Fall Rides - 1967 Raleigh Sprite

 Here are a few more shots of the 1967 Raleigh Sprite on the road. I have substituted the Wald kickstand for the "ESGE" model specifically made for Raleigh Sports/Sprite frames. It was new-old-stock and still in its original packaging. I figured this bike is nice enough to have earned a new-old-stock stand. 

The days are getting shorter! Make sure your lights work and you bring your cellphone with you when you ride. The weather here is cool and very friendly to riding. It's looking like just a few weeks left of the riding season... 

 

Copake Bicycle and Transportation Auction - October 15, 2022

 I occasionally peruse the Copake Auction catalog when their spring or fall bicycle auction takes place. Copake is about 60 minutes west of my home, so if there was something I absolutely had to own, I probably would go and bid on it. 

The next auction is October 15, 2022. The catalog is available HERE 

This year's auction is strong on pre-1933 "antique" or "wood wheel" era bikes - Iver Johnson, Columbia/Westfield, Crescent, etc. There are several very old, shaft-drive (chainless) bicycles.

However, it is pretty thin on roadster/utility/three speed content. I am not surprised as most of the basic three speed models don't bring in the money to justify the auction. 

My pick of this auction is lot #18 - Sunbeam bicycle

 

This looks to be an old school Sunbeam with that brand's somewhat unique brake system and the oil bath chain case. A true "oil bath" chaincase is a fully-enclosed chain guard with a pocket of oil on the bottom. The chain passes through the oil pocket once per revolution through the system. Not all fully-enclosed chain guards are "oil bath" chain guards, though some people call any fully enclosed chain guard an oil bath. That is technically incorrect - a fully enclosed chain guard is a "chain case" or "gear case", and not all of them have the oil bath pocket in them. 

Sunbeam advertised the "little oil bath", apparently a compact-ish version of the oil bath concept.

This bicycle is for a taller rider, but for being in the US, it's a nice example of a classic British bicycle.

 

For a more mundane (and smaller) bicycle, Lot 30 - Humber Sports Lightweight, looks interesting. It looks to be a drop bar conversion of a standard three speed "Sports" type bike. But it is a tastefully done variation.

 

 I will not be bidding on any lots in the auction, but good luck to those who are bidding.

 

1942 B.F. Goodrich / Schwinn New World

 

Here is  the 1942 B.F. Goodrich badged Schwinn New World, in more or less completed form. I've done a couple short test rides and set up the saddle and bars to a position that is fairly comfortable for me. 

 

It's hard to believe this bike began as just a core: frame, fork, and fenders. I've sourced many 1940s-era Schwinn parts and other parts appropriate for this bike. The wheel set is my own build: vintage Sturmey Archer AW rear hub, with Schwinn hourglass front hub. Rims are Schwinn S6. 

Given the year of this bike, I decided to go with a 1940s/WWII type aviation theme, as shown in the large, wing-shaped chain guard from the years just before that war. This matches nicely with a WWII style USAAF type pin on the saddle bag.  The tear drop emblems on the grips also go nicely with the wing/aviation theme, even if they are reproductions.

This many not be the absolutely final set up (I still have to test the saddle position out on longer rides, and we'll see how the very old Torrington pedals hold up with their new rubber blocks). But so far, so good. I think it looks pretty good, and I am loving that chain guard.

 

 

Specs:

Frame and fork: 1942 Schwinn New World, just under 22 inches. Basic steel with hybrid construction - some joints are electroforge welded and some are fillet brazed, original 1942 Schwinn torpedo blade style fork. 

Fenders: steel, Schwinn New World with correct wire braces in black paint.

Cranks: Schwinn dogleg one-piece, 4-hole clover sprocket.

Hubs: Sturmey AW 3-speed rear, Schwinn hourglass front. Sturmey Archer quadrant shifter. 

Saddle: Gyes three-spring roadster type.

Handlebars: Schwinn North Road style 

Wheels: Schwinn S6 rims, Sapim stainless double-butted spokes. 

