Squeeeeeeeeeeee with excitment

[Paulus]

Thats a lovely bike Arch, I had a 26 inch,3 speed Raleigh, in 1972, the frame was the same colour, but had blue mudguards. I notice though that the 'guards, although smaller are exactly the same design as my bike, if that helps to date the bike.

 

[Headgardener]

If your 'here' is near the New Forest, then it's quite a long way from my 'here'. (and anyway, I'm now back in York)

This is all very cryptic...

Anyway, for the moment the saddle stays, if I do replace it, it would probably to put on a nice leather one instead of vinyl, but to try and keep a period look. If I do keep the vinyl saddle, I might look for a white vinyl saddle back of some sort.

Thinking about it, the bike's not much younger than me, if it's early 70's. I know SA 3spd hubs have a date on them, but I haven't had a chance to clean up the SS hub to see if it does.

As for being a girlie-girl. I spent a nice evening yesterday watching films about heavy haulage from the 50's, and I have a hankering for a Scammell Mechanical Horse. Another bike is rather more practical!

Sorry Arch didn't mean to be overly cryptic , I was just guessing that your "here" was Winchester which is only a short train ride from the New Forest.

 

[Arch]

Sorry Arch didn't mean to be overly cryptic , I was just guessing that your "here" was Winchester which is only a short train ride from the New Forest.

Ah, no, it was me being cryptic, no worries.

If I'd been at my sister's, you'd have been spot on. But I wasn't. I was Elsewhere.

<swirls cloak of crypticality, crypticness(?) around herself>

 

[Speicher]

So you were at St Elsewhere where they filmed that tv series in Boston, Massachusetts?

I agree it could be tricky bringing it back on the plane.

 

[Adasta]

<swirls cloak of crypticality, crypticness(?) around herself>

cryptipocity?

 

[Arch]

cryptipocity?

Gazundheit!

 

[Headgardener]

Ah well never mind and there was me thinking that I might see you trying out your new steed on my patch .

 

[Arch]

Ah well never mind and there was me thinking that I might see you trying out your new steed on my patch .

I'll have to bring it on holiday sometime!

 

[Cubist]

Gazundheit!

 

[Night Train]

So, I was at this little local bike festival, and there was a second hand bike auction, and...

[attachment=3632SCN2173resized.jpg]

Arch's bike was missing a chain guard and I found this one for her on Ebay which would be the right type but for a 26" wheel and her's is a 24" wheel.

I had suggested I could probably make one and so Arch took me at my word and commissioned me to do so.

I arranged access to her bike to get some measurements and came up with a suitable pattern in wood.
I then cut a bit of steel from the back of a scrap tumble dryer.

The pattern was matched to a second bit of wood and the steel sandwiched between and cramped tight. It was then placed in the vice for a bit of panel beating.

Once done and trimmed and edges tidied up I tried it for size on the bike.

It is sitting low, on the crank, as it isn't mounted yet. It just needs a hole at the tail end and a bracket at the front end to fit the clip that is currently too high up the downtube.
Then it can be tidied up a bit more and sprayed metalic red to match the mudguards.

More photos when it is done.

 

[Arch]

It's fabulous! You are clever!

Just need to match that paint....

 

[Night Train]

Glad you like the progress so far.

I'll need to take a mudguard off and use it to colour match as best as I can if you don't mind me doing that.
It would probably be a spray can from Halfords matched under the glare of grubby fluorescent lighting though.

 

[Arch]

Oh yes, taking the mudguard off is fine. I wonder if it'll be a tricky shade to match, being slightly metallic.

The shape looks fantastic, just like the real thing.

 

[Headgardener]

Looks good Arch. Although the chainring behind fooled me for a while as I didn't realize it was another bike .