BSA Opperman Special ID help
- Thread starter Fat Tire Trader
- Start date
Frankenorange
Orange 🍊 Fan
Screen grab and save to photo folder on a smartphone, or save as jpeg on a pc?
Fat Tire Trader
Devout Dirtbag
If this is not a BSA, does anyone know what makers had vertical headbadge rivets the same distance apart and serial numbers on the drop out?
Thanks!
Chris
Thanks!
Chris
PhillB
GT Fan
A number of manufacturers in the 1930's, like other decades, offered frames with a selection of components from a range of suppliers. For example, my 1931 Selbach was offered with a choice of Selbach, Williams, BSA, or Chater Lea components at various price points. BSA and Chater Lea were typically more expensive. So, if you frame doesn't have BSA components, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is not a BSA frame. It could be that the original purchaser swapped components from another bike to this frame, or spent all their money on the frame and bought less expensive components.
GregoryB
Retro Newbie
Hello,
Your frame appears to be an early 1938 BSA Opperman Special.
See the attached catalog copies from Feb. 1938 and Sept. 1938. The early 1938 model retained the same Russ pattern fork as used with the preceding '36-'37 Opperman frames. And then at some time during the year, BSA updated the bike to their new BSA Continental fork.
Check the Online Bicycle Museum page for an 1939 Opperman Gold Special...
https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/1939-bsa-opperman-gold-special-model-985
Also note how the head tube lugs were slightly changed from the early '38 design on your frame to the later design seen on '39 frame. Your frame has the cutaway head tube lugs that go straight across above and below the head badge. And the '39 frame head tube lugs have instead a slight point to the design above and below the head badge.
However, there are 2 other things of note on your frame. First, the frame pump pegs are the standard stamped steel design that slots into the frame for brazing instead of a pin or peg design that fits into a small hole. The stamped steel pump pegs are what BSA normally used on all of their non-531 frame bikes. Also, the rear dropouts are the regular BSA pattern with a stamped inset area that would have otherwise been cut out for the Opperman frame. Look again at the '39 bike on the Online Bicycle Museum page and you can see the rear drop out with the cut-out design.
My best guess is that BSA ran out of the correct pump pegs and rear drop outs when assembling your frame and simply used what they happened to have in stock at the time. I have seen one other example of a '39 Gold Crest 531 frame with the same stamped steel pump pegs that were used. And a further note about the rear drop outs. No, they are not what was used on the '36-'37 Opperman frames. Those models were unique in that the rear triangle used track ends instead of the more common forward facing drop outs. Supposedly when designing their first 531 frame Opperman model for 1936, BSA copied the basic design of the Malvern Star/BSA fittings bike that Oppy had brought over with him from Australia in 1934 when he came to the UK and began setting lots of distance records. Apparently the Malvern Star company were only using track ends on their frames up through the mid-30's.
Hope this answers your questions.
Cheers!
Your frame appears to be an early 1938 BSA Opperman Special.
See the attached catalog copies from Feb. 1938 and Sept. 1938. The early 1938 model retained the same Russ pattern fork as used with the preceding '36-'37 Opperman frames. And then at some time during the year, BSA updated the bike to their new BSA Continental fork.
Check the Online Bicycle Museum page for an 1939 Opperman Gold Special...
https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/1939-bsa-opperman-gold-special-model-985
Also note how the head tube lugs were slightly changed from the early '38 design on your frame to the later design seen on '39 frame. Your frame has the cutaway head tube lugs that go straight across above and below the head badge. And the '39 frame head tube lugs have instead a slight point to the design above and below the head badge.
However, there are 2 other things of note on your frame. First, the frame pump pegs are the standard stamped steel design that slots into the frame for brazing instead of a pin or peg design that fits into a small hole. The stamped steel pump pegs are what BSA normally used on all of their non-531 frame bikes. Also, the rear dropouts are the regular BSA pattern with a stamped inset area that would have otherwise been cut out for the Opperman frame. Look again at the '39 bike on the Online Bicycle Museum page and you can see the rear drop out with the cut-out design.
My best guess is that BSA ran out of the correct pump pegs and rear drop outs when assembling your frame and simply used what they happened to have in stock at the time. I have seen one other example of a '39 Gold Crest 531 frame with the same stamped steel pump pegs that were used. And a further note about the rear drop outs. No, they are not what was used on the '36-'37 Opperman frames. Those models were unique in that the rear triangle used track ends instead of the more common forward facing drop outs. Supposedly when designing their first 531 frame Opperman model for 1936, BSA copied the basic design of the Malvern Star/BSA fittings bike that Oppy had brought over with him from Australia in 1934 when he came to the UK and began setting lots of distance records. Apparently the Malvern Star company were only using track ends on their frames up through the mid-30's.
Hope this answers your questions.
Cheers!
Fat Tire Trader
Devout Dirtbag
Thank you!
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