Old cross bike - hole in down tube

[Johnsqual]

Interesting brakes, are the 'straddle wires' solid wire?

They do indeed look like solid wire rather than cables. I was wondering when the step from rod brakes to cables was made - maybe that would help to date the bike...

I also noticed that the gear lever is mounted on the top tube not the down tube. Very intriguing.

Glad to hear the hole is not a fatal flaw - well sort of glad, it means I don't have a straightforward reason not to buy this fascinating bike...

Cheers again,

Johnny

 

[biggs682]

great find what you going to do with it !

 

[Johnsqual]

Just got a reply from the seller, he says the plate on the head tube
is a Saint Christopher, not a headbadge. That was quite common on old
Flemish and maybe also Dutch bikes.

Not sure what I would do exactly, Biggs682. I am leaning more towards
cleaning up and preventing decay and leaving patina alone with my projects, a bit like those French sites that someone posted a while ago.

I would quite like to ride it in the Retro Ronde Van Vlaanderen and maybe even l'Eroica if possible, but will have to see how much work it needs.

Cheers,

Johnny

 

[Johnsqual]

If it's a tourer then could it be a fixing point for a Primus Stove carrier? I'm sure there was a 'wotsit' made to attach to a tube.

Thanks Ned, I had a look into this and found a site devoted to vintage camping stoves:

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/show ... /last/m/1/

Looks like this version had a clamp fitting.

 

[CTK]

Tis a beaut

 

[Piperdave]

Hi,

i spoke to my old friend about this bike last night, he is 83. He mentioned several things while struggling with my touchscreen phone.

The name Gillette cropped up, and he pointed out the long rake on the forks.

Thought it had been made within 10 miles of London!

Said that the chainset was odd/ queer.

The deraillier was very old, and thin chains for 5 speed only came in after the war, so this is prewar.

Hope this rings bells with someone....

 

[Johnsqual]

Hi,

i spoke to my old friend about this bike last night, he is 83. He mentioned several things while struggling with my touchscreen phone.

The name Gillette cropped up, and he pointed out the long rake on the forks.

Thought it had been made within 10 miles of London!

Said that the chainset was odd/ queer.

The deraillier was very old, and thin chains for 5 speed only came in after the war, so this is prewar.

Hope this rings bells with someone....

Thanks for this, and thanks to your friend. The plot is thickening with this
one. I had assumed it would remain a mystery, since the seller doesn't seem to know a huge amount about this bike.

Johnny

 

[Piperdave]

It'as a GT :twisted:

'Hellenic' design frames were around a LONG time before GT 're-invented' them.

"Many alternatives to the traditional seat stay design have been introduced over the years. A style of seat stay that extends forward of the seat tube, below the rear end of the top tube and connects to the top tube in front of the seat tube, creating a small triangle, is called a Hellenic stay after the British frame builder Fred Hellens, who introduced them in 1923.[16] Hellenic seat stays add aesthetic appeal at the expense of added weight."

From..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_frame

So post 1923-Pre war....maybe Fred Hellens

Later used on Hetchins frames..

http://www.hetchins.org/403.htm

This is looking to be a bit special :shock:

Google is your friend, but i can find little further on Fred Hellens, sorry

Dave

PS having sugested london as a place of manufacture, the lamp boss is on the continental side, reflecting the St Christopher additional head badge which suggests Continental/Catholic ownership.

 

[Johnsqual]

Hello all,

Just been doing some searching on th'internet and was wondering if
this bike might possibly be a Pollard.
Came across their page on Classic Lightweights, and noticed they
built Hellenic frames, and existed well before WW2.
Bit of a wild guess, really, and doesn't explain how it ended up on
the continent.

Am going to collect the bike after XMas - something to look forward to...

Johnny

 

[poweredbypies]

watching this one, I always like a good mystery.