GB brakes , levers and 27 x1-1/4 wheels +...

[ozboz]

I'm going to start on my Hill-Special frame
It is a 1950 frame so going to try and get it back to something like it's original spec ,
Though not all will be things of the day , I will add them for aesthetic purpose ,
Derailleurs etc I hope to keep as per 50's look also handle bars ,
So any one have anything from that era and wants to sell them please let me know , cheers

 

[Sharky]

Jealous ….

My first proper bike was a Hill Special, for my 10th birthday in 1960. It was second hand and was a fixed gear set up, so maybe derailleurs would be out of place.

Good luck with the project.

 

[ozboz]

I think this is a single speed frame , the drop outs are 110 mm , my old legs won't be able to cope with that unless some seriously large cog on the rear and seriously small on the front !
Seems you are a bit older than me , I was 8 in 60'

 

[Sharky]

I think this is a single speed frame , the drop outs are 110 mm , my old legs won't be able to cope with that unless some seriously large cog on the rear and seriously small on the front !
Seems you are a bit older than me , I was 8 in 60'

You're a youngster still. A fixed or SS will be great to ride. I've still got a fixed hanging up in the garage, waiting for the club 10's to start and that's got a small on the rear and a big on the front.

Thinking back to when I was 10, I was thrilled to get the bike. It had belonged to a former club mate of my Dad's who had been a fast rider. I can't believe now that my dad had given me a fixed at that age and even allowed me to go off by myself. The roads must have been a lot safer in those days.

 

[ozboz]

I like to think I’m still a teenybopper !,
However ,my lower left leg and right knee are telling me to keep it tidy ,
But it wouldn’t put me off building it as a SS , there are no braze on’s for gear changers and as said the drop outs are 110mm, the drop outs are forward facing , I’m not sure if this is saying something about the original spec or not

 

[rogerzilla]

I may have some 27" wheels with new tyres. Wolber Super Champion 58 rims, barely worn, and Campag Nuovo Tipo hubs. New Kenda tyres, never ridden. They are true and have d/b stainless spokes. That's the good bit. The bad bits:

- Hub races have some pitting. I've overhauled them with new balls and grease and they adjust fine, but will probably rumble a bit if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.

- I've respaced and redished the rear for a 46mm chainline with a fixed cog. They're 120mm at the moment. If you're going to 110mm, you'll need to chop or file the axle (easy), respace and redish it anyway. There are sufficient spacers to remove to get it down to 110mm.

- The wheel was built by Holdsworth in the 1980s and they managed not to get the valve between parallel spokes! They also used spokes slightly too long and filed them. Professionals, eh?