it be worth getting it repaired? I think it was a ladies bike and it would be cool to have his and hers vintage bikes. I got given a spare set of wheels with the Healing and they are quite rough but the rust looks quite thin but they are not as pretty as the ones on the bike atm. And they are very heavy. After removing the tyre from the front I put it back on and spun it the bearings run on forever. A bit of grease and a clean up and they should be functional. The chainring looks like new wear wise but it is a bit rusty. My wire wheel and Dremel are going to get a workout! I read in here that someone has made Healing decals I will have to look into that as well. I was wondering if the chain is some wierd pitch and if it will be hard to find. Thanks for all the help so far I am pleasantly surprised at how quickly Im getting responses.

[ldrcycles]

Cyclomondo (aka Greg Softley aka gts273 on ebay) has Healing decals which i will be using for my restoration, but they are not the same as the ones on mine or yours. I suspect that the downtube branding is actually painted on. If you wanted to be exact you would need to take a hi res photo of the original branding, touch it up with pixlr or photoshop or similar and get a signwriter to make you some. Not particularly expensive if you do the touch up work yourself but can be very time consuming.

[moofish]

CLeaning a few things up today.
I cant see any markings on the cranks and I cant get them off either I may have to take it to work and put some heat on the crank bolts. I'll keep spraying Penetrene on them until I'm on arvo shift. I got the seat off today without breaking anything but I will have to get the leather off of it to clean up the springs.I never thought it would be easy and its not but I think it will be worth the effort.

[Clydesdale Scot]

are you sure this is a leather cover?
looking at the edges and the general condition suggests that it may be rubber. Worth a close look before you start treating it with Proofide.

[moofish]

Ive been wondering what it was made of . I assumed it was some sort of compressed leather or something but it sure could be rubber. If it is how would you recommend that I treat it, if at all?

[spearpointed]

That looks to be quite an older Healing
my guess around the 1920's

[Clydesdale Scot]

Ive been wondering what it was made of . I assumed it was some sort of compressed leather or something but it sure could be rubber. If it is how would you recommend that I treat it, if at all?

perhaps have a look at car tyre products.

[moofish]

I noticed that there appears to be the remains of another healing decal under the visible one. I think this means that feelthewheel is probably right about the refresh job.I still cant get the crank arms off. Iwill take it into work on arvo shift next week. Whats the general opinion on using reproduction parts. If I use them will I become a leper on this forum? I would like to ride this bike eventually so I dont really want to wear out vintage parts but I still want it to look the part. Plus I saw a really nice Indian made saddle on ebay. I hope this isnt hijacking the thread I figure I need help with an old Healing.I cleaned some rust off it today trying to get a better look at the pinstriping so I can copy it.There is hours and hours of work put into the pinstriping alone.I imagine it would have been expensive in its day.

[Clydesdale Scot]

you could go the path of dismantling the bike and replacing those parts that are needing it (tubes, tyres, bearings and chain).
You will not be criticised for the replacement of those parts.

Then check if any parts are unsafe and source suitable period replacements (ebay)
I would carefully clean all parts, remove rust with vinegar (or oxalic acid) on the chainring, stem, bars etc.
Then wax the frame and rebuild, and ride.

I don't think it is worth a full concours restoration, but it can be a conversation starter when you go for a ride.

Then search for your tweed so you are ready for the next Tweed Ride.

[moofish]

I just looked up what a tweed ride is hmmmm....... not sure Im that keen.
I think at this stage Im just going to clean up the paintwork as much as I can and seal it up with wax or clears and fix it up to ride.I figure if I decide to paint it I can do it later but I can only stuff it up once.When I rubbed back the rust I found a lot more paint underneath than I was expecting.I bought spokes today for the front wheel so I can rebuild the front wheel this weekend. I went to Star cycles in Elizabeth with the wheel and the owner just smiled when he saw it. He has about 50 28x1 3/8 tyres in stock and tubes. Only $20 per tyre. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be riding it!

[moofish]

By the way the owner of the shop had so many tyres because the only supplier of those tyre sizes has just been bought by a bigger company and he thinks the supplys could run out.He could have just been trying to sell them but he seemed dinkum.

[ldrcycles]

I'm doing the tweed thing with my healing at the Noosa L'Eroica this year actually . I reckon it'll be a hoot.

