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Lord Gruntfuttock’s 1930's BSA Roadster pushy...


Lord Gruntfuttock

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Found an old BSA locally on tardme cheap some months ago.
Can’t definitively date it as there are big globs of braze over the frame number, but I think it is from the 30s? (guards and fittings match those online exactly). Had visions of riding her to work wearing a bowler hat…

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I debated just mechanically sorting her and waxing it as it had awesome patina and still had dealer stickers and pinstriping, but as I looked into it the frame needed some repairs, and the rusty rims needed painting, so I ripped into stripping it down. Front fork was really bent, straightened using length of pipe and the strongarm method, and brazed up some cracks and gouges. Hit it with rattle can etch primer and a few top coats of Durepox epoxy primer (in satin black). I have used this stuff a bit now, tis awesome…

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Straightened the rims as much as possible (28 x 1 ½” Westwood style) sanded back decades of rust, masked spokes (prick of a job)  etch primed and shot with Durepox as well. Can still read the Dunlop and Made in England stampings which I’m pleased about. Scored some  Schwalbe tyres and tubes via Amazon at a good price too…

 

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Front hub is BSA 32 spoke model, rear is a bit of a mystery, a 40 spoke Favorit brand single speed coaster (a Czech brand?) -  Guess it was replaced some time in the past…

 

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Future plans:

 

I have scored some new Dutch alloy Westwood rims, and will lace up a modern 3 speed Sturmey Archer  hub to make her a bit more useable. I toyed with the idea of having a hidden twist cable change then I saw one of these bad boys on ebay, looks awesome, if I can’t score one I’ll make one to suit…

 

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Yeah simple lever, just gotta work out the geometry to get the desired pull. On other pics it looks like there is a locating hole and stub on the lever on the far side that locates each gear position. As I have a brand new Sturmey Archer hub (SRC3) I like the idea of an antique shift mechanism operating it. Got my eye on a couple of them on the Bay...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Pretty much got all the bits, Sapim spokes, Dutch rims, new SA rear hub, 1970s front SA hub from a donor Raleigh, and a nice old K type shifter arrived from Pomgolia...

Tried to fit hub in my motorcycle wheel truing stand and I'll have to make up some adapters as the axles are so wide. If Lady Gruntfuttock would leave me alone I'd be happily lacing up rims in the lounge, but seems it'll have to wait till I've fulfilled family Xmas duties. Nice to know I've got all the bits though...

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  • 5 weeks later...
Laced the new rims up, first ones I've done from scratch, just went methodically and it seemed to go ok once I worked out the pattern (seemed easiest to install all trailing spokes both sides then feed in leading spokes one at a time). I made some adapters for my motorbike stand and used a dial gauge, which made it real easy to true. The bog-roll stands and lump of wood with a hole in it are waiting a patent to be granted...

 

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Great practice for the motorbike wheels I have waiting to be done, I've always thought this was some dark art that only bearded pipe-smoking blokes in dim workshops could master, so a few projects have stalled until I had a crack. When I get some rim tape and have assembled the SA hub I'll fit these rims to the bike, and start looking at my antique shifter...

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pro tip

bung in all the spokes ( so you can look down the valve hole and see the hub logo cos its nicer), then do up all the nipples to cover the thread on each spoke.

go around and tighten them half a turn at a time (if you need to offset the wheel do it now)

 

round and true wheels everytime

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Yeah that's pretty much what I did (apart from aligning the logo, will remember that one).

As there is no offset I just did up all spokes to same level, adjusted for 'round' then adjusted for side wobble and checked roundness again (can't remember which movement is axial and which one is radial)...  :-D 

Then I tightened all spokes a full turn for tension and did a final check/adjustment. Quite a satisfying job really...

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  • 3 years later...

Surf to City tomorrow and I'm biking with some 7 yr olds. Got the old girl out, wiped some rust off and fitted a taller steering stem from Ali, now fits me better. Also fitted some Ali-sourced grips and a leather bag. Had meant to do heaps more but this has been parked since 2015, be nice to spin the wheels tomorrow...
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I'm picking I'm going to wish I'd fitted the Sturmey Archer wheel  halfway through...
 

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