GT Edge Aluminium; Titanium and Hetchins Magnum Bonum

My Hetchins, a 1947 Super Special bought new by my Grandad, has a fully chromed rear triangle, fully chromed fork and headtube, paint colour red flam'.

No modern componentry except tyres, is fast and lively with its original Chater crankset, and Sturmey Archer FM alloy shelled hub.

And its nice when someone asks what it is...I tell them there are only 24 known examples in the world.

It's a great ride, but different to my C-Record equipped SBDU!

I agree with Ned, if you want modern buy modern.

Roadking

Gtpulse":dn0b4e6q said:

Old Ned":dn0b4e6q said:

Gtpulse":dn0b4e6q said:

The one I had seen and liked was this one

http://www.hetchins.org/901g.htm

I think it sets it off with the panels of off-white

I'm not a fan of the Bianchi colour either!

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Now that is something I just do not understand. Lovely frame in itself - but why the modern equipment on it? Would you put low profile alloy wheels and tyres, blue underbody lighting and a massive sound system onto an Austin 7? If you want modern equipment then buy a modern bike - especially as it isn't top of the range modern at that.

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using more modern wheels for example for efficiency

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Yeah, those old wheels were terribly inefficient weren't they? Modern ones go round and round unlike old ones which go, er.......

Mark.

[/quote]Yeah, those old wheels were terribly inefficient weren't they? Modern ones go round and round unlike old ones which go, er....... Mark.[/quote]

You don't have to take period too literally, my Hetchins has Weinmann alloy rims and a very free running Blumfield front hub, and modern light and fast 27" tyres.

Ok the alloy Sturmey is weighty, but it's a hub so weight doesn't have a massive effect when it's rolling.

What is the point in owning a quantity of bikes with all the same componentry? Modern or otherwise.

Boring.

Rk.

The problem with a completely authentic rebuild of 40s and 50s bikes is difficulty and expense of getting components. Very few bikes get sold as complete bikes these days - they get broken up and sold off in bits as its most profitable to do this, so the problem is usually that you end up buying a bare frame, unless you get lucky.

I'm doing my oldest bike to date at the moment, early 50s Woodrup. It came with 70s components, and extra braze ons. I've opted to simply redo the frame in 50s colours, leave the extra braze ons and to swap out the cheapo 70s components for decent 70s stuff. Seems a reasonable compromise.

To stir up the old/modern argument some more.

I wanted a nice steel mudguard / rack appropriate frame. With traditional looks. Will ultimately buy a Jackson / Mercian / Van Nicholas, but in the meantime needed something to get me to work and back that was not my Colnago Tecnos bodged into a commuter. (Partly because it's taking a beating and partly because the bodges, while serviceable don't fully do the job - mudguard clearances are beyond close etc)

So I acquired a lovely but non-original Carlton Corsair (531 tubes, Campag ends) which is 27inch, I will be building this with fully modernish equipment - Campag Centaur (mainly) 9spd, and Campag Khamsin 700c wheels. The reason is two fold.

1. I can get good 700c wheels & tyres, 27inch choice is very limited
2. Why would I sacrifice things like ergo levers etc on a a ride that is 22miles in each direction and includes almost a 1000ft of climbing in each direction?

So there are good reasons why an older frame equipped with modern components is the right way to go, and really, if it's extending the life of a damn fine older frame, who cares?

I'd rather have gears that changed and not be swapping cotter pins on the side of the road thanks...

No right, no wrong, we're all just expressing our personal views; as for changing gears...you don't need ergo's to get crisp gearchanges, set up as always is often critical and I get good changes with all my geared bicycles.

Sloppy gearchanges are more often than not down to (a) cheap components, or (B) poor set up.

With regard to cotter pins - my only bike with cotters is my 1947 Hetchins (cottered Chater Lea chainset) - and never had a problem.

All my other chainsets (all circa period) are cotterless.

Often views of old bikes are biased...like views about old cars...just because you had a bad experience..

Imagine when you go out on your new electronic shifting Colnago and the electronics go down...you'll be walking.

Roadking.

Imagine when you go out on your new electronic shifting Colnago and the electronics go down...you'll be walking.

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Ah no, I'm not that "modern". I still refuse to move past 9spd, having found even top of the range 10spd drivetrains to need more fettling and care than a 9, and figuring 9x2 should really be enough. I would not go electric unless there was only the option of no longer riding, and that options is decades away.

A good 9spd drivetrain with 8speed chain is the way to go. Campag of course. Anything from Centaur upwards, I have boxes of components salted away...