1954 BSA Tour of Britain Sports

twosheds

Retro Guru
It's about time I started a build thread for this bike. My next door neighbour, Alan, was clearing out his shed some time ago, and he offered me this bike, because he couldn't fit it in his car to take it to the tip! Naturally I found a home for it in my shed and it has been there for about 5 years, while I have slowly sourced some of the missing parts. The history of the bike is that Alan saved his paper round money when he was 14, and bought the bike that he had been admiring in his local bike shop window. BSA had just won the Tour of Britain, and this was a commemorative model. Alan went on to spend much of his formative years touring around the North East and Yorkshire on it, before settling down and consigning it to his shed where it remained for 40+ years. At some time in the 60's he had turned it into a single speed and some of the parts became lost.

This is the bike as received, I also got some rusty wheels!


The build has commenced. I have stripped down the frame and after much deliberation I decided to keep the extensive "patina", but as there was a lot of paint missing I have touched up where necessary.

The downtube band decals were completely gone, so I have recreated them from photos and measurements, kindly sent to me by a couple of owners I found on the internet. I also made a new 531 decal. All the other decals are unaltered.



I know this isn't a high end bike, being a factory bike, not artisan handbuilt, but I thought it should be saved, if only for the fact that all of the parts are proudly Made in England. I also have a soft spot for BSAs in that one of my distant Gt ..Gt Grandfathers was one of the founding members of the company, back in the 1800s.

I will post more as the build progresses, but it may not be quick.
 

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Re: 1953 BSA Tour of Britain Sports

Watching with interest. Well done on preserving the original paint. I recently blagged a Tour of Britain in the classified here. Not quite as old I think, as the ToB model ran for a good few years. Hopefully some more info will turn up, as there doesn't seem to be much online.
I'm not sure when I can collect mine, I'm itching to see it and get started overhaulling it.
 
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Quiet Mike - I saw that thread. Good luck with that. I have a whole load of photos and information I have gleaned from the internet over the years. Please ask me if there is anything you need to know.
Yours looks like one of the earlier models like mine.
 

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The headset, forks and GB Spearpoint stem are now fitted. The photo doesn't show but the hole for the brake caliper bolt is 2mm off centre on the fork. I have a spare front fork and that is the same! I think I will have to true the front wheel on the bike, but then again that wouldn't have been done at the factory. Maybe its a little sign of what was going wrong with the quality of British post war manufacturing?



Here are a few of the parts that will go on this bike, - BSA double chainset, Benelux rod changer, Benelux sport rear mech, BSA Continental de Luxe hubs. All as per original spec.
 

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There must have been lots of models of the BSA ToB. I vagually remember the one my son-in-law gave me didn't have quality accessories or lugwork anything like your model. I do remember it had a nice leather "Wrights" saddle though . . . even the screw someone had put in to join the bottom bracket to the seat tube that had come adrift was good quality. I don't remember it having a metal head-badge though. I could be wrong of course , it was a long time ago!
The saddle was a beauty which finished up in the Bristol area and probably still being ridden. after researching "Wrights" I realised that that they were quite a top quality producer of leather products.
 
Re: 1953 BSA Tour of Britain Sports

I've got a Wrights saddle, (equivalent to the Brooks Swallow). Its very good and comfortable, but then I have been sitting on it, (on and off), for 35 years. Its not going on this bike though, this one has a Brooks B15.
 
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I had a day off this week, and managed to get a few parts cleaned and fitted. I got some new cotter pins and fitted the chainset, along with the front changer.
Yes, there is a difference in those chainrings, its 49 to 46!
 

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Re: 1953 BSA Tour of Britain Sports

Nice set up! I have a Carlton of the same period with that type of changer and half-step gearing, gives to 10 closely spaced ratios. Looks like a Rotherham lubricator cap.
 
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