Jetsallday20

I know nothing abt bikes, I am however purchasing a old 50's hopper for 40 dollars.. Jst wanted something to ride/excersize .. Should I buy this bike?? Will I be laughed at?? What options do I have as far as modifying it??

rootboy 

Nice first post, but, you need to supply more information. And some pictures of the bike would help. For fifty bucks you can hardly go wrong, but then, the bike may be worthless. We can't tell you because you haven't provided enough information.

Johnonaschwinn

The one in Culver City? It has a cheap crank. I would pass. I am sure you will find bearings and races that are wasted. I saw that bike weeks ago even called, but passed. Good luck

rhm

Then again, it might be a great find. Based on the information provided so far, I can't comment on the specific bike. Since you ask about modifying it, though... this question suggests the bike isn't the one you want.

Jetsallday20

Thx.. Yeah so I did purchase the bike, it's a 1950 elswick hopper >Lincoln imp.. Whatever that all means.. It's a single speed, freewheel. I will upload pictures later 2day. I must say I am happy with the purchase, its a pretty cool looking bike in my opinion, felt great as far as comfort< it definitely needs some work.. I'm stuck now, I don't know if I should keep it looking the way it does withh all the oldschool decals and scratches and jst get the things I need in order to ride it.. Or should I jst paint it and get it a bit modern?? I'm sure a picture would help.. Thx again..

Jetsallday20

Thx for response.. Yeah it's the same one.. I jst had to asked someone what a crank exactly was!! Yeah that bad.. Ive been reading an researching tryna somewhat learn a little more abt the hop and bikes in general. I'm hoping this forum will also provide me with a little knowledge, for now, I jst want a bike and I'm not very patient.. So let's say u didn't pass on the old hopper, what would be ur plan of attack??

rhm

Don't paint it. In my opinion 1950 is close enough to modern, so unless the bike doesn't suit you at all, you don't need to upgrade anything. But let's see the photos.

Jetsallday20

Thx for response. I'll upload a picture later 2day.. Yeah I'm not really sure what I want, I jst know I wanted a bike. It's a 1950's elswick hopper Lincoln imp.. It pretty cool looking in my opinion, it has all the old decals and head badge. It's a single speed freewheel 58cm frame. I'm now wondering if I should jst make it rideable or make it more modern? Thx again..

VonCarlos

Every time I hear Elswick Hopper, I think about the one I missed buying by 8 minutes. Darn !!!
It was a 1957 Vampire. $150.00

Jetsallday20

very nice!! here is a pic of mine finally..

untitled.jpg (36.0 KB)

Jetsallday20

hey ya'll< heres the pix of my 1950's vintage elswick hopper.. tell me what u think>>
be honest.

rhm

Well, I can't tell much from that... but it looks to be a very cool bike. Any chance you can take better photos, some detail shots? Look at other photos people have posted on the forum, that'll give you an idea what we want to see.

Where are you located?

Jetsallday20

Thanks for the advice. I hope these are a little better.. by the way i live in los angeles.

rhm

Okay, cool.

I agree that it's from the 50's, probably early 50's. Take a close look at your crank. Does it say Williams on it? If so, there is a date code on the back of each crank arm that will tell you when it was made.

I can't say much about how it was originally built up, but I can tell you the wheels are not original. An English bike of that vintage would have 32 spokes in the front wheel, 40 rear. I'm pretty sure your stem is original (and very nice).

Very likely the bike was originally a 3 speed with a Sturmey Archer AW hub and caliper brakes. Do you like riding it as a fixie? If not, you will definitely need brakes (I would recommend at least one brake either way) and I would consider going back to a 3-speed. It's a simple and elegant build. Of course that's my solution to everything, I like 3-speed hubs.

Johnonaschwinn

Yup... That is the one. Put brakes on it. I would hang a derailleur on it and get a set of wheels and a seat. Nice I almost went and checked it out, but bought a NOS Hetchins magnum opus instead. I live in redondo if you want to ride sometime with my son and I

rootboy 

Wow, VonCarlos. I had one of those. Same year. The bike that got me onto this forum when I was trying to find info on it. I've never seen a vintage bike with cooler decals on it. beautiful. Alas, it was way too small for me so I stuck it on ebay. Ended up going to a guy in England who was, as I remember, putting together a small Hopper museum.

