Project GRUBB (1960 F.H.Grubb, holdsworth era plain 531)

[randomdan]

Re:

Thanks guys, I'm thinking this one will stay in the home when complete.. its looking good

Finally found a suitable saddle, local to me on gumtree. Its a skinny brown brookes (swallow?) not entirely sure if it's one of the later repros or a bit older, but it is made in England so perfect for the build. Had quite bad scuffs on the nose but it's responded well to wet+dry on the scuffs, some leather feed and a bit of brown shoe polish..

 

[Muddy paw]

Nice saddle and great job on the touching up of it and i don't know wether it's a repro or not either so have you checked the underside for any date stamps as i'm trying to remember wether it's on the leather or the metal work where it's riveted at the rear of the saddle and yes it is really narrow but you could adjust the tension on the Brookes i had in the 80s in order to take up the sag in the leather so if it's been adjusted before to tighten the leather then fingers crossed you can slacken it a bit to give a bit of slack on the saddle ..

 

[randomdan]

Re:

Cheers muddy - Couldn't find a date stamp on the saddle - it just says "made in england patent no. 662070" on the metal part. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place though.

Chipping away at the build in my spare moments. I've also been decorating and during the process it's now got a proper permanant place up on the wall in the hallway. Still hunting the elusive chain pull deraliur that would complete the build and turn it into a rider. Still a bit of a way to go but it's getting there.

 

[legrandefromage]

 

[Muddy paw]

Your welcome randomdan for what it was worth :roll: as tbh i can't for the life of me remember what date was stamped on my brooks saddle so i don't if mine was an original or repro and because i no longer have it unfortunately i can't check it ..

It must be annoying not being able to complete the build due to not being able to find the derailleur you need but their has got to be one out there some where with your name on it mate ,,

So you've been a little busy with the paste n paint brushes then eh! well your not on your own mate as i've been cursing wallpapering in the kitchen ..

Any how your bike looks great hung up on the wall ubfortunately the look off my mrs when i showed her was a clear sign of where i stand with that idea ..

 

[Cefnbikie]

The Grubb is coming on very nicely, and the storage in the hall is great.

 

[randomdan]

Re:

Well.. I knew this project would take a little while, but I think I'm getting somewhere now.

The chain pull derailleur has proved to be something of a swine, I did have a cyclo (benelux mk7) as a preference over the similar era simplex. Eventually I won a bid for a beat up cyclo benilux project for a tenner from ebay - missing the jocky wheels and various parts. The weekend came and went, but I made sure I made it to sheffields bi-annual cycle jumble for a perhaps another one to make two bad ones into one good.

Success... and here is me trying to make the two become one

After a good clean up and relube, it's a disapointment the it's cosmetically rusted on the chrome, and wont clean up to perfect, but it does work really well. I may strip it again and rechrome parts of it it and a couple of the smaller headset and brake parts that have pitting.

So with the chain on and gears sorted, first test rides, 6 miles yesterday 16 today. I have occasional issues with the chain dropping off the front on my local potholed roads, particularly on long-geared downhills. I'm trying different spring tensions on the benelux in the hope that this might resolve it.

The gearing is also a surprise. This thing has long legs, or so it seems to me and climbing seems tough. Maybe I'm just a modern wuss and not tough like these fifties guys

 

[randomdan]

Brought a set of gripfast wingnuts at the bike jumble too.. looking nicer than the rusty old tracknuts.

 

[Muddy paw]

Well it's looking great and yes i think your a wuss! no seriously you've probably never ridden that gearing before where as that's all i was use to back in the mid 80s and i loved it ..

Okay then so that rear mech doesn't look brilliant but it seems to do the trick so a big well done as i bet you were cursing like a good un when making that mech up out of two wrotten one's


I've not used those wing nuts since the mid to late 80s either and i'd broken a few of them at that too so anyway is the chain slopping about abit on the chain wheel as it could be a case of unwanted wear n tare on the teeth and does the chain sit all the way down onto it otherwise it's not seated properly so don't go putting more tension on the rear mech untill your 100% certain the chain isn't slipping due to a worn chainwheel or the chains the wrong size ..

 

[Jamiedyer]

Two of them apart on the table together! Confident man!
Rightly so judging by the lovely end result, both cosmetically and functionally.
Loving the wingnuts as well.

Jamie