70's Tracker style of bike

[DUNSTALL]

When i was a school kid we all rode bikes called trackers, this was not a make but a style like a mountain bike made from either a gents or racer with the following mods

extra wide handlebars
short mudgurds
knobbly tyres

My own bike was built new by Peter Fletcher cycles in Prestwich Manchester for xmas 1974 from a Hercules Barmoral gents bike with a 3 speed hub (no changer) so stuck 3rd all the time with a clip tho the little chain. Hrad up the hills at first but soon easy, i even fitted 3 airhorns running on butane camping gas cannisters, 3 lights front an rear and 1 car spot lamp run off 3 dynamos with the normal lego tyre so it would still turn when wet,,, god i thought i was so cool,, well it was the era of custom cars, they also put thebrakes on the wrong way round,,,great when someone tried to nick it, went right over the top thinkin it was the back brake,

Im looking for a Barmoral frame and extra wide cowhorns to build anew one,, i did read that a big company bought Hercules out, maybe Falcon, does anyone know if the frame jigs still exist?

also does anyone make the old front light brackets that go on the headstock and clip on the handlebars?

 

[jimboalee]

Mine was built on a 24 x 1 3/8 wheel youth's sports tourer.

Single speed, no front brake, no mudguards and handlebars from a Yamaha 80 schoolboy motoX bike ( with an aluminium collar in the stem ).

That bike got pulled out of the Grand Union Canal after an unsuccessful world record attempt.

 

[Hacienda71]

Mine had a rocket seat (iscaselle), single fixed gear with a 30 tooth front "wheelie cog" knobbly tyres. It had cowhorn type bars with a cross piece though. Can't remember the name.

 

[DUNSTALL]

world record attempt?

i like the sound of that....just the type of thing we would do as kids,
i spent a fortune replacing buckeld wheels cos of doing jumps over anythin i could find, then again i may have jumped over 15 double decker buses (dinky ones) to beat evil kenivel....true bravery

a mate of mine built one using small motorcycle wheels,, possibly c70 or old brit bike, would have been upto 250cc i would have thought, not sure how he made them fit tho

 

[rmiker]

We used to build these 'track bikes' back in the 50's, when I was a kid.
Consisted of a small gents frame with cowhorn bars, over riders on the forks, knobbly tyres and 30+ fixed wheel.
Had great fun charging round a circuit in the local woods.
Mike

 

[palinurus]

a mate of mine built one using small motorcycle wheels,, possibly c70 or old brit bike, would have been upto 250cc i would have thought, not sure how he made them fit tho

There was a bit of a brief craze for doing that around my way. Heavy though!

 

[jimboalee]

There were guys in Worcester who put cow horns on 26" gents touring bikes with cantis. They would put 24/36 chainsets on them and go up the Malverns.

Silly sods didn't patent the idea.