Got the resto bug

lilcuda
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Got the resto bug

Postby lilcuda » Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:18 am

Hello , I came across the site a few weeks ago as I was trying to research some bikes I saved from the crushers .

After seeing some of the great bikes on here and talking to some enthusiasts who I had sold some bikes to I have caught the bug and have put a few finds away for myself.

For full disclosure I am acquiring bikes and saving them from a metal recyclers and on-selling them and have met some great rider/restorers who have now made me look at my full suspension mountain bike with disdain and want something old school .

I have an old Speedwell Popular , a original Raleigh Medale and a Malvern Star Sprint . I'm not to sure about keeping the Sprint as it does have a bit of rust which I will investigate further to see if its salvageable .

I previously sold an Apollo 3 , a Speedwell Flash and a Repco Le Mans which where all very tidy units . If I had the room and resto money for them all I don't think I would have let any go lol :)

Anyway here are my current bikes.

Image

Image

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I'm going to do a light resto on the Raleigh as I don't want to lose its untouched quality so new handlebar wraps , tyre's , brake pads and cables and that's it I think .

The Malvern Star is going to need the whole kit and caboodle redone .

The Speedwell wont be touched as I don't think this bike should be rushed at with a new paint job and shiny chrome bits .

I have a few other bikes including another speedwell a repco and an unknown that have all been painted black at some stage , must have been the rage at the time but as I'm mostly likely going to sell those I wont post them . I was annoyed to find that the Speedwell was a nice mid blue with light blue pin striping under the black paint , unfortunate as I think that original paint would look a treat compared to the boring black.
Last edited by lilcuda on Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Torana68
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Torana68 » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:24 pm

The malvern star looks like a nastie cheapie.... the Raleigh looks nice. The Speedwell should not be restored it looks way too good as it is.
Ozpushies! for ALL Australian made bikes.
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lilcuda
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby lilcuda » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:33 pm

The Malvern Star is an iffy one. It has the Tange 900 double butted frame and some Mavic rims with some unusual tubeless ? tyre's .

It is very light which is why it caught my interest .

Torana68
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Torana68 » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:37 pm

lilcuda wrote:The Malvern Star is an iffy one. It has the Tange 900 double butted frame and some Mavic rims with some unusual tubeless ? tyre's . It is very light which is why it caught my interest .
really? doesnt look much , the head "lugs" look to be the one piece pressed and welded type (pretending to be two lugs), closer examination may prove me wrong :)

lilcuda
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby lilcuda » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:43 pm

I took some notes yesterday on the Malvern Star , it has the following components .

Mavic Monthlery Pro rims with Campagnola Record Hubs , Shimano 600 levers , Tracer cranks , Shimano Derailleur not sure the type (it has an arrow on it ) .

Torana68
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Torana68 » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:46 pm

lilcuda wrote:I took some notes yesterday on the Malvern Star , it has the following components . Mavic Monthlery Pro rims with Campagnola Record Hubs , Shimano 600 levers , Tracer cranks , Shimano Derailleur not sure the type (it has an arrow on it ) .
keep the Campagnolo wheels for somethimng nice , they will be making the bike feel light

lilcuda
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby lilcuda » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:51 pm

Any advice on where to get colour matched handlebar wraps for the raleigh ? .

I will be leaving the Malvern Star as is as far as components although I do have to check the condition of the rim , also the rust is a worry .

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drubie
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby drubie » Sun Jan 22, 2012 5:26 pm

That Malvern Star looks like it's running tubular tyres (aka "Singles") - you glue them on. The LH crank doesn't match at all and overall it looks like the fork doesn't match that frame. It looks like a pile of parts attached to the Malvern Star that came from something much better.

I'd sell the rims on and get yourself some ordinary clincher rims before persisting.
So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gilding
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

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grantw
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby grantw » Sun Jan 22, 2012 6:29 pm

I've got Raleigh Medale 12 frame sitting in the shed. It's a pretty basic frame, though the headbadge is nice. Looks like yours has sprung one of the cable guides on the top tube, which you can't really fix without respraying that part of the tube. Although there are other ways to attach the cable

Those chrome plated forks on the Malvern Star, were pretty cheap replacement forks in the 80's. I put one on my dragster 8) .

The speedwell is a beauty. Those bolt on seat stays look late 1940's to me, so does the saddle.
Image

maccayak
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby maccayak » Sun Jan 22, 2012 6:39 pm

Your collection is similarish to mine. I like your Raleigh, nice colour. Which size suits you more as the MS looks smaller.

Geoff

lilcuda
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby lilcuda » Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:57 pm

drubie your right about the tyre's . The rear tyre has come loose and when you look at the tyre it is fully enclosed like a tube .

I cant believe someone would put such nice rims on a crap bike , would the rims alone account for the slim weight ? .

I'm going to have to pull it down and weigh the frame by itself and see what it comes in at , at least the mavics are a keeper :) .

The Malvern Star is 54cm to the Raleigh 59cm , I'm 180cm so neither is really a problem .

I love the speedwell , Id like to clean it up but am very aware not to go overboard .

