Help needed BSA Tour Of Britain Sport 1957

Hi,
I'm hoping I can get some help and pointed in the right direction.

I have a BSA Tour of britain Sport frame from 1957. Firstly this needs some TLC, repainting (2 colours) and re-chroming.
So I have 2 choices:
1. take if to a restorer - can anyone recommend a good one in the midlands?
2. Do it myself (apart from the chroming). In what order would I do it (paint then chrome or chrome then paint?)

I'm also on the lookout for the decals - is there somewhere to get replacement decals? I assume I should apply them and then lacquer over the top?

Then I have been starting to fish in ebay etc for all the components. I have a pdf of the original brochure so can see what most of the components are, but where is the best place to source them (I need bottom bracket, cranks, wheels, brakes (not levers), seat post and seat, cables (I have GB handlebars and brake levers).

Some pointers would be much appreciated as i don't want to ruin it. I know it will cost me more than its worth, but I'm doing it for the enjoyment.

Thanks,

H Lloyd Cycles seems the go to place for decals http://www.hlloydcycles.com/pdf%20list% ... %20A-K.pdf

Try bankrupt_bike_parts on Ebay

Re:

It really depends on what you hope to end up with. A period correct bike that is the same as it left the cycle shop in 1957 or a bike that is a representation of how it would have been. There will be a big difference in price depending on which option you go for.

I'd use Argos cycles in Bristol for the paint, they are very sympathetic to early frames and will produce a superb job including decals (I think they use H.Lloyd) lug lining and chrome. Its best to send plenty of photos of the frame as it is and ask for a quote. Its chrome then paint but the chrome won't be cheap. I'd guess £600-£700 for the complete job. I think they use a courier that will collect and deliver so there's no worries about getting the frame to or from Bristol.

http://argoscycles.com/

Good 50s parts are getting harder to source and expensive. If you have top paintwork you will want good parts. Ebay is a good start but there's also Hilary Stone

http://www.hilarystone.com/

Good wheels can be hard to find and you'll probably want Dunlop 27 x1/14" rims, ideally stainless which are quite rare these days. You'll get the best result by buying the rims and hubs then getting the wheels built up.

If you join the V-CC you'll get the New and Views magazine which has plenty of adverts for period parts at better prices. You may have to wait a while for the right items to turn up.

http://www.v-cc.org.uk/

Re:

Hi, I am currently preserving an earlier one of these. See my thread here..http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... p;t=354683

Any chance of some pics of yours?

My advice is to think long and hard before stripping off the old paint and decals, when it is gone it is gone.
Yes this bike will cost more than it is worth, but enjoy it.


I gave up looking for decals, - no demand for them. But Lloyds offered to make them up for me from my own artwork. In the end I decided to keep the original paint and what remained of the decals, although the downtube one was completely gone. I got some decal paper from ebay and made a replacement for that one using Photoshop and a colour laser printer.

If you want stick to the original wheels they will be fairly expensive. The Dunlop 27" Special Lightweight rims are sought after and so command high prices, (expect to pay £60-80 for a pair of good usable rims). The stainless steel ones could be double that. I'm not sure what hubs were used on the later model. Mine are large flange BSA. You will need 15/17 gauge butted spokes from Madgetts Cycles in Diss , to keep it original, (around £50 for a full set). Modern spokes look just too chunky to me, and you need to use spoke washers with modern spokes on old hubs.

Derailleurs shouldn't be a problem, the Cyclo Benelux or Simplex ones were used on loads of bikes in the fifties and they come up regularly on ebay. If you want a double chainring at the front, you can fit Williams chainrings to BSA 5 pin cranks - the BSA double chainset is rare as hens teeth.

If you don't want to find all the correct original components I'd say it would be OK to fit any period correct parts. Clubmen would have swapped parts out just as we do today. In fact I think this bike may even have been sold as frame only at the time.

Good luck, enjoy.

Thanks to all of you for the help - lots to think about.