Ping: Hilldodger and other "old" bike boffins

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montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
Sorry to bother you, but I've recently come accross a "Coventry Eagle" bike for sale local to me, which I plan to scoop up asap. I know that this company became part of Falcon Cycles in 1985, but that is about all I could find.

The bike in question is a lush green with 700c wheels with really nice decals. The seller says that the sticker regarding the type of steel is missing which is a bit of a bummer, but I would imagine 501 by the groupset attatched - having said that, I don't recognise the groupset at all, but it does strike me as similar to the average "custom" stuff which was banged out on many a british bike back in the day. Hopefully I will be collecting this bike soon!

I've attatched photos from the seller's description.

Thanks :biggrin:


edit: In the title I am refering to boffins of old bikes, rather bike boffins who are old!
 

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OP
OP
montage

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
also...having seen a crankset which looks similar, am I wrong about this crankset being a "custom" piece of junk and is it infact campagnolo? Wonder how much of a bargain I have found here
 

Speicher

Vice Admiral
Moderator
I have something very similar to that in my garage. A Coventry Eagle (mixte) in a very similar green, but nowhere near in the same condition.

I will be very interested to read what is said about these bikes.
 
OP
OP
montage

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
I have something very similar to that in my garage. A Coventry Eagle (mixte) in a very similar green, but nowhere near in the same condition.

I will be very interested to read what is said about these bikes.


Can I ask what groupset is on it?
 

JtB

Prepare a way for the Lord
Location
North Hampshire
Ping: Hilldodger and other "old" bike boffins

Seems you're calling Hilldodger an old boffin of bikes (rather than a boffin of old bikes) :whistle:
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
I reckon it's a gas-pipe special, not 501 or anything special.

I had an 1982 Coventry Eagle 5 speed. They weren't that special in the early 80s...
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
I reckon it's a gas-pipe special, not 501 or anything special.

I had an 1982 Coventry Eagle 5 speed. They weren't that special in the early 80s...


I would agree with Fab Foodie, it looks like a gas pipe special, from what I can see from the pictures the components look a bit bottom of the range. The transmission and brakes look very similar to those on the Townsend five speed I had in the early eighties.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
501 is special? :s


501 is not that special in terms of technical superiority. itt was still used in the 1990s for entry level bikes - I had a Raleigh 24 speed road bike with 501 tubing. The ride was OK but it was no lightweight.

Here's a bit of text about 531 and 501 comparison:

Reynolds 531 is a manganese-molybdenum (MnMo) steel, seamless tubeset that has been available since the 1930s in both plain and butted tubesets. The butted tubesets were avaible in several different wall thicknesses. Reynolds 501 was a chromium-molybdendum (CrMo) steel, seamed, butted tubest that made it's debut about 1983 and was available in two different thicknesses. Both tubesets have long been superceded by more advanced steel tubesets, but Reynolds still makes 531 to special order.

Reynolds used to tout manganese-molybdenum as superior to the chromium-molybdenum used by their major competitors, but eventually produced the 501 tubes using chromium-molybdenum. Both are very good steels.

The 531 sets were seamless, which is theoretically stronger, but is expensive to manufacturer, particularly for butted tubing with varying wall thickness. The 501 set was less expensive to produce because the the material was rolled to the varying wall thickness as a flat sheet, which was then fomed into a tube and welded along its length. While purists prefer the seamless tubes, I have yet to see a seamed, 501 tube fail and have no qualms about riding it.

Reynolds 531 was available in several wall thickness, but the baseline 531(c) tubeset had slightly thinner walls than the baseline 501 tubeset. As a result, the 531 tubeset was about 225g lighter.

In general, 501 was aimed at the mid-range market. Hence the slightly thicker and heavier tubes, seamed construction and in Reynolds' opinion, inferior CrMo steel. 531 was aimed at higher models, though it could be found on mid-range models by using plain gauge tubes or combining a 531 butted main triangle with lesser grade stays and/or forks,
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
also, whats the green thing sticking out of the right hand fork?
Can't work it out

it's confirmation that you are contemplating purchasing a donkey rather than a racehorse.

It;s a mounting bracket for a front lamp that had a hollow sleeve at the back that slid over the mount. The lamps were 3V and rather dim. I don't know how folk coped with their feeble illumination.

The bike will make a nice restoration project but don't offer too much money for it.
 
OP
OP
montage

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
It seems in between emails from me arranging to come collect the bike, it was sold by the owner anyway - charming!
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
it's confirmation that you are contemplating purchasing a donkey rather than a racehorse.

It;s a mounting bracket for a front lamp that had a hollow sleeve at the back that slid over the mount. The lamps were 3V and rather dim. I don't know how folk coped with their feeble illumination.

The bike will make a nice restoration project but don't offer too much money for it.


Nearly all cycle lamps were feeble then, I remember those lamp brackets very clearly, in fact I still have one in my bits box.
 
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