Rudge Ulster Sports: Advice needed for the next resto

mikeyboyo":1yj9ko0b said:

Many of the projects I have taken on seem to be mixed bags :/ I was told at the workshop that many people before me had fallen in love with this bike and tried to make something of it, and all had failed, I want to be the one to see it through to completion. Thanks for the info on the hub and forks, that is very interesting, are these BSA forks good? Or would it be worth my while sourcing a correct pair? Bearing in mind originality is not the be all and end all with this build.

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Jonny69":1jfhid48 said:

mikeyboyo":1jfhid48 said:

Many of the projects I have taken on seem to be mixed bags :/ I was told at the workshop that many people before me had fallen in love with this bike and tried to make something of it, and all had failed, I want to be the one to see it through to completion. Thanks for the info on the hub and forks, that is very interesting, are these BSA forks good? Or would it be worth my while sourcing a correct pair? Bearing in mind originality is not the be all and end all with this build.

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The BSA fork is just another factory-made fork. They were built strong so are thick and heavy but it's similar to what would have come with your frame. To be honest, if yours is a later Raleigh-era Rudge, there's a pretty good chance that the BSA and Rudge forks were made in the same part of the factory and could even be the same fork with a different chrome cap.

I generally keep an eye on eBay for this sort of thing because they do come up from time to time. Use the BSA fork for now and if a Rudge one comes up at a sensible price then swap it over!

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keithglos":19ige95n said:

Raleigh front forks were very easily bent (and straightened), so were the replacement forks you have. A good 531 fork blade I would estimate probably 3 times the strength, having pulled many. The replacement fork is unlikely to be BSA, and that would not make it any better. When I was a cycle retailer (1950/60s) black finish was thought to make items look stronger.

That doesn't make it unrideable, millions of bikes like that served well.

Keith

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