Pre-WW2 BSA, something of a diamond in the rough I believe

[Frankenorange]

The hyphenated name is very much like American product naming.

I can imagine a travelling salesman, called Chuck , who has holes in the soles of his shoes, the collar of his shirt a little too worn and smelling slightly of hooch. Chuck has been drinking too much of this, since being laid off at the car plant, and it is all he can do to manage extolling the benefits of the Super-Ezee De-Light wool rug cleaner, day in and day out, to people who aren't really interested.
Chuck has stopped by a neat little house and a housewife , Mary, wearing an apron, is politely listening to the slightly broken looking salesman, casually smoking a Chesterfield from her secret stash ,she keeps at the back of a cupboard, with her other guilty pleasure, black music, that is all she has left from her previous life in Chicago, just audible in the background.
Annoyingly ; the scratch on her precious record, an unpleasant reminder of the last argument she had with her abusive boyfriend that led to her fleeing south, to live near her sister, was spoiling the moment for her. A break in the monotony, a conversation with someone who isn't family, the possibility of a new beginning. Maybe not with this guy, but maybe the next ?

 

[bikeworkshop]

The hyphenated name is very much like American product naming.

I can imagine a travelling salesman, called Chuck , who has holes in the soles of his shoes, the collar of his shirt a little too worn and smelling slightly of hooch. Chuck has been drinking too much of this, since being laid off at the car plant, and it is all he can do to manage extolling the benefits of the Super-Ezee De-Light wool rug cleaner, day in and day out, to people who aren't really interested.
Chuck has stopped by a neat little house and a housewife , Mary, wearing an apron, is politely listening to the slightly broken looking salesman, casually smoking a Chesterfield from her secret stash ,she keeps at the back of a cupboard, with her other guilty pleasure, black music, that is all she has left from her previous life in Chicago, just audible in the background.
Annoyingly ; the scratch on her precious record, an unpleasant reminder of the last argument she had with her abusive boyfriend that led to her fleeing south, to live near her sister, was spoiling the moment for her. A break in the monotony, a conversation with someone who isn't family, the possibility of a new beginning. Maybe not with this guy, but maybe the next ?

... and the next guy just happens to work for BSA in the art and copy department

 

[Mark Manley]

Small parts cleaner anyone?

 

[Mark Manley]

That's already turning out to be something magnificent. Love the black paint little detail in the crank recess.

[ why is it though like 99.9% of people here perfectly restore in about 0.1% of time compared to me What do you have breakfast? ]

Thanks you, I am not sure if that was original but they came like it and enhance the look I think.

 

[PhillB]

Some progress has been made, quite a lot actually, it has been resprayed and decals applied, for the time being I have settled for a head badge and seat tube badge along with an early Reynolds 531 decal, I am of the opinion it is a Super-Ezee De-Light due to the pump position which came with and without the signature on the down tube and might get one at a later date.
The handlebars and seatpost have been resprayed but most of the other parts are new to the bike but I believe more or less correct or appropriate, there is a nos BSA three speed hub which was an option at 21 Shillings, a very nice condition second hand crankset with a Reynolds chain and some Phillips pedals until I finish refurbishing the originals.
There was a good condition pair of Michelin tyres on the original wheels which I will eventually get some 26 x 11/4 rims for, the 26 x 13/8 only just clear the rear stays.

View attachment 988347

View attachment 988348

It's looking great!

 

[GregoryB]

Hello,
If you don't mind some input from an American bloke, I do have some knowledge of BSA bicycles, both prewar and postwar. I'm in my mid-60s but grew up with some BSA's in the family. My uncle (mother's older brother) worked in the 50's for the BSA west coast distributor in Oakland, Calif. And for prewar bikes, I have a '37 Opperman Special, a '38 Gold Vase and a '39 Gold Crest.

The Super-eeze DeLight is the only possible BSA model that could be what you have. But my best guess is that your frame was made by some other company that specialized in

 

[GregoryB]

Oops
Accidently sent my prior message before I had finished typing it up.
To continue what I was composing...

