- Joined
- May 15, 2014
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 2
Hello there,
It's English summer time and the sun is high in the sky, so it's high time to wheel this out. I call it the Shop Rod, amongst other things.
Just a boring note on the aesthetic I was aiming at here. In the same way that Austin 7 hot rods never look as good as Model A hot rods to my mind, it seemed that an English 3 speed shopping bike wouldn't look quite as good 'rodded up as something like a Roadmaster would, so I tried to go a little more English, or European at best. Bulking it up but keeping the basic outline the same. More like an AC Ace becoming a Shelby Cobra if you will! Hence we have my mum's old 1960s shopping bike, which my dad rescued from a skip and repainted a lovely maroon colour, before making it rideable for her. The drum brakes it came with were always a bit iffy, so they've been replaced with a coaster brake on the rear and a Raleigh slimline front hub from a 1950s Lenton ladies. The rack was originally on the rear, but I swapped it onto the front. Front rim is a Mavic XM317 Disc, 32 hole, laced two cross, rear rim is an Alex DH, 36h, laced three cross. The rear tyre literally has a couple of mm clearance, but I didn't want to start doing frame modifications as I wanted to keep the colour and an aspect of my dad's handiwork. The handlebar is a Dutch upright jobby which I flipped over. Crank, bb, seatpost and saddle all original equipment. Unfortunatley the light currently doesn't work, but I loved the look and rusty finish. It came off my auntie's dads 1930s Raleigh tourer which she gave to me last year and which is currently on the back burner to be finished.
Anyway, hope you like it and thanks for taking the time to look, and, if you got this far, read!
D.
It's English summer time and the sun is high in the sky, so it's high time to wheel this out. I call it the Shop Rod, amongst other things.
Just a boring note on the aesthetic I was aiming at here. In the same way that Austin 7 hot rods never look as good as Model A hot rods to my mind, it seemed that an English 3 speed shopping bike wouldn't look quite as good 'rodded up as something like a Roadmaster would, so I tried to go a little more English, or European at best. Bulking it up but keeping the basic outline the same. More like an AC Ace becoming a Shelby Cobra if you will! Hence we have my mum's old 1960s shopping bike, which my dad rescued from a skip and repainted a lovely maroon colour, before making it rideable for her. The drum brakes it came with were always a bit iffy, so they've been replaced with a coaster brake on the rear and a Raleigh slimline front hub from a 1950s Lenton ladies. The rack was originally on the rear, but I swapped it onto the front. Front rim is a Mavic XM317 Disc, 32 hole, laced two cross, rear rim is an Alex DH, 36h, laced three cross. The rear tyre literally has a couple of mm clearance, but I didn't want to start doing frame modifications as I wanted to keep the colour and an aspect of my dad's handiwork. The handlebar is a Dutch upright jobby which I flipped over. Crank, bb, seatpost and saddle all original equipment. Unfortunatley the light currently doesn't work, but I loved the look and rusty finish. It came off my auntie's dads 1930s Raleigh tourer which she gave to me last year and which is currently on the back burner to be finished.
Anyway, hope you like it and thanks for taking the time to look, and, if you got this far, read!
D.
I like the same things Bicycle808 mentioned about the frame, the lugs and rear drop outs. That bolt through the seat stays for the seat clamp is really different. I normally don't care much for large front racks on bikes but the way you did that rack looks really nice on the front of the bike. Can you give us a pick of the head-badge. We can only see a side glance of it now and it looks interesting.