Brakes/levers: Schwinn-built steel calipers and levers.

Lights: Kiley LED retro front, Soma Silver Bullet LED rear light.

Grips: Schwinn teardrop reproduction.

1942 Schwinn New World - More Progress

 Here's the latest progress shot of the 1942 Schwinn New World three speed project. After fooling with the fitting a bit, I got a beautiful, wing-shaped chain guard to fit. The wing has several mounting holes, to enable the guard to go on several kinds of bikes. The brakes are set up now, as is the headlight and grips. The bag is the Banjo Brothers small barrel type. The tail light and pedals still need to be added, but it's coming along nicely.

Reviving 1940s Schwinn Bottom Bracket Parts

Here's a nice little trove of pre-war and immediate post-war Schwinn parts: dog leg cranks (one worn, the other very clean), bottom bracket parts, four-hole pre-war Schwinn chain ring, and cottered "AS&Co" Schwinn cranks. 

A few notes:

• The four hole clover chain ring is what you want for the pre-war Schwinn New World bikes with one-piece cranks. This chain ring looks a lot like the common, post-war types, but has three extra peg holes. The 46-tooth chain ring pairs nicely with a 22-tooth cog and three speed hub.

 

• The dogleg cranks are appropriate for pre-war and wartime New World bikes. The correct crank is the number "502". This is a crank that was used on women's balloon tire cruisers, and on the Schwinn lightweights (both men's and women's lightweights). The "501" is for the men's balloon tire bikes and is slightly longer than the 502. The 502 is what you want for the New World bikes (men's and women's both use the 502).

 

• The three-piece "AS&Co" cranks are correct for pre-war and immediate post-war bikes. A 1940-41 New World will use them, as will the late 1940s and early 1950s Superiors. Schwinn produced these cranks, but the design appears to be inspired by a 1930s BSA or Hercules design (BSA actually made a similar chainring using its own initials). 

 

• The quality of the chrome plating from before WWII is decent, but I think the plating from right after the war (1940s-50s) was a bit better. All the parts are pretty durable and well-made from a functional standpoint. 

 

• Clean-up is done using Evaporust or Oxalic Acid, followed by a rinse and light wire brushing. For heavier work, such as on the crank in the middle, a wire brush wheel on a bench grinding machine cleans up heavier rust. Wear a mask if using a mechanized brush!
  

New Look, On-Going Project...

So after 10 full years (Bike Shed had its 10th anniversary in August 2022) of using a simple, grey and black theme, Blogger has decided it is dumping compatibility with that old design. The text was no longer displaying properly, at least on some computers, and customization of the layout was pretty limited by today's standards.

So it was time for a new look. I have decided that blue and grey look pretty good, and are easy enough on the eyes... So blue and grey it will be for now.

Now, for a more interesting subject... I am making slow but steady progress on re-building a 1942, World War II era Schwinn New World. Schwinn built this bicycle for B.F. Goodrich, to be sold in that company's tire shops. I received this as a bike "core" - frame, fenders, and a few other parts. 

 

Added to this bike are a 1950s-era US-made stem (Wald, I suppose), and a set of Schwinn "North Road" style handlebars. Those are Schwinn's interpretation of the popular, British North Road bars used by Raleigh on its Sports and other light roadster bikes.

Also added to the mix are a set of 1940s "Schwinn Built" brake calipers, and 1940s Schwinn brake levers.

The bottom bracket set is from a 1941 Schwinn New World: dogleg crank, 4-hole chainring, and the hardware to go with that. Also from a 1941 New World are the wire braces for the fenders.

The wheelset is a 1950s era Sturmey Archer rear hub and a 1950s type Schwinn hourglass front hub. The rims are "new old stock" Schwinn S6 steel/chrome rims. The spokes are Sapim double-butted stainless. 

 

The project is not yet done, but I chalk this up to another New World that started as a bike core and a few parts, and which will now become a fully capable bicycle once again. I have more to do, but so far so good...