I was given this bike by a gentleman in his eighties who told me he bought it new in 1948. He no longer can ride it and as I restored bikes he offered it to me for free. After taking a look at it I made him take a payment for it, a token payment really but fair as it was going to cost a lot to restore.
The Humber Beeston Clubman is the rarest of the trio of Clubman bikes made by Raleigh, the other two are the Lenton Clubman and the Rudge Aero Clubman.
It had a Sturmey Archer AM Medium Ratio 3 Speed but he said it had failed at some point and the bike shop swopped the innards for an AW Wide Ratio unit.
The bike had been adapted as he got older and the dropped bars changed for Straight Bars and the brakes changed for later Raleigh design as the originals had the fixed length with nipples both ends and the cables were obsolete. Also the rat-trap pedals were replaced with rubber tread ones. The 26” x 1-1/4”. Dunlop Special Lightweight rims were shot having been dented and rusted.
So really I only had a frame, crank set and hubs (SA Casing for rear). From which to restore his bike to original condition.
The frame had been over-sprayed, covering the transfers in a thin film of blue paint. Fortunately there was enough present to photograph and dimension all the transfers to get new ones made. Lloyds made me a new set so I can get the frame refinished and transfers replaced.
The original bars and stem had been long discarded and the stem being the clamp type I had little hope of finding one, luckily and guy in Canada had a correct bars and stem and was happy to sell and ship to UK, fortunately they are in nice condition
The brakes were also tricky as for the Humber Fork Crown they have a special ferrule to fit between the crown plates, I bought several old sets from e-bay and between them I managed to make up a decent correct set. I have also managed to obtain some correct NOS cables.
The 3 Speed trigger on the bike was a mid-fifties type, not correct for 1948 . After much searching I obtained a NOS Model GC2 Trigger which was only made between 1948 & 1949, very rare as NOS.
I found a Sturmey Archer AM 3 Speed hub on e-bay but when I stripped it one of the planet gears and the axle sun gear were stripped, Colwood Wheelworks who happen to be close by supplied the damaged parts so I could rebuild it. In this 3 Speed the planet wheels have to be set using timing marks when re-assembling and this probably was the cause of the damage. I now also have a spare AM 3 Speed hub for spares if needed.
The wheels were 26” x 1-1/4” 40 spoke rear and 32 front. I really wanted to fit the correct Dunlop Special Lightweight rims but these are rare as hens teeth. I attended Bike Jumbles and everyone I spoke to was also wanting them and having no luck. After about a year of looking a front 32 hole stainless one turned up on e-bay and I paid a large sum to get it, it arrived with its original factory wrapping paper still on it.
A few weeks later a rear chrome 40 hole one also NOS showed up and I grabbed that too and that was also still in its original wrapping. At a glance they look identical though stainless has a slightly different colour to the expert eye. The wheels are away being built and I am so pleased to have the correct rims. The chrome parts on the bike do have some corrosion on the visible surfaces but it is not too bad and white vinegar is eliminating the rust, with an oil coating they will be acceptable for re use. All the bearing surfaces are good and will be fine with new balls.
The Bottom Bracket is fine and I also have a NOS replacement set of Cups and Axle if needed.
I found a correct set of rat trap pedals also on e-bay.
Current state of play is the frame has to go to the re-finisher but with the Covid-19 situation I am not able to take it to them. This may change after July 4th when new rules come into play.
Humber Beeston Clubman as obtained.
Pinch bolt type Headset.
Original SA Wheel Wingnuts are all present as also all the mudguard (fender) quick release wing nuts/bolts.
Bike with correct Bars, Stem, Brake Levers & Trigger Shifter fitted.
Bike Stripped and parts treated for re use.
Better view of bike parts showing correct Brakes and Pedals. Saddle has been well treated with Brooks Proofide and I hope to get to good enough condition for re-use.
This is the Sturmey Archer AM Hub, designed for Clubman Bikes. The Planet gears are duplex and need to be timed during re-assembly otherwise they are destroyed when the bike is ridden.
This is the GC2 Trigger Shifter only produced in 1948 & 1949.
This is the GC2 that I obtained NOS.
Humber Beeston Catalogue 1948 Model 325 Literature/Specification.