steelbikeguy

On the plus side, the fork crown didn't snap while riding, thereby not sending you face first into the pavement. Plus, you got a good story out of it!
Sounds like a win!

Steve in Peoria

52telecaster

By the way, the frame really is quite light.

steelbikeguy

Have you built it up and ridden it?
The info suggests that it might be a bit flexible, but that might be a feature at that point in life when some comfort is more important than winning a sprint.

Steve in Peoria

52telecaster

I only rode it once in it's original condition and I can't remember what is was like. I need to put a different fork in and reassess.

repechage

Destructive testing at its safest.

steelbikeguy

Look pedals
It's true.. those new-fangled clipless pedals are actually vintage now, having been introduced in the mid 80's. While other clipless designs existed before the Look version, these featured a convenient way of getting the shoe cleats attached and detached from the pedals.




Steve in Peoria
(never used Look pedals myself, but do use Shimano SPDs on a few bikes.)

steelbikeguy

Lucas Silver King oil light
A clever little oil lamp suited for bike riding, complete with a sprung parallelogram to handle road shocks and easy disassembly to permit cleaning. I was gifted a similar oil lamp built by Miller, and I was impressed by how easy it is to open up for cleaning. I'm assuming that the oil lamp is prone to producing smoke that sticks to the mirror and optics. I've retrofitted mine with a LED and use it as a desk ornament and night light. Considering how impossible it would be to focus a large flame, I'm guessing that these lights produced a wide beam that didn't project far. With no other bright lights around, maybe it was good enough??




Steve in Peoria

52telecaster

Way cool!

steelbikeguy

Maclean Apollo
In the UK, Don Maclean opened a shop in 1918 and started producing frames not long afterward. These frames included some characteristics that had originated in French frames, such as 3/4" diameter chainstays, utilizing liners in the bottom bracket shell to make the 3/4" stays fit in the 15/16" holes in the shell.





Steve in Peoria

P!N20

Went on to write some catchy tunes, too.

Oh, wait...

steelbikeguy

the world just isn't fair.
Why doesn't anyone listen to that song and think "wait, didn't he also build those novel frames with the thin chainstays back around 1920 or so?".

Steve in Peoria
(had the same reflexive thought myself)

steelbikeguy

MAFAC Racer brakes
How many classic components not only have a unique look, but have a unique sound! :-)
Yeah, they are somewhat renown for squealing, but they still have a loyal fan base. Hilary tells us about the Manufacture Auvernoise de Freins et Assessoires pour Cycle, more commonly referred to as MAFAC.
(is it just an accident that the full name can't be spelled without "noise"??)




Steve in Peoria

bulgie 

"name can't be spelled without 'noise'?" — LOL!
Thanks for the laugh Steve, I needed that. Good article too.

Mark B

steelbikeguy

Mercian tourers
Mercian was founded in 1946, and expanded the range of models in the 50's. They offer a wide range of styles, but all are of a high standard. The article doesn't mention the barber pole stripe on the seat tube, which is unique to Mercian and rather distinctive (or am I mistaken?)




In 1989, I was shopping around for something to replace my trusty Raleigh Gran Sport. The Maplewood Bike shop (near St. Louis) carried the Mercian line, and I picked up a copy of the Mercian catalog. Ultimately, I got a frame from a semi-local builder, which I'm still riding. No regrets, but still wonder if I should have gotten a Mercian too?? That barber pole stripe still looks pretty good.



Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Moulton APB
The Moulton All Purpose Bike was intended to be a more sophisticated utilitarian version of Moulton's small wheel bike designs (see the earlier article on the Moulton Series 1).
I'm not clear of when the "space frame" used in the frame structure was used. It is useful for the "demontable" version, i.e. the version that permits separating the frame into two halves. The earlier Series 1 is shown using a simpler construction method using large diameter frame tubes instead of the multiple small tubes in the space frame that require more cuts, welding/brazing, and assembly fixtures.
Still, it's a unique and novel looking frame!
... and looking ahead in my files, there is an article specifically on the AM models with the space frame, so that will be shared soon....




Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Mouton AM
The Moulton AM series of bikes is a high performance version of the original Moulton compact bikes. The space frame construction provides more rigidity than the original single tube frame. The models come with either a basic hub gear or a 7 speed derailleur system.




okay... who has of these and can comment on its qualities?? These are very distinctive bikes and it would be fun to know if there is a reason that they never caught on.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Percy Stallard.
While bike racing is tolerated in the United States, road races in Britain were supressed for a period in the 1900's. Mr. Stallard helped bring about the British League of Racing Cyclists (the article implies that the BLRC fought to restored mass start road races). He started building frames in the 1940's. The frame models progressed through the 50's, but then cut back severely.




Steve in Peoria

bulgie 

He should have shown at least one photo of the Stallard dropout, which was adopted by a few other builders as well IIRC (someone here will know the deets there).

Stallard's own drawing showing the "gear ends":


Why choose between verticals and horizontals, when you can have both?

The long lower tang was there to prevent the wheel from going forward enough to foul the derailer (Osgear and similar styles) during a wheel change.

Mark B

steelbikeguy

Thanks for that extra detail!
I suppose it's not easy to decide what gets included in a 1 page article, but the photo/sketch makes it clear what the Stallard dropout is/was. Visually, it is so distinctive, and a bit mystifying too.

Classic Lightweights has a good discussion of the Super Champion Osgear and shows other dropouts with a downward facing tang....
https://www.classiclightweights.co.u...ampion-osgear/
... and I just noticed that Hilary was the author of this article too! Is there anything he can't do??

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Peugeot PX10
The PX10 must be one of the most classic and loved bikes of the 60's and 70's. Raced professionally, built with some of the top components, but priced to be relatively affordable. If it was good enough to be ridden by Eddy Merckx, then it must be good enough for us mere mortals!




Steve in Peoria

52telecaster

I have a 531 Peugeot that I would love to ride but there is a bottom bracket creak that I can't figure out. Great feeling frame though.

steelbikeguy

R O Harrison - Shortwin
The business began in 1933, and soon produced a full range of bikes. The track model was ridden by England's Pro Track Champion and a top Canadian rider. By 1938, business had grown and the bikes became a bit more prestigious. The Lyta model featured hand-cut fancy lugwork. 1949 saw the introduction of the Shortwin model, which had two smaller side-by-side down tubes instead of a single down tube. These smaller tubes had a "D" cross-section, causing the pair to look like a single tube had been cut down the middle and split. This was supposed to increase the frame stiffness, as were the short (15.5 inches) chainstays.




as a side note, I find these uses of unusual frame configurations intriguing. Certainly people understood the basics of how a tube's dimensions affect stiffness in bending and torsion? Other details, such as the Bates Diadrant frames and dual bend forks, or the Hetchins curly stays, are hard pressed to demonstrate real value, but they still look neat and attract attention. For better or worse, modern builders such as Colnago are happy to adopt these ideas as a marketing technique. The Colnago Bi-Titan comes to mind, with its dual down tubes.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

On Raleigh Street in Nottingham, England, a businessman named Frank Bowden decided to buy a bike. He enjoyed riding it so much that he bought the manufacturer and renamed it The Raleigh Cycle Company.
side question: what was the name of the manufacturer and when did it start business?
Innovations like the tubular fork crown and detachable chainring contributed to the company's success.




and now a minor digression....
Frank Bowden is noted as a businessman in this article, and had enough money to just buy the bike manufacturer. I've always heard that Mr. Bowden invented the Bowden cable... a cable that is inside a housing that can be used to transmit force. This includes the common brake and shifter cables found on bikes. However, the wiki page on Frank Bowden doesn't mention this...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Fr...n,_1st_Baronet

A look at the wiki page for the Bowden cable mentions that it is commonly asserted that Frank Bowden was the inventor, but there's no evidence of this...
Very interesting!

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Raleigh SBDU and Team frames
The story of Gerald O'Donovan and the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit that he ran. It was a tiny group inside of the enormous Raleigh, producing about 1000 bikes per year. No wonder why they are so highly regarded and valued!




I may have mentioned that I've got one of these Raleigh Team frames built from Reynolds 753, and it is a very nicely built bike!



a unique feature of the frames are the SBDU stickers on the chainstays. Why? Beats me.


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

The SBDU group largely built with 753 tubing. They also started doing experimental work, such as with the aero version of Reynolds 753, in the Dynaflite series of frames. After some years, the group was merged into group at Worksop (1987) to become Raleigh Special Products.




Steve in Peoria