[bicyclepassion]

That looks like a C1930 racing frame to me. Coaster hub etc would be later additions.
Those 'BSA' rear ends are one of the 'racing' versions, with tapered chainstays. The narrow fork crown, keyhole lugs, seatstays bolted at bottom but brazed at top, everything points to the crossover period 1928-1932. That is the crossover from the bikes built between say 1910 and 1927, and the 'modern' frames, built from 1932 on.
The Williams 3 pin cranks were mostly used only on race bikes. The cranks and / or the chainwheel will be date coded. Google Williams Chainwheel and cranks dating for a table setting out codes. The codes are tiny, scrape the rust away to see them.
Apologies if this has already been said, I have not read the entire thread.
The head lugs with 3 slots top and bottom were almost certainly used by more than one builder. It is dangerous to try and identify a builder by this sort of thing, as it was very easy to modify a pair of headlugs in this way.
I suspect it is not a Healing, but it could be!
Warren

[moofish]

I know nothing about old bikes but I have noticed where the "Healing" is painted on it is over a previous paintjob with "Healing" painted underneath it. So if it isnt a Healing its had Healing painted on it twice. I think it looks like it may be an older Healing refurbished. I will try to get some more info but its difficult as my father in law and his brother were the previous riders but one has dementia and the other has had a stroke. They were kind of excited when I said I could be getting it going again.

[vanbree]

G'day moofish, very nice pickup! have to agree with spearpoint its an early one,

[moofish]

I have no idea what company made this crankset does this mean anything?
I am halfway through lacing the front wheel its my first ever so wish me luck.The front hub cleaned up ok.I managed to pump some grease in there today and it runs sweet. I painted it black as it was just bare metal. Would the hub have matched the rim colour or was it left as bare metal, there was no sign of any paint on it at all. I think the hub was a Bayliss .... something it wasnt clear.Thanks for all the interest guys it been a bit of a history lesson for me.

[speedywheels]

That would be an English Williams chainwheel. The 46 is the number of teeth and the U is Williams code for made in 1933.

[Clydesdale Scot]

I have no idea what company made this crankset does this mean anything?

but Warren had earlier identified the chainset manufacturer and advised

The Williams 3 pin cranks were mostly used only on race bikes. The cranks and / or the chainwheel will be date coded. Google Williams Chainwheel and cranks dating for a table setting out codes. The codes are tiny, scrape the rust away to see them.Warren

the Google search Warren suggested yields the following two references from Classic Lightweights. One is an explanation of Williams chainrings and the second is the Williams year of manufacture codes.
I think you owe Speedywheels a coffee for his contribution.


for the overhaul of the hub , step by step here

I think the hub was a Bayliss .... something it wasnt clear.

If you Google Bayliss+bicycle+hub you will get this
let Google be your friend.

[moofish]

I didnt come up with the date chart only the other one. Cool thanks for the info this tells me the chainwheel is a 33 but that may not be the original chainwheel so I still dont know the age of the frame. I owe all of you a coffee maybe even a nip of sherry at the next Adelaide Tweed run. I am warming to the idea.One of the best things is that it would embaress my kids.The tough part is do barber shops still sell moustache wax and do I have time to grow it really big? I finished lacing my first wheel and I am quite happy with it.It runs out about 1-2mm, for a rim thats got a few dings in it thats close enough. I used tyre shine spray on the seat and it looks pretty good so thanks for that tip.Im taking the frame to work tonight so I hope Im not too busy. I would like to get the crankset apart if I can. Thanks again for all your help Im enjoying fixing this bike up and you guys have made it a lot easier.

[bicyclepassion]

My guess is that the cranks will be original to the bike. As stated above, it looks like a frame from the crossover period to me, approx 1928 to 1932, so 1933 makes sense. The cranks may also have a date code, have a look on the back.
Also, check the forks for 30 tpi or 24 tpi threading on the steerer tube. As far as I know, most builders swapped to 24 tpi in the late 1920's.
Warren

[moofish]

Ok guys yesterday I cleaned and serviced the rear hub/coaster brake. Today I put a new tyre on the back. I rode it around the factory for a bit before the rain started.Now I need the moustache wax and tweeds. I have never ridden a road bike before and this was wierd. The tyres on my Kona are 2.35" these skinny things creep me out. When I got the bike it had a 1950s style electric horn with a remote push button. I got that working too.It sounds like a wounded goat! If I heard it I would get out of the way. With the current gearing so high it was hard pedalling but I think it would fly once it got moving. Now I just need to wax it and find out when the next tweed run in Adelaide is going to be.One question I have dropped the bars and old guys at work say they would never have been dropped them down back in the day.Were they dropped down just for racing or did people ride around with the bars up?

[moofish]

Just took the Healing for a 3-4km ride. Man those handlebars are uncomfortable!! If Im going to ride it more I will have to get different bars. I may be getting a different vintage bike tomorrow. The frame is knackered but it should be ok for parts.Hopefully the bars are a bit more comfortable.