Vintage Bicycle Repair and Riding: American and English Bicycles
Evenings like this one are a treat this time of year - 75 degrees (24 c) and partly sunny. I got a chance to ride this very nice 1957 Schwinn Traveler.
The bike is somewhat of a contrast with the New Hudson, which I was riding last week. This bike is heavier and has a steadier feel over bumps and coming down hills. I like the variety offered by vintage three speed bikes. Even after something like 28 years in this hobby, I still have a lot of fun with it.
Here are a few shots of a recent project - a 1951 New Hudson Silver Arrow. This bike came in last year having been gone over and ridden by another collector recently. Much of the dirty work had already been done. This was from the era where New Hudson was a BSA brand.
This bike came as a drop bar single speed with a flip-flop freewheel and fixed gear hub. I built up a second set of wheels for it: a three speed wheel set using Dunlop club style rims (26 x 1-1/4 597mm). I swapped the drop bars to north road bars and replaced the road saddle with a Brooks 66. The brake levers are from a 1950s era Phillips.
The original celluloid fenders were broken in shipping, so I replaced with a comparable set of Bluemels white plastic fenders. I added a New Hudson decal from H.Lloyd decals in England.
The result is a sporty light roadster: laid back frame angles, Reynolds 531 main tubes, and an upright ride. This is the third of three bikes following that concept. I now have a 1953 Raleigh Lenton, 1949 Raleigh Clubman, and 1951 New Hudson Silver Arrow, all set up with upright bars and outfitted similar to utility bikes.
I still have a few loose ends to tie up: clean up the paint a bit, final truing of the wheels, and fine tuning of the brakes and headset. I also am considering a newer Brooks 67 saddle with an aged brown finish, but that remains an open question.
I like how the laid back frame angles combine with the lightened frame and sporty components.
New Hudson Silver Arrow (tourist configuration specs):
I've had pretty good luck so far this spring locating the kinds of parts one usually needs to rebuild a derelict, old three speed.
Some parts, such as 1930s-50s Schwinn parts, or pre-war Raleigh parts, are harder to find. So I was happy to locate some good parts at reasonable prices this spring.
These include a pre-war Raleigh fender reflector, a set of very nice "Schwinn Built" brake calipers from a late 1940s Schwinn three speed, Scwhinn frame cable clamps from the same 1940s era bike, and a bundle of very nice Sturmey Archer quadrant shifters from the 1930s-40s.
Now... if only the weather will cooperate with ride season. We shall see...
