The Inspiration:
***The Viscount*** - It's rolling...
- Thread starter Three-Wire
- Start date
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Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
The Canvas:
The Canvas:
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
The ideas and camradrie I see so far in this build-off are incredible, and I want in. My goals are not lofty - I just want to build a bike that I'm satisfied with and am not too embarrassed to show on this site.
Can anyone tell me more about this bike? The rear hub is a Sturmey AW stamped 55, but I don't think it's original to the frame. A few hours on Google don't turn up any images of similar bikes.
Now, to start dismantling of the old gentlemen so he & I can figure out just what he wants to be in his second coming...
The ideas and camradrie I see so far in this build-off are incredible, and I want in. My goals are not lofty - I just want to build a bike that I'm satisfied with and am not too embarrassed to show on this site.
Can anyone tell me more about this bike? The rear hub is a Sturmey AW stamped 55, but I don't think it's original to the frame. A few hours on Google don't turn up any images of similar bikes.
Now, to start dismantling of the old gentlemen so he & I can figure out just what he wants to be in his second coming...
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
Have fun! NO pressure..My bikes are really very simple and no big deal. Build what YOU like...HAVE FUN! :lol:
Have fun! NO pressure..My bikes are really very simple and no big deal. Build what YOU like...HAVE FUN! :lol:
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
Who told you??!?!? Spies amongst us, I tell you... :? Trust no one! :wink: 8)
"BONDERIZED"
whatever that means...
EDIT:
It's evidently some sort of phosphate/chromate conversion coating process. Guess I'll do the paint stripping outside on this one...
Bendix said:
Who told you??!?!? Spies amongst us, I tell you... :? Trust no one! :wink: 8) Bendix said:
"BONDERIZED"
whatever that means...
EDIT:
It's evidently some sort of phosphate/chromate conversion coating process. Guess I'll do the paint stripping outside on this one...
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
Thanks! That's just what I intend to do... I really like your recumbent and the brown/white pre-war, btw. Nice builds!KOTA said:
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
Build it like you wanna win it! AND have fun. :mrgreen:
That's a nice frame. And some great inspiration.
Good look and have fun!
Build it like you wanna win it! AND have fun. :mrgreen:
That's a nice frame. And some great inspiration.
Good look and have fun!
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
If you plan on painting it a dark green like the cars you posted you might look into valspar "lawn green" spray paint. That's the color I've been using for my build.
If you plan on painting it a dark green like the cars you posted you might look into valspar "lawn green" spray paint. That's the color I've been using for my build.
Re: The Viscount of Waltanna
Thanks! Rustoleum has a nice Dark Hunter Green that I like too, but I'm going to try to find something special for this one.
SSG said:
Thanks! Rustoleum has a nice Dark Hunter Green that I like too, but I'm going to try to find something special for this one.
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Re: ***The Viscount***
Beleave it or not but Ford Pinto Green is the correct color.Great bike don't see many of this style english bikes.This might be a hurcules built /or Phillips frame.Wards used them a lot.
Beleave it or not but Ford Pinto Green is the correct color.Great bike don't see many of this style english bikes.This might be a hurcules built /or Phillips frame.Wards used them a lot.
Re: ***The Viscount***
Nice start, have fun and welcome! :wink:
Nice start, have fun and welcome! :wink:
Re: ***The Viscount***
Hey Three Wire,
Great inspiration and an excellent choice in pallet. I can't wait to see how you're going to put this together.
This is my wife's Hawthorne. I would like to ride it but the seatpost is stuck and I did buy it for HER Birthday.
It was kinda clunky until I updated it. Now she loves it. Only 24.5 lbs and smooth.
Best of luck!
Hey Three Wire,
Great inspiration and an excellent choice in pallet. I can't wait to see how you're going to put this together.
This is my wife's Hawthorne. I would like to ride it but the seatpost is stuck and I did buy it for HER Birthday.
It was kinda clunky until I updated it. Now she loves it. Only 24.5 lbs and smooth.
Best of luck!
Re: ***The Viscount***
Thanks! Nice job on that bike. The frame just seems to ask to me made light & go fast...
The only status update I have is that I've been collecting parts and mentally mapping out this project. Things like refurbishing an old home-built tandem for a group ride on 5/26, a burst water pipe down in our primary well, and visits from out-of-town relatives have really slowed things to a crawl this week. Should get some work done this weekend... 8)
MplsCoaster said:
Thanks! Nice job on that bike. The frame just seems to ask to me made light & go fast...
The only status update I have is that I've been collecting parts and mentally mapping out this project. Things like refurbishing an old home-built tandem for a group ride on 5/26, a burst water pipe down in our primary well, and visits from out-of-town relatives have really slowed things to a crawl this week. Should get some work done this weekend... 8)
Re: ***The Viscount***
This bike seems to fight me at every turn... I knew it was going to be a lot of firsts for me - first old English bike, first cottered crank, first complicated hub overhaul, first leather saddle, first skinny tires, and a few others I want to keep up my sleeve for now.
Turns out the handlebars were kinked but I didn't see it until after I got them out of the stem. They're 23.8mm bars, of course, so I don't have a spare set that will fit the stem. :roll: Bummer... I wanted to use that stem, too. I do have a set of bars that are similar in shape and 25.4mm, and an old SR stem that fits the fork.
The hub I want to use is 36 holes... The rims on this bike were 40 holes and 32 holes, and the front hub is trashed. :roll: The old-school EA3 rims (26 x 1 3/8, 590mm) are salvagable and the Sturmey rear hub can be rebuilt, so they go on the wall for a rainy day project. But, I needed new 36 hole wheels. Goodwill to the rescue! $9.99 for a donor bike with good EA3 rims and a good front hub. Now we're back on track...
