If you have spent any time having a bit of a wander through our web pages, you will know that I have been systematically threatening to put three Thirties vintage bikes on the road for Gav and Craig and I to use - the romantic idea being to see if it is practical to take bikes of this era to Paris-Brest-Paris 2011.
Final shake-down and road testing was done along the bike path that conveniently dropped us right at the starting point. We timed our arrival just minutes shy of setting off, just enough time for a last nervous fiddle ( I'll leave you to imagine what with ) and then line up at the back of the field so that we would draw the minimum of attention for this first outing.
We had originally set a target last November to try the bikes on the road. I didn't manage to get into the rebuilding in time, and struggled to get spokes of the right length and other minor bits like bidon cage mounts organised. November lapsed, but Amy's ride presented itself as an ideal event to aim for - the coffee and pastries at the Richmond Bakery are pretty good, so the option of stopping short with 'mechanical troubles' seemed at least practical.
Paint, or actually the remains of paint came off the Whatley Frame and the Malvern Star. The Aero wears its original and heavily scarred gloss black and hand striping still.
Each bike was set up with the thought to make the frame and fork a solid and reliable base, with the idea of inspiring some confidence. The bikes use loose ball bearings - 33 in each race - and bolted steerer clamps to adjust the pre-load. Having sifted out a nice firm-fitting collection of races, polished the tiny bearings and slipped the whole thing into place, this crucial junction has come up very well given the age of the components.
Wheels were re-laced and where necessary and tensioned up - again with the idea to create a solid feeling base. Craig rode trad 28 inch wheels. I used 27's as did Gav at the last minute, as the original rear for the Aero collapsed under the tension of 14g DT's. Rears used Sturmey Archer AW 3-speeds coupled to a trigger shifter pulling cable over a frame roller. Front hubs proved to be a collection of different things -not all period and definately temporary. Tyres consisted of a mix of old and new - block tread 27's and pretty ancient Dunlop Olympic Torch items for the Whatley's 28 inch Endrick rims.
Cranks were the most difficult to sort out. The Aero exhibited a very weird tendency to clip a chain stay with the crank end under Gav's strong legs ( yes the clearance is that tight with the original spindle ), so ring-in Magistroni's with a TDC spindle were slipped in for the day to remove the problem. Otherwise the Aero used its original 30's cups and bearings. The Whatley also used it's original cups, a TDC spindle and original bearings along with a nice set of Williams cranks. The Malvern Star used a new drive side cup to get around relatively worn threads, and the original Walton and Brown left cup with a new TDC lock ring. 48 teeth chainrings were matched to the 18 tooth rear cog for a mid-range straight through of about 74 gear inches.
Bars came from a selection of 'Oppy' bend Reynolds and unknown brand items for Gav and I, while Craig was set up with some 70's randonneur bend items for a bit of extra leverage. Gav then got the nod for the adjustable stem from the Whatley in order to get some extra reach, as the Aero frame really is a little small for his body length. Graig and I made do with shorter steel items from the collection - mine proving a little short, creating a bit of an aching back by the end of 100. Trad sticky-backed black cloth bar tape completed the look - wound on at about midnight the night before the ride.
Brakes you know about if you have read some of the earlier posts - Philco's all round, both front and rear, with the exception of the Aero which has a side-pull front that clamps to the fork blades. Pads were shaped for the Philco holders from items sourced through 'The Bike Shop' in Moonah. Mick Harris enthusiastically sourced some items through a supplier that were rubber with a leather centre section. These worked well enough for a bit of fun on Grass-tree hill.
Steel seat posts, Brooks and Bell leather saddles, clips and straps for me with leather shoes, SPD's for Gav and Craig for reliability and ease ( also thinking about possibly needing to walk a bit if the worst happened ).
With some fiddling on the Saturday afternoon before the ride, Craig nutted out what I had done in reassembling the SA hubs, and we quickly corrected that fault by properly seating the planet gears before setting the cone adjustment - voila, three speeds. A final tweek of brake adjustment in the evening and then away we went on the day - wondering just how far we'd get on the bike path before something fell off.
By sheer luck, the only incident was a broken rear spoke on the Aero after the ride on the way home ( only a few K's away from a cold beer ) and a slightly loose bar clamp, again on the Aero - easily cinched up at the road-side. Otherwise, the bikes ran remarkably and we had a fantastic day out on rolling terrain clonking gears up and down, and muscling a relatively high bottom gear over all the little rollers in the Coal River Valley. It was a treat watching the bikes being used out on the road. I can't wait for some more classic adventures.
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