Fixing a Victorian

[Nabeaquam]

The two piece crank. It’s bent from a crash. I’ll have to straighten it.

 

[Nabeaquam]

One of the pedals has a chipped race so NOS period pedals in 1/2 inch instead of the more standard 5/16 will be substituted. Looks like it’s embossed BGJ Company, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

 

[Nabeaquam]

The bottom bracket is sealed with a leather washer. A”C” internal lock ring holds the large 3/8 inch bearings in place.

 

[Nabeaquam]

The wheels are dry rot wood with pretty bad, made by Monarch, hubs. The rear one inch pitch 9 tooth sprocket is worn to points. I’ve never seen a 9 tooth inch pitch for sale, their usually 6 rarely 7. I’m not sure if a later inch pitch track cog would fit on the original hub so a substitute is called for. It has a block chain, no rollers. It’s usable, but not great.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

Dion Bouton you say......

French Barn Find - Buckets of Patina!

It's ages since I've done a build thread, so here goes. The back story: A neighbor who knows I'm into tinkering with bikes asked me if I was interested in two old bikes found in a barn attic he's clearing out. When I asked "just how old", I get the smart arse answer "when a Frenchman was...

www.retrobike.co.uk

Omg..just looked and saw two rusty delicious remnants....and decided that actually I'm going to enjoy this with a beer in my hand and my feet up!
I'll comment later......

 

[Nabeaquam]

Fake old hubs. Front is vintage, rear is a new flip flop 120 mm (this bike has 4 5/8 spacing) that’s a few mm bigger than the original spacing. The flip flop has thin wall tubing welded into the center. Non functioning oilers were installed on both hubs. Fake patina.
Rear hub with an 18 tooth track cog converted to 9 so it’s one inch pitch. modern cogs are thinner than the originals so that will wear the old chain a little faster. The non drive side has a non functional thread stripped inch pitch installed for looks. I had the stuff so why not.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Wheels are fake wood. Made from layers of flexable marine epoxy and outdoor flexible epoxy wood filler that has wood flower in it. I’ve had tires on and off a few times and nothing chipped. I have four other bicycles with wood wheels and they need constant truing and spoke tightening as the spoke head washer sink into the wood. I don’t want another bike that needs this, so faux wood rims.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Bars and stem that has no expansion wedge. It’s got an external clamp, which doesn’t hold as well as an expansion wedge. The bars were bent but straightened. They were treated with phosphoric acid. The cork grips were originally placed by screwing a brass cap into a wood dowel in the bars. Hide glue was used and is reversible by soaking in hot water but the cork was rotten and disintegrated when I tried this.

 

[Nabeaquam]

The seat was rotted leather with horsehair padding. A new one was custom made.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Collet seat post binder.
Pinch bolt stem adjuster.