Started stripping the bike and discovered the headset is unique - loose bearings! :shock: I think I only lost a couple, and I don't think they'll be too tough to replace but it caught me off guard.
The crank cotters are kicking my a** these days. One was already bent over when I brought the bike home, but I think I've buggered the other without much visible progress... This is as far as I've been able to get them to budge with a 5 lb hammer. I'm afraid anything more aggressive will destroy the BB. Any suggestions?
I can still try a bench vise and socket as a make-shift arbor press, or try to drill them out (not high on my list). If all else fails I'll break out the angle grinder and just replace the whole .... thing with a sealed BB and modern cranks. I like the looks of these cranks but... :roll:
This bike seems to fight me at every turn... I knew it was going to be a lot of firsts for me - first old English bike, first cottered crank, first complicated hub overhaul, first leather saddle, first skinny tires, and a few others I want to keep up my sleeve for now.
Turns out the handlebars were kinked but I didn't see it until after I got them out of the stem. They're 23.8mm bars, of course, so I don't have a spare set that will fit the stem. :roll: Bummer... I wanted to use that stem, too. I do have a set of bars that are similar in shape and 25.4mm, and an old SR stem that fits the fork.
The hub I want to use is 36 holes... The rims on this bike were 40 holes and 32 holes, and the front hub is trashed. :roll: The old-school EA3 rims (26 x 1 3/8, 590mm) are salvagable and the Sturmey rear hub can be rebuilt, so they go on the wall for a rainy day project. But, I needed new 36 hole wheels. Goodwill to the rescue! $9.99 for a donor bike with good EA3 rims and a good front hub. Now we're back on track...
Started stripping the bike and discovered the headset is unique - loose bearings! :shock: I think I only lost a couple, and I don't think they'll be too tough to replace but it caught me off guard.
The crank cotters are kicking my a** these days.
One was already bent over when I brought the bike home, but I think I've buggered the other without much visible progress... This is as far as I've been able to get them to budge with a 5 lb hammer. I'm afraid anything more aggressive will destroy the BB. Any suggestions?
I can still try a bench vise and socket as a make-shift arbor press, or try to drill them out (not high on my list). If all else fails I'll break out the angle grinder and just replace the whole .... thing with a sealed BB and modern cranks. I like the looks of these cranks but... :roll:
Re: ***The Viscount***
mine were a b**** to take out as well. i used a hammer and a punch to get them out. took a while but it worked. ruined one, and one was good. but for two bucks at the lbs, i wasnt going to give them to much hassel. like the frame to.
mine were a b**** to take out as well. i used a hammer and a punch to get them out. took a while but it worked. ruined one, and one was good. but for two bucks at the lbs, i wasnt going to give them to much hassel. like the frame to.
Re: ***The Viscount***
heat works wonders on rusted junk... :roll:
heat works wonders on rusted junk... :roll:
Re: ***The Viscount***
I've found a few minutes here & there to work on this project, finally have enough progress for some real rough mock-up pics. My vision for this bike is clean, with as little extra stuff as possible. No shifters, no hand brakes, no cables, very little extra junk to clutter the lines of the bike up. That doesn't mean there won't be any styling or any unique accents, but I'm trying for a minimalist approach.
First up, with the skinny tires (EA3 rims, 26x1 3/8 tires, 590-30): The tall seatpost is a rideable position for me, the slammed seat would have to be display only. My knees would be somewhere up by my ears if I tried to pedal like that.
And slammed...
Since the Big-N-Little thing seems to be popular, I thought I'd try fitting a 26x2.0 (550 rim size) on the rear. Don't fit... :roll: I think 26x1.75 would be the max, and it would be extremely tight. If I really want a noticeably fat tire on the rear, I think a 24" rim would have to be used.
And slammed...
I kind of like the Big-N-Little configuration, but I'm not sold by any means... If I could find a 590 tire that's wider than 30, I'd love to go that route but it's such an unusual size. What do you guys think?
Still lots to do:
Needs pedals, originals were shot
Saddle needs conditioning and lacing
Complicated rear hub needs overhaul (It's not the Sturmey, I've got something cooler... 8) )
Need to get that @$#&(^& crank apart!!!!
Flesh out some ideas for fenders, accents, styling details, etc.
I've found a few minutes here & there to work on this project, finally have enough progress for some real rough mock-up pics. My vision for this bike is clean, with as little extra stuff as possible. No shifters, no hand brakes, no cables, very little extra junk to clutter the lines of the bike up. That doesn't mean there won't be any styling or any unique accents, but I'm trying for a minimalist approach.
First up, with the skinny tires (EA3 rims, 26x1 3/8 tires, 590-30): The tall seatpost is a rideable position for me, the slammed seat would have to be display only. My knees would be somewhere up by my ears if I tried to pedal like that.
And slammed...
Since the Big-N-Little thing seems to be popular, I thought I'd try fitting a 26x2.0 (550 rim size) on the rear. Don't fit... :roll: I think 26x1.75 would be the max, and it would be extremely tight. If I really want a noticeably fat tire on the rear, I think a 24" rim would have to be used.
And slammed...
I kind of like the Big-N-Little configuration, but I'm not sold by any means... If I could find a 590 tire that's wider than 30, I'd love to go that route but it's such an unusual size. What do you guys think?
Still lots to do:
Needs pedals, originals were shot
Saddle needs conditioning and lacing
Complicated rear hub needs overhaul (It's not the Sturmey, I've got something cooler... 8) )
Need to get that @$#&(^& crank apart!!!!
Flesh out some ideas for fenders, accents, styling details, etc.
