1950? Jim Guard of Southampton project

[oonaff]

Augh yes, yes . keep it weathered and used as a kind of art statement , thats not difficult to view, i see that angle perfectly and can dig that scene man ! it probably gives more scope for personal reprissentation and originality indeed.
I was thinking in terms of 'getting it to look like new and perfect ' a retro bike of the month showstopper.
well you certainly made my day about my chipped/scratched 90/s frame, thanks chaps!

49 going on 19

 

[torqueless]

Luckily, oonaff, there's yet room in the world for both approaches.
They compliment eachother. A dose of either one is a relief from an overdose of the other...

 

[scooter]

Looking forward to your end results whichever way you choose to go

I chose to give mine a resto last year,

Here - viewtopic.php?f=23&t=259634

One thing i still have'nt found is the seat post manufacture?
Does anyone know?
Looks like a picture of a Rams head and letters ending in -......vetti ?

 

[quiet mike]

Love the colour choice there Scooter. I don't know if the green was the original colour or not but the flamboyant finish suits it much more.

Anyone know of any good links to work out what wheels an older frame would have had? This Jim Guard is in the crossover period where 26" and 27" wheels were in use, and although it appears to have always had 26 x 1 1/4" fitted I'd like to be sure. Is there a method to find out? Or is it just by eye?

Oonaf, I've no idea why I prefer patina over shiny new paint. There is good and bad in both camps for sure. A lot of rusty wrecks fly the patina flag, when they are just adverts for neglect, rather than decades of careful use. And likewise, I've seen some poor restos, with peculiar colour choices and dodgy transfers. I appreciate a well done restoration as much as I love a well preserved original though. I'd rather a well preserved original wasn't restored of course. As to this Jim Guard ... it's certainly original ... Well preserved though? :? Obviously not, but this isn't a common machine like my Hobbs, so for me the best option is just to preserve what's there. I can live with it looking ratty as long as the mechanicals are sorted.

 

[oonaff]

of course my friend,variety is the spice and thats what makes 'retrobike ' so cool, to dip in and savour like a very expensive box of chocolates[£50+] good luck with your home project and i look forward to seeing her up and running with those wicked gears !

 

[quiet mike]

Found some time today to mock up the bike on 26" wheels that I robbed off other bikes ... I'm going to go with 26" for the rebuild. These were obviously what was last on the bike, and as nothing else on it has been touched they must have been original. Looks right anyway. When funds allow I'm going to source a set of Dunlop lightweight rims. I have the aluminium ones on another machine and like the look of them. Not sure on hubs yet.


Jim Guard by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

Original chain, but not sure what maker. I'm not sure yet if it's worth saving either, it's pretty rusty. Couple of seized links so this was just set up for the photo.

Durax Supercourse by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

Gear lever.

Cyclo Ace changer by zombikombi1959, on Flickr



Cyclo Ace shifter by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

Reynolds stem

Reynolds stem by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

And the Cyclo Ace three spped close ratio gear set up ...

IMG_5751 by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

 

[oonaff]

nice ones mike ! i bet it doesnt weigh that much either , i was a bit puzzled by the gear's or rather how they
worked . am i right in thinking the big arm with the little cog is purely a tensioner ?
also do they make a kind of double cable clip, would there have been a couple on the down tube for the gear cables do you reckon ?

 

[quiet mike]

nice ones mike ! i bet it doesnt weigh that much either , i was a bit puzzled by the gear's or rather how they
worked . am i right in thinking the big arm with the little cog is purely a tensioner ?
also do they make a kind of double cable clip, would there have been a couple on the down tube for the gear cables do you reckon ?

Cheers! Good to see it on rims for the first time, it's a handsome machine.

Yep, that arm is just the tensioner. The spring is by the bottom bracket, and encased in a cover.
I'm not sure about a cable clip ... I've seen rubber ties before now, but the tape on the Jim Guard looks original. I guess that would have been a common way in the past to tidy up cables. Can you still get it now?

 

[Spokesmann]

Fascinating machine to look at, keep it coming.

 

[quiet mike]

Trying to work out how I can strip this hub down? It came off a 1930's club machine I bought at Beaulieu Autojumble well over 5 years ago. It was a worn out wreck and I stripped it for parts. (frame was bent) The Alumlite rims ended up on my Hobbs. It also had a Cyclo 3-Speed fitted, complete but worn out. This hub is from that ... The spokes were so rusty I just cut them to get he rim off, this was chucked in the parts box 'just in case'. Well, now it could come in handy, if I can strip it down! How on earth do you remove gears from a hub, with no wheel to act as leverage?? I am struggling to work this one out. My best idea so far is to make a wooden 'collar' for the centre of the hub, and hold this in the vice. I don't think this will hold it fast enough to stop it spinning though? I am worried that everything I try will end up destroying the aluminium hub.


Bicycle restoration head scratching ... by zombikombi1959, on Flickr