Phillips Rod Brake Roadster Update

An interesting aspect of this older Phillips rod brake bicycle is the use of a rear brake bell crank that threads into the bottom bracket. Phillips advertised these in their catalogs during the Birmingham years going back many decades and into the 1940s-50s. This particular bell crank is a sort of a work of art - heavy, solid metal pieces and that form a bell crank, which then threads into a half-round nut that is inside the bottom bracket.

 The internal nut is contoured to match the inside of the bottom bracket and to lock in place - this helps the mechanic to tighten the bell crank into place without having to shove a wrench inside the bottom bracket. It also helps keep a low profile so the nut stays out of the way of the spindle.

Reassembled, we can see the pros and cons of this system, compared to the Raleigh type, which is externally mounted. The Phillips type is very clean in appearance - the bell crank emerges cleanly from the bottom bracket. It also provides a very solid mounting point for the bell crank. However, servicing the system can be a pain - if the bell crank comes loose or you need to access that nut for any reason, you have to go into the bottom bracket. Everything on the Raleigh style can be done externally. But the Phillips style is still a nifty piece of design.

The bottom bracket bell crank connects via a rod to the upper bell crank. In true Phillips style, the upper bell crank mounts to the side of the head/down tubes lug. This, in turn, connects to the handle bars.

Cooler Weather - October 2018

Thus far we haven't actually had any really nice, "fall" weather. We seem to have gone from mid-80s and very humid, to 50s and cool. That being said, at least the cooler weather has brought drier conditions with it. We've had a copious amount of rain over the summer - many more inches than usual. I've had more "rain outs" this summer in terms of rides than in the past two summer combined.

So over the weekend, I got a chance to take out my Raleigh Twenty and my Raleigh Sports bikes. I love these 1970s-era Raleighs.

They're simple, reliable, and classy. These later Raleighs are often maligned compared to the earlier, 1950s-era bikes. And while these bikes may not be quite as well-finished or refined, they certainly are still very well-made and ridge wonderfully.

This 1974 Raleigh Sports is especially good. I've been riding this bike around for over 15 years, and it's one of my absolute favorites. In fact, I think this is a sentimental favorite of mine, given how many years and thousands of miles I've put on this bike.

Phillips Rod Brake Roadster Bicycle Update

Here is just a quick update on the Phillips project. The wheelset now has its rim tape, tires, and tubes. I've cleaned out the bottom bracket  and prepped it for reassembly. The good news: the cups can be re-used and are in great shape. The bad news: the spindle needs to be replaced, but I do have a decent Phillips replacement at hand for the task.

I also de-rusted and re-painted many of the "small" parts that needed to be totally redone. This includes a couple of the fender stay holder parts and the rod brake clamps/stops. These will "wear in" gradually to resemble the rest of the project. These parts were in pretty rough shape. However, some Evaporust and a good wire brushing cleaned them up for basic painting. They don't need to be perfect - just work with this particular project.

As a tip - if you're using original screws (do it if you can re-use the originals), keep careful track of where they belong. While some screws interchange, others do not. There are some subtle differences in some of these screws because of how they have "worn into place" over the past 85+ years. Sometimes the screws might seem like they'll interchange, but if you get them all mixed up, you hit problems trying to re-assemble.  Here, each set of screws is right above the particular clamp or bracket they match.