BSA Tour de France

[EltonFrog]

@CarlP it's been an interesting thread to keep an eye on and well done in what you have achieved , how far have you actually ridden the bike so far ?
As i am sure you will enjoy it
Keep us posted on it's progress over the miles

Thanks Martin

I did ride it yesterday before the bar tape went on, to test the brakes and gears, just down the street and back, I will take it on a proper ride when the ground is dry and the sun is out.

Thanks to you and all the others with the help and advice you gave.

 

[biggs682]

@CarlP just enjoy it for what it is and sod the rest of them

 

[roadrash]

Another bike saved from the skip , and with a story to tell, bike looks brilliant, I know what you mean when you say your sort of sorry its finished, so...…….. whats next

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Nice job you've done there, but I wouldn't dare to have light coloured bar tape on any bike of mine. It wouldn't stay white for very long!

 

[EltonFrog]

Nice job you've done there, but I wouldn't dare to have light coloured bar tape on any bike of mine. It wouldn't stay white for very long!

I agree, but the aim was to make it look as original as possible. That done, if I keep the bike ( likely) then I’ll change it, that tape was cheap as chips.

 

[EltonFrog]

Another bike saved from the skip , and with a story to tell, bike looks brilliant, I know what you mean when you say your sort of sorry its finished, so...…….. whats next

I don’t know what I’d do next, I’d like to another one, but it needs to be different, I’ll wait and see what turns up.

 

[midlife]

Smashing

 

[stalagmike]

Great job and a great story too.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I think half the fun of old stuff, if you trawl places like wheelie bins and skips and the bargain basement end of eBay, is the unpredictability of what may turn up. A lot is modern BSO dross, that might yield the odd useful spare part if you are lucky, but now and again some quite nice stuff can turn up either FOC, or for not a lot of money on the 'Bay. Although I do like a nice Reynolds frame, I'm not a bike snob and am quite happy to fix up and ride low-end bikes so long as the quality is one level up from a BSO. Most of those old hi-tensile framed badge-engineered Raleigh family bikes are currently pretty unloved and low value, yet they make good rides and are tough and dependable. It's nice to see people saving and riding the low end mass-market models, not just the racing exotica. They all have their place in history, and most of us probably started out on low end bikes especially as youngsters. My old Raleigh Arena was definitely nothing fancy, but I still had a lot of fun riding it over many hundreds of miles.

 

[Kempstonian]

I've just read this whole thread and I'm really impressed with the job you've done Carl! Looks like a new bike now!

The thread will provide inspiration for anyone else who fancies having a go at a restoration. I picked up some useful info myself and its got me wondering whether to rstore this old Townsend bike I've acquired. The only thing stopping me is that its too big for me to ride and I might be better off finding a smaller bike instead.

 

[EltonFrog]

I've just read this whole thread and I'm really impressed with the job you've done Carl! Looks like a new bike now!

The thread will provide inspiration for anyone else who fancies having a go at a restoration. I picked up some useful info myself and its got me wondering whether to rstore this old Townsend bike I've acquired. The only thing stopping me is that its too big for me to ride and I might be better off finding a smaller bike instead.

Thanks for the nice comments.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Nice job. I do like an orange bike.

 

[EltonFrog]

Folks may (or may not) be interested in how much I spent on this.

From the Bay of E.

Oxalic Acid £7.95 .
Liberon Fine Wire Wool £1.99
Tyres £17.27
Wheels £54.99
Raleigh Steel Bicycle Pump £7.84
Checkered Water Bottle £3.59

From CC member.
Short Steel Mudguards £15.00

From Vintage Velo.
Bar Tape. £7.95

From LBS
Chain, cables, cable covers, cotter pins, bearings, brake blocks, etc £50.00 (ish, can’t remember exactly)

Other items. In stock.

I sold the Pletscher rack and the wheels for £25.00.

Time: hours and hours!

Value for money? I had a great time and learned a lot. I really enjoyed the project.

 

[roadrash]

I quite fancy the idea of restoring an English three speed roadster, not got around to doing anything about the idea yet but I fancy it

 

[EltonFrog]

I quite fancy the idea of restoring an English three speed roadster, not got around to doing anything about the idea yet but I fancy it

Do you mean the sort of Hercules type bike that @biggs682 is playing with atm? Having read that thread I’ve got a hankering for something like that too.