I think your frame was made by what would now days be called an artesian frame builder. A small company that specialized in hand-crafted lightweight bicycle frames. And there are some reasons why it doesn't match up to a BSA produced frame.
First, the lugs are much more ornate than anything I have seen before on any prewar BSA bicycle, including the Opperman models from '36 through '39. And no, the lugs do not exactly match the postwar Gold Column bikes. There's a black/chrome Gold Column in a museum not far from where I live, the Marin Museum of Bicycling, and I have previously advised them on updating the display signage for their bike.
Second, the rear drop outs appear to be the standard style made by Chater Lea and similar fittings makers of the time but not anything I've seen on a BSA frame of the 30's.
Third, the seat post size of 27.2mm is larger than that used by any prewar BSA bike that I know of. Both the '37 Opperman and the '39 Gold Crest bike that I have are made with straight gauge 531 tubes and take a 26.8mm seat post. The larger 27.2mm size seat post is what would be more commonly fitted to a frame made with double-butted 531 frame tubes.
Fourth, the weight of the frame is unusually light for a prewar bike and might actually be made with Kromo tubing from Accles & Pollock. The bare frame weights of my '37 Opperman and '39 Gold Crest are both nearly the same at approximately 4.80lbs or 2.1kg, and yet still much lighter than my '38 Gold Vase frame that weighs a hefty 5.97lbs or 2.7kg.
And lastly, some mention was made of it being a possible bespoke frame made to customer order. That would be more likely true for an artesian built frame at a specialty shop than for the BSA factory back then that was geared towards high quality standardized production. The only examples that I know of when BSA made custom bike frames in-house were the hybrid Gold Column/Gold Vase Special custom frames that Bob Maitland oversaw the production of for the BSA cycling team used in the 1952 Daily Express Tour of Britian race.
Any questions, and I'll do my best to answer.
Cheers!

 

[PhillB]

As a note, some of the pre-WWI frames made with Accles and Pollock Kromo tubing were insanely light for the time. I have a 20" 1933 E.Stephens and the frame weighs 1.45kg. Unfortunately, each of the steel wheels also weighs about the same

 

[GregoryB]

To continue with a few points in favor of it being a BSA frame...
First, the Super-eeze DeLight appears in the 1934 catalogue but not in the 1935 catalogue. I don't have anything for a 1933 catalogue. So, I'm assuming that this was a one-year-only model. Not surprising given the starting price of £9.15s which was quite high for that time - beyond affordable for the average working class cyclist. And anyway, images in the '34 catalog suggest that BSA was targeting more the squire and milord and lady for bicycle customers, not the average customers down at the local on a Saturday night.
Second, the Super-eeze DeLight specifications lists the frame built with double-butted tubes which is consistent with the seat post size of 27.2mm.
Third, the catalogue picture of the bike shows it with a minimalist rear drop out like the standard Chater Lea style drop out and not the larger drop out style found on most 30's BSA sports bikes.
Fourth, the specs list the net machine weight as under 24-1/2lbs for the 487L model with Conloy rims - a very lightweight bicycle indeed for that time!
And finally, the BSA factory had gone for almost 17 years since the Great War without a single government armaments contract (from the 1946 book The Other Battle by Donovan M. Ward about the history of the BSA company). It wasn't until later in 1935 that they finally got another arms contract which was for 16,000 rifles. So, if it wasn't for the diversification of the company into bicycles, motorcycles and cars like Daimlers, etc., the company might not have survived the postwar period and the 1930s depression. Meaning, the company in 1934 probably had both the spare time and the experienced talent to go all out and produce the finest lightweight bike that they could envision - complete with ornately styled cutaway frame lugs.
In conclusion, it most likely is a 1934 BSA Super-eeze DeLight bicycle or else it is a product from a competing UK manufacturer of high-class lightweight bicycles.
Cheers!

 

[Mark Manley]

@GregoryB thank you so much for your detailed response which has been fascinating to read, I agree I don't think we will ever know for sure but a nice bike rescued from potentially going for scrap and I am sure I will enjoy riding.