BSA Star rider - new score - Build help please

OK so there's one of these for sale online at vintage steel for £999

Here's mine £40 from gumtree



So I am going for klunker, before anyone berates me for not keeping it OG I have kept any parts I have taken off.

So I had a nice selection of tyres, now here's where I need help. This has happened to me before and I gave up, anyway the tyres on the BSA are 26" and yet none of my other 26" tyres fit the rim. See photos.

Notice how much bigger the BSA tyre is (BTW I am sitting down in that photo, it'd be a hell of a hernia if that was the gap between my legs


Has no chance of getting on the skinwall or these goodyear replicas. I don't know why on Earth this is the case.


Here's the bike now, I will probably put moustache semi drops on, not sure yet.

i prefer your £40 gumtree bargain

biggs682":35fudtho said:

i prefer your £40 gumtree bargain

Click to expand...

Thanks.

Re:

When we used to have British bikes there were 2 main sizes of tyres for 26 inch wheels. 26 x 1 1/4 and 26 x 1 3/8 inches.

Simplicity itself. 26 inches was the outside diameter of the tyre, (top to top in trade speak) and 1 1/4 or 1 3/8 measured from the top to the wire bead. so the rim diameter where the tyre wire bead sits for a 26 x 1 3/8 is 26 inches less 1 3/8 inches times 2 which is 2 3/4 inches.

Why did it ever get so complicated.

I think it was when Raleigh packed up and Dunlop no longer made rims.

This bike appears to be a Raleigh.

Keith

Re: Re:

keithglos":3ixe0vtw said:

When we used to have British bikes there were 2 main sizes of tyres for 26 inch wheels. 26 x 1 1/4 and 26 x 1 3/8 inches.

Simplicity itself. 26 inches was the outside diameter of the tyre, (top to top in trade speak) and 1 1/4 or 1 3/8 measured from the top to the wire bead. so the rim diameter where the tyre wire bead sits for a 26 x 1 3/8 is 26 inches less 1 3/8 inches times 2 which is 2 3/4 inches.

Why did it ever get so complicated.

I think it was when Raleigh packed up and Dunlop no longer made rims.

This bike appears to be a Raleigh.

Keith

Click to expand...

Thanks. So does that mean I can really only ever put 26 x 1 1/4 and 26 x 1 3/8 inches tyres on these rims?

Re:

Yes two distinct sizes not interchangable.

In the mid 1950s my tyre stock might have had perhaps 150 26 x 1 3/8. 100 26 x 1 1/4, 100 27 x 1 1/4, 2 28 x 1 1/2, 2 26 x 1 1/2 the last 2 obviously obselete, and a selection of tubulars.

If you have old British rims they will be marked with the size.

Keith

Re:

You can also fit 650A tyres I believe :?

Re:

all clear, cheers chaps

I swear I saw it at Eroica this year...