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mark field
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby mark field » Sun Jan 22, 2012 10:36 pm

i would put the wheels from the Malvern star on to the Raleigh , new lever hoods and bar tape. the speedwell i would get the black electrical tape off it, hit fleabay and find a better condition but period correct saddle for it and matching bar tape, scrap the reflectors on the frame and a set of period correct wheels and leave it at that. would the speedwell have been originally a fixed gear or 3speed S.A. hub or even coaster brake hub? i get a vibe that the brakes are somewhat aftermarket, and the back one looks to clamped to the seat stays?
steel is the real deal.

lilcuda
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby lilcuda » Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:31 pm

It wouldn't suit me to ride on the singles. Personally they are to fragile for me and more suited to track work , I could see myself regularly getting punctures on such a small tyre .

The rear brake for the Speedwell is clamped to the seat stay ,the current seat is heavily cracked down the centre .As you say it needs period parts but Im still not 100 percent certain of what period the bike actually is so dont want to commit to anything besides taking the obvious things like the reflectors off of it .

I dont want to rush into a mistake thats for sure , seen that to many times and not just with bikes .

Stuey
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Stuey » Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:41 am

I second what Mark says about putting the rims onto the Raleigh, which has those nasty steel hubs... :wink: Shame the seatpost from the Malvern Star won't fit as well. It's too big, I'd say.

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vaeske
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby vaeske » Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:52 pm

what wheelsize is that speedwell track?

I think i may have one as well, with very similar "lugs/welds" and the rear triangle looks the same as well. its been rattlecanned grey but as I rub off the paint, its got a green/yellow color scheme with those white lines very similar to yours.

would you or anyone have any other way of telling/confirming its a speedwell track bike?

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munga
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby munga » Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:14 pm

horizontal fork ends do not make it a track bike.

Torana68
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Torana68 » Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:58 pm

vaeske wrote:would you or anyone have any other way of telling/confirming its a speedwell track bike?
there are a few here who can tell you , start your own thread on your bike, real Speedwell track (or any quality Australian made track frame) bikes are rare.

Johnj
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Johnj » Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:02 pm

Torana68 wrote:There are a few here who can tell you , start your own thread on your bike, real Speedwell track (or any quality Australian made track frame) bikes are rare.
Here are two Speedwells, both with rear-facing drops:

A late 1950s Speedwell Olympic (this is a track bike)
Image

A 1973-ish Speedwell roadster (ie not a track bike)
Image

The geometry is completely different, the roadster has bolt-on rear stays, a much longer wheelbase, more relaxed frame angles and much bigger clearances between the wheels and the frame. Remember also that the outside diameter of the 28" tyres on the roadster is probably 50mm greater than the 700c tubulars on the track bike. All this, without even mentioning the components attached to the frames. As you can see, your Speedwell is a roadster, not a track bike. Nothing wrong with a Speedwell roadster, I certainly enjoy riding mine. :)

cliff burvill
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby cliff burvill » Sun Oct 09, 2016 8:15 pm

The 1950's track bike is authentic, as I rode a similar bike in the 1956 olympics in the 4000 mtrs. team pursuit and if you Google my name their is a photo of this bike by flickr , I also have other photos that would confirm this.
Regards Cliff Burvill.

Johnj
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Johnj » Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:29 pm

cliff burvill wrote:The 1950's track bike is authentic, as I rode a similar bike in the 1956 olympics in the 4000 mtrs. team pursuit and if you Google my name their is a photo of this bike by flickr , I also have other photos that would confirm this.
Regards Cliff Burvill.
Great to hear from you Cliff. The Speedwell Olympic shown above belonged to Barry Lambert, who rode for the Blacktown District Cycling Club in the early 1960s. The bike was found on a council cleanup in 2009, and I have owned it for about 5 years.

I also have Norm King's Bol D'or track bike from about 1953, Do you remember him from your St George days?

cliff burvill
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby cliff burvill » Tue Oct 11, 2016 8:26 pm

Hi John,
Norm King rode off scratch on the road for St. George before Warren Scarfe and myself and I have photos of Norm, Warren and I in the same race in my first year as senior.
Bennet (AT) Wood i.e. Speedwell sponsored me for the 1956 Olympics and then Joe Tait Bol D'or sponsored myself and Frank Brazier for the rest of our careers,I still have my Bol D'or track pursuit bike that Joe built for me in 1959 and also two of my road bikes.
I am particulary interested in your track bike as it is a replica of my 1956 Speedwell except that my bike was black with chrome forks and rear stays and had the world colours on the seat bar as yours does.
I have a good photo on my Bol D'or road bike getting fastest time in the Sydney to Golbourn in 1958.
John it would be good to stay in touch as it would appear that we have a lot to share as I have been disconnected since I moved to Bangalow in the 1960's

Johnj
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby Johnj » Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:37 pm

Hi Cliff

Some more pictures of the Speedwell Olympic are here.

I don't have any photos of Norm King's Bol D'or track bike, but I do have some photos of David Haworth's 1958-ish Bol D'or road bike.

David rode as a junior for St George in the late 1950s.His bike was one of a batch built by Joe Tait. David originally told me he thought this was 1956, but I now think it is more likely about 1958. The story of David's bike is here.

I'd be interested to know if you could shed any light on this. A photo go the bike is below.

Image

Cheers

John

cliff burvill
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Re: Got the resto bug

Postby cliff burvill » Thu Oct 13, 2016 9:06 pm

Hi John,
Thanks for your reply and your inclusion of David Haworth's road bike.
Joe Tait remained a lifetime friend until his passing , as does Frank Brazier and to this day we communicate regularly with each other.
Their are so many things that I can comment on that need some correction and I thought it would be good if you could contact me on 02 66 878 279 in the evening as I am not good at posting stuff with added photos.

Regards Cliff.

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