1952 EA Boult

[7VEN]

and the next project arrived today in a big brown box.

Boult is look good. I like the Hoods.
Now, I'm hoping you're referring to the Hobbs here. Let's see a pic ASAP!

[Clydesdale Scot]

For the bar tape I am going to give some of this a try, using the 25mm width.


It is without the adhesive backing, but it does come in whatever length you want. This was useful as I had extra tape needed to account for the FD cable run for the bar end shifter.

I wrapped the bars today, first soaking the cotton tape in water, then wrapping from the top down. It was applied tightly and should tighten up even more when it dries. A few thin coats of clear shellac will be applied to hold the tape in position.

[Clydesdale Scot]

I needed a Terrys clip to attach the Pennine CO2 pump to the braze on fitting. These are scarce. The shape is readily available, as they are made for holding fluro light tubes. But they are far too narrow.
I knew of one in in America, but its exact location is unknown after the bike shop moved to a new address a few months ago.
So I drew up some plans and saw a local springmaker who provided some steel strapping.


Peter, my brother-in-law was asked to use his considerable skills to devise a method of bending the strapping.
He asked how many I needed. A: "two"
Yes, all that work for two clips. (When I asked on Classic Rendezvous if anyone had one spare, another collector said he wanted one as well.)

The strap steel had the rust removed, polished, trimmed to size, corners rounded and the screw hole made.


Peter showed me how the tool worked yesterday, and it was my job to remember...


Align the strap on the base, then the machine screw goes through the base, then the strap to the next piece and is tightened. As it is pulled down, the base is formed. This piece mounts to the braze on on the bike frame.


Two new pieces of the tool are then used. One is mounted on a sleeve and forms the larger curve. The second mounts on the first one and is used to make the outer guides.


this shows the first rod which is wound around the sleeve to form the main curve


after this is done on both sides I have the desired shape


then a smaller former is installed to shape the piece and allow for it to be pulled in tighter for eventual heat treating to make it 'spring' (Image is before it gets reworked)


a bit of polishing


and this is what it looks like with the pump


the next step is getting the springmaker to heat treat it and then it goes for plating.

Looks good to me. Comparable to an original
While I was at Peter's home yesterday he put the leftover Dare's handlebar sleeve onto a tube and placed it in his lathe. He then managed to get accurate round cuts (nothing like my freehand artistic sortof round cuts)

Dave assures me that the Dare's sleeves are what he used to cut up when he helped make the Pennine CO2 pumps in the 1950s, and yellow was among the colours used.
Good enough for me.
The leftover thin band is used to hold the lever onto the pump. Nice touch. (Peter's idea as well)

Some people get all excited about a wooden box of Campagnolo tools. This custom tool is way better than that.

[QuangVuong]

I always enjoy seeing your homemade parts. Very nice work there.

I also never knew how scarce these Terry's clips are. I've got four Terry's spring clips. 3 on the left have the stamp on both sides, whilst the one on the right only has the one stamp on the side shown. As you can see, I use them for everything other than to hold a pump.


If you ever need one, I can let go of the nice chrome one before it gets any worse.

[Clydesdale Scot]

Quang,
the Terry's clip was is to mount to the Roy Mitchell braze-on to hold the pump.


(another opportunity to show the precision of the masking of the gold paint line.)
The Terry clips you have are readily available and are used to mount a pump to a frame that has no mounts installed.

[Clydesdale Scot]

after the delay with the TDU events, and some hot weather, then an interstate trip, I took the opportunity to do the finishing touches to the EA Boult.
Yesterday I made the replica Terry pump clip out of stainless steel as this then won't require chroming.
I am happy with the result.


I needed to respace the rear axle spacers, to get the rear derailleur working, then fit the rare Huret front derailleur.


The front derailleur operates from the Cyclo bar end shifter. It apears to work smoothly on the work stand.

Then the bottle cage


I also installed the NOS Binda laminated toe straps.

I need to give it a good clean, and then it will be ready for a road trip to next months Sydney Classic Bike Show.

