kohl57

Finally finished my restoration of a 1939 Rudge-Whitworth Olympic Road machine.

This was acquired this January via this very forum, through a fluke of coincidence whilst researching a web article on the 1937-39 Rudge lightweights, as a frameset with original headset, seat pin, saddle and stem. Rebuilt per original specs as single-speed fixed/free. Original paint, lining and transfers.

This was one of the rare 1939s, designed by Jack Lauterwasser, and built at the new Rudge factory at Hayes, Middlesex, and in production only from September 1938-July 1939. This one was built in April '39. Exported to the U.S.A. and sold by the famous "Bike Shop to the Stars", Hans Ohrt, in Beverly Hills, California.




Full details, specs and lots more photos here:

ipernity: 1939 Rudge-Whitworth Olympic Road by Peter Kohler

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA

nlerner

Wildwood 

Original paint, lining & transfers ......makes all the rest of the work so much more beautiful.
Congrats on such a classic, so beautifully recreated.
Nice gallery of photos.



Any others you could show?
Sometimes you super low post count guys are sleepers.

bikemig 

Terrific write up and pics. Wow, that is a nice bike.

obrentharris 

Very nice bike beautifully set up. Thanks for posting!
I can imagine it took a lot of searching to find the correct components.

Having little experience with bikes of this era I'm full of questions:
Was the little tube into the drive side chain stay under the BB for wiring?
I really like the termination of the seat stays at the seat cluster. I'm sure many of the builders on The Continent would consider them too brutal. Am I correct in thinking that this style was fairly common in England at the time?
This bike was originally available with either a rear derailleur or fixed/free as you have built it?
Brent

juls

WOW! Belongs in a museum. Longest reach calipers I've ever seen. Thanks for posting.

Kilroy1988 

Peter, that turned out quite lovely! The block lettering on the "RUDGE" transfer has a strikingly modern appearance compared to when it was actually made. It's easy to forget how popular simple block letters have been since the advent of print...

It's very nice to see that you post here. I've read practically all of your blog articles and frequently reference them during my research. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to do the write-ups. I understand a bit of the effort involved and appreciate it immensely.

I'm super excited to see that this bicycle was sold by Hans! Do you think you could write a bit more about him? (edit - just found the Classic Lightweights profile on him. Perfect.) I just received a Carlton Continental dated to the late-1940s that has a "Sold by Hans Orht - Beverly HIlls" decal on the frame. I literally made a post about it last night and would love to hear what you think about the bike, given your expertise on the era. Thank you!

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-c-1950-a.html

-Gregory

noglider 

Very nice. Is that a single speed?

kohl57

Having little experience with bikes of this era I'm full of questions:
Was the little tube into the drive side chain stay under the BB for wiring?
I really like the termination of the seat stays at the seat cluster. I'm sure many of the builders on The Continent would consider them too brutal. Am I correct in thinking that this style was fairly common in England at the time?
This bike was originally available with either a rear derailleur or fixed/free as you have built it?
Brent[/QUOTE]

This model was available in three gear options: single-speed (fixed/fixed or fixed/free (as I have it set up), Sturmey Archer three-speed (AM or AR) or Cyclo three-speed derailleur. I am honestly not sure what that under bb shell tube is for. You see the mounting plate for the Cyclo derailleur under the rear drive side chainstay.

The seat stay arrangement was pretty common for British machines of the era, the RRA had the same.

The brake calipers (I had to use Raleigh pattern ones but the Rudge ones were similar) are designed for three different wheel sizes: 27", 700 (sew-up tyres) and 26". The distinctive brake levers came from a 1940 Sun but are identical to the original Rudge ones, I am not sure who made them. But they were only used for the '39 models and not specific to Rudges.

kohl57

Yes, a proper article on Hans Ohrt's shop would be marvelous. Truly the "Bike Shop to the Stars" and one of the very few in the U.S. at the time selling top end foreign imports. Hans had the exclusive import of Rudges c. 1937-41 and even had promotional photos made of various Hollywood starlets riding them. Quite a number of actors of the time were keen sport cyclists including Clark Gable and Tyrone Power and they all bought from Ohrts. The Rudge Olympic Road would have been the top of the range he sold back then.

After the war, Ohrt sold Elswick Hooper, Carltons, Bertins and others top end racing machines. The actor Jose Ferrer was a keen cyclist and rode an Elswick Hooper he bought from Ohrts.

clubman 

Turned out to be as nice as I'd hoped Peter Close to my heart and parts stash.

Sir_Name 

That's absolutely beautiful.

ollo_ollo

Lovely! My vintage cup runneth over. Don

droppedandlost 

I've gone back to the photo gallery several times now, I can't stop looking at it.

Kilroy1988 

Thanks for the reply, Peter. Between your description and the Classic Lightweights biography, I feel fortunate to have stumbled across a bike sold in the shop, especially from the immediate post-war era.

I was on my phone when I initially saw this post and was unable to check out the gallery you posted about the Rudge, or read through your description of the bicycle and build. I'm really amazed that the paint ended up being in such reasonable condition under so much gunk! There is definitely an advantage to living out here in the west when it comes to the maintenance of paint and polish. Cheers!

-Gregory

kohl57

Took our first ride together this morning... a classic 0545 am British time trial start (saw one cyclist, two joggers and seven deer) and... she's a sweetheart. Just the smoothest ride, amazing pick-up and nice handling. One of those "perfect from the get-go" machines. But wet, foggy and 12 miles and done. Coaxed 29.5 mph out of her. These pre-war British machines just fly.

exmechanic89

Beautiful old racing machine. If it were mine it would see many miles.

SquidPuppet

Snazzy.

BigChief

What a treat. Thank you for sharing this. I admire the sensitive balance between preservation and restoration of your work here. Very glad such a wonderful historic bike ended up in such capable hands. Great job!

ryansu

Very nice build and history, your Rudge was probably a few months away from being a Spitfire.

Road Fan

Peter, that is a fantastic bike and I'm really happy it rides so well. I have a 1952 Rudge Aero Special (the 27" wheel one) in the queue, and this helps to motivate me to get it going.

Did you perchance measure the frame geometry? I'm curious about the angles and fork offset. I thought I had found them in your blogs, but looking back I can't find more than the seat tube angles.

rhm

Wow, that is a beautiful bike. I'm amazed at the condition of the paint and chrome. When it first appeared here, we knew it was something pretty cool, and I'm really glad it found its way to someone who could realize its potential.

I'm thinking that's a hook for the tension spring of a Cyclo Standard (or similar) derailleur.

Road Fan

Re the little tube, could it have been a cable guide for the 3-speed derailleur option? Friction lever on the downtube?

kohl57

Best I can determine, the angles are 71/71 parallel and the fork offset is 2 1/2 inches. The fork, unlike the Reynolds 531 frame, is made of A&P and is different from the spec'd one in the brochure for this model in that it has absolutely no mudguard clearance (not even for a spear-point extension) and no mudguard mounting tabs. Yet it is most certainly a road not a track fame being drilled for a brake and, of course, with typical offset for a road machine of the era.

Second run, today, clocked a top speed of 35.6 mph, so this is one spritely little machine especially with a 60-year-old geezer riding it.

scaryjc

If you have just purchased the twin to this bike, I would like to talk to you. If not, then I may have the wrong person. But the other Rudge Olympic Road has the 3 speed.