Looking 4 parts and Info for late fifties Track Bike

[Dunkster]

Hi Folks:

I have a Classic Track Racing bike which I am trying to restore. I have most of the parts I need to complete the restoration. I have tracked down the frame manufacturer, Tom Wallace Bicycle manufacturing,Brisbane , Queensland , Australia. I have narrowed the timeframe to between 1958 and 1964, the cranks that were on it when I found it fit the period. Campagnolo track cranks 151mm BCD raised pedal platform 1957-8 to early sixties. The Nervex lugs used werent in production until 1955 , so its no older than 1955. I have a 6 inch Cinelli steel stem and Cinelli Short Sprint handlebars, (I also have A Harden "Bacon Slicer" front hub which I will definately use), Fiamme red lable front rim and a Red Label Sprint rim for the rear. I have a pair of Record Pedals. I only need a Record seat pillar (it has a Super Record in it at the moment) and a seat. Headfittings are steel Stronglight and need replacing. When I found it It had an Airlite Flip-Flop rear hub and a Record High Flange Front hub that is dated at 1960-2. Its hard to say however that the front or rear wheels are related to the original frame.

I bought it along with two ther bikes and a box of bits at a school Fete for about $8. 'Hyper-bargain'.

The unknown part of the puzzle is identifying the original owner. On the top tube is painted "Gunther Karner Austria". I have done many searches on the web and have found nothing so far.

Do you have any suggestions? Any information that you have would be extremely helpfull.

[stevendavid75]

not sure I can help you but a picture will be required, $8 sounds like the find of the century!!!!

[Kid_Carbine]

Hi Folks:

The Nervex lugs used werent in production until 1955 , so its no older than 1955. I have a 6 inch Cinelli steel stem and Cinelli Short Sprint handlebars, (I also have A Harden "Bacon Slicer" front hub which I will definately use), Fiamme red lable front rim and a Red Label Sprint rim for the rear. I have a pair of Record Pedals. I only need a Record seat pillar (it has a Super Record in it at the moment) and a seat. Headfittings are steel Stronglight and need replacing. When I found it It had an Airlite Flip-Flop rear hub and a Record High Flange Front hub that is dated at 1960-2. Its hard to say however that the front or rear wheels are related to the original frame.

Do you have any suggestions? Any information that you have would be extremely helpfull.

Hi Dunkster, it sounds like you have a contemporary of a couple of my rides & one or two other members as well. Fabulous score at that price.

A couple of points.
The Nervex Professional lugs were first made shortly after the war & were seen in the UK by about 1949 or so, but Australia didn't really see the Continental headsets in quantity untill about 1956/'57 at the earliest & it would be sometime after this that the Nervex lugs were more widely used, so yes, they were first made in earlier years, & no, we didn't see them in Australia much untill the second half of the 50's as you say.

Bacon Slicer hubs are a bit of a favourite subject of mine. How many spoke holes does it have? The Harden company discontinued hub manufacture in 1950 & the standard was 32 spokes for the front & 40 for the rear at this time, but I have a pair of 36/36 spoke hubs, a standard that was not introduced untill well after Harden got out of the bike component business. Very strange, but I have a theory. I am curious to know if any other drillings were made.

You mention an Airlite "flip flop"[?] hub. I presume you mean a double sided hub, but is it fixed/fixed, or fixed/freewheel threading?
Is it Low flange or High flange.
I have a fixed/fixed double sided hub & am seeking either a single sided freewheel one, or a double sided fixed/freewheel threaded low flange type. Both the Harden & the low flange Airlite, [which had been around since the mid 30's] were coming to the end of their run by the late 50's, particularly once the Campagnolo bandwagon rolled into town.

When it comes to identifying the owner, you will need to try & track down club cyclists of the era who would be old enough to remember. Check the veterans at the Velodrome in the general area of where the bike was made. Some of these blokes are in their 70's & still riding, so take the cleaned frame with you, it's amazing how many will park their carbon to come have a look, & if somebody remembers the original owner, he will probably talk to you for ages.
Most people bought new bikes from shops that were in the area where they lived, worked & rode. Keep asking & you will very likely get a result.

Hopefully this is of some help.

not sure I can help you but a picture will be required, $8 sounds like the find of the century!!!!

Close, but Karens roadside recovery ALAN would be danged hard to beat.

[Dunkster]

Hi Guys:

surprised to get a response so quickly.
In answer to some questions. The Bacon slicer is a 36, the Airlite is plain polished finish 40 hole High flange fixed 2 speed, one each side. The Record High Flange is a 32 (it has the Campag Logo and text Campanolo stamped in it). I will start asking some of the "Old-Crew" in Melbourne for info. I have only just got it together in the last month. I didnt want to spoil it by fitting brakes to it (fitting a new fork , spoiling the bars with a front brake, etc) and I was still in the process of figuring out what kind of rim would be ideal to fit on the rear. I solved some practical problems by using a 36 hole Suntour Coaster hub (I am not completely suicidal). I lose the benefits of the fixed wheel, but I do have the ability to slow down a bit( i wouldnt go as far as saying braking though........its not that good but it is better than nothing). Its been suggested that I shouldnt ride it at all. It seems such a waste. Its whole function is to be ridden. It appears to have spent 25 years in a shed. I take the point that it has importance and significance, but its an absolute blast on the Road, handles really well, gets heaps of attention (good for the ego). Its been a lot of fun so far. I guess it will get used when the weathers good and only for a quick squirt, its too rigid to ride more than 1 1/2 hours. Half hour warm up and intervals.....Tell me about your 'old bangers'

[Kid_Carbine]

Ahhh, when you wrote that your bike was a Tom Wallace from Queensland, & you had omitted to include some basic location details in your profile, ... I had assumed incorrectly that you too were in Queensland, hence the suggestion to go to wherever the cycling events were being held & seeking out the veterans. The older ones.

Your Airlight would seem to be a 'Continental' double sided fixed model & these first appeared in the UK in 1939, but the whole high flange thing gained its greatest momentum in the post war era.
The Continental were available in a small range of colours as well as polished alloy & mine are plain alloy ones.

If you want to ride it, then get out there & go, even if only occasionally. In the end, it's just a bicycle. A nice one perhaps, but if it's stored just to look at, then is becomes merely an ornament & it wasn't made for that.

EDIT
This is a LINK to a drawn out thread from this sub-forum that might provide a little amusement in relation to a similar bike to yours.