To the OP; that paint does look to be in rough shape but think carefully before re-painting it. I don't know for sure but you might never be able to find replacements for those cool decals. I've never seen them offered by you might try H. Lloyd cycles. Neat old bike.

David Newton

This one is a dilemma.
If you think the stem is original, it was set up as a clubman, and the single speed freewheel may be original.
What about the brake reach with these wheels? If you mounted 26x 1-3/8", no brake set would reach.
I'm guessing later, and not far from original.

rhm

Sorry David, but I think the 36 spoke wheel can't be original. (All) English bikes of this vintage had 32 / 40 spoke count wheels. This wheel may be very old; and the original wheel may have been very similar; I don't know about that.

I'm pretty sure you could make any wheel from 26 x 1 3/8 to 27 x 1 1/4 fit, depending on what brake calipers. As far as fitting a wide range of wheel sizes goes, period-correct english calipers are excellent (as for braking power, well, not so much).

David Newton

I don't doubt the wheels are not original, what are they? 27", but look at the reach at the rear brake bridge. If the reach is that much with 27" think how far it would be with 26x1 3/8" wheels. Too much, at least looking at it from here. Would they have 27" wheels originally, but 32 & 40 like you say?
I think if we can figure the original wheels size, it may tell us how the bike was purposed, as a "clubman" or a utility bike.

Jetsallday20

hey, I checked the crank and I was unable to see any markings maybe due to the rust. Also there was a single brake that came with the bike, it's jst not attached, I'll post a picture of it later. Thanks for the info. All these ideas and info I've been receiving has really made me feel more confident going forward.. I will strongly consider going to a 3speed, I jst wanted to know, what would. Be best in terms of excersize? Also, would u recommend going with a thicker tire? I read somewhere that with the amount of room on the older bikes wheel base, u have the option of transitioning to a hybrid.

Jetsallday20

Talk abt a small world.. Yeah, the bike did come with a single brake that I will post a picture up later. Thanks for the advice, I will definitely take u up on ur offer once I get "The Hop"on the road.. I'd like to see some pix of the NOS.

Jetsallday20

here are a few more pix!!!!

rhm

Okay, that brake caliper is a Weinmann 500 from the 70's or so. The original brakes on your bike were not very different from that, but probably from an English brand called GB. They're pretty expensive on ebay now. If the Weinmann brake fits, you might as well use that. You can pick up another one cheap, and a pair of the correct levers (the one you have is for a different kind of handlebar; it may fit, but it's not quite right).

I assume the one you have is for the front, right? I have another Weinmann 500 I could give you but it's also a front one. Probably not worth shipping it anyway. For the rear you may possibly need a longer one, like a 730 (that's the next size up).

If your crank is a Williams, the word Williams will be just below the crank spindle, right-side-up, when the pedal is down. Just barely out of the photo you posted. If it's not there, it's not there. No worries. You appear to have a Bayliss-Wiley BB, which is a good sign. That's good stuff.

Looks like the tire you have is a 27 x 1? You can get a fatter tire on the same rim. I would. Panaracer Paselas are pretty nice (and cheap).

3 speed hub for exercise? Sure, why not? A lot of people think they're old fashioned and obsolete, but I don't. Most of my riding is on that type of drive train. On Sunday I rode 116 miles on a bike not very different from yours, with a 1939 3-sp hub. Good times.

Jetsallday20

Thanks rhm.. That was great info.. I think I will take ur advice and go with a fatter tire.. So u don't think the rims are too old?? How much would a decent 3 speed hub cost me? So if I go with the 3sp hub I would have to get 2 brakes or does that come down to preference? With a 3sp hub, I have the option to go from difficult to easy from an excersize stand point right? What exactly do I get with a 3sp hub? Why don't people like them? Isorry for all the questions, jst tryna understand..