[Clydesdale Scot]

cleaned and installed the dropout adjuster screws from Quang (many thanks), inserted the green CO2 cannister, and then a wipe over.
For those going to the Sydney Classic Bike Show, I should have it there.
If I have anything glaringly wrong, please let me know.

I will soon contact Dave, the original owner. The offer still stands, he has the first ride.

[hiflange]

A thing of beauty CS. I won't be at the Sydney Classic Bike Show but I may make it to Adelaide in the next few months. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh then (you are in Adelaide aren't you??).

I've been particularly interested in the pump/clip/braze-on parts of this thread as I have a locally built frame with the braze-on and clip, had it for a few years now and picked up a Lytaloy and Pennine pumps to go with it. I won't pollute the Boult thread with another machine but I promise I'll update the relevant thread soon.

I'm looking forward to the EA Boult bike getting a gong in Sydney, and would love to see a pic of Dave and the bike

[Clydesdale Scot]

Robert, yes to being in Adelaide.
You also wanted to see the Malvern Star 'New Look' as well.
Try to make some time to see Mario's collection, and Simon Trnovsky's bikes.
You weren't planning on a quick trip to Adelaide?

And photographing Dave on the bike is my plan.

[grantw]

Fine work indeed. I'll have to make a trip to the show to see it.

[Clydesdale Scot]

This afternoon I took the bike to Dave's to show him the finished product.
His first words were "My word"
He was pleased to see that the frame didn't get dumped in a skip. So am I.
He also said he was "amazed and gobsmacked" that someone would bother to take this project on.


I had a wonderful few hours chatting about bikes. Good thing Dave is a good listener.

I loaned Dave my bound CTC Gazette for 1948-49 and the Show special editions of 'Cycling' for the late 1940s and early 1950s.
He offered to make me a cotter pin press, so I will need to drop off a set of cranks for measuring.

He declined my offer to take it for its first ride at some future date. He didn't think he would make it to the drops, which is why he had it previously set up as a flat bar bike. For Dave the bike featured heavily in his past, and he was happy with that.

So it will be up to me to be the test rider (aka "crash test dummy")

[7VEN]

Awesome, looks great Phillip and I'm very pleased Dave likes it. Looking forward to your Sydney coverage.

[find_bruce]

Glad I got to see your bike today, it really has turned out fabulously & the back story just makes it even better.

[Clydesdale Scot]

Dave has given me an update
"Also have obtained a photo of the dealer (Stan Brooks) who sold me the frame and confirmation of the address that was his shop. It was 56 Lower Hillgate, Stockport.
In the photo, Stan is the guy in the middle and I guess it was taken in the late 40's. It looks as if he has an acetylene front light. They were still around then but not very common.

If you Google it it is the last of the Richer Sounds shops going down the slope. It now has a black and yellow pole outside. Originally there was a door similar to the next shop along to the right."
and
"The Janus road club (still in existence [link]) used to meet in the rooms above his shop. If you "Google maps" the shop you will see that there are 5 roads meeting there. All were cobbled at the time. The road falling away the steepest is the one that would take you to one of the entrances (Closed to the public now, but a pay -to -enter section is operated a quarter of a mile away.) to the air raid shelters. These shelters were used by Manchester University after WW2 to do research into cosmic particles



The EA Boult is regularly out for Sunday rides, fine weather only and generally 40-50kms. It is very nice to ride.

[WyvernRH]

I needed to respace the rear axle spacers, to get the rear derailleur working, then fit the rare Huret front derailleur.

Ooooh - jealous... Those things are like hens teeth in good nick. They do work very well tho over a reasonable chainring difference. Outside of indexing a racing type front derailleur is really a very simple piece of kit.

Richard

[Clydesdale Scot]

I had an email recently from Tony Jenkins, from Cambridge, who has recently purchased an EA Boult mixte.
Tony has added to the knowledge of this make by establishing that after Ernie Witcomb took over the EA Boult business he produced under the Boult name until 1959 (Cycling and Mopeds, 11 November 1959, as set out on the Classic Lightweights page on Witcombs) and that Witcomb only commenced with the Witcomb brand in August 1956. This was found by Tony in the 1963 Witcomb catalogue on p10