The first photo set was taken right when I got it home. Pretty sad, but looks like the rust is only on the parts that are going in the bin anyway.
It's a nice colour. Those frames are so solid even with a bit of rust it can't be much worth worrying about.
It's got a sticker from the original dealer in Queensland, celebrating 50 years! 1926-1976.
That's about the same age as my one...
I guess that puts the bike at around 30 years old. Some parts of Queensland are pretty dry, which would exlpain the mud wasp nest in the seat post.
Eek! Were they still in there?
Since it seems to be in pretty good shape, with the exception of the rust, I'm not sure how much I want to change. Someone please tell me that it has no collector value, to just make it something I can enjoy on a regular basis.
Not sure about in Oz but here in London UK they are still pretty common - so not really any collector value I would say. I think if you looked in about 10% of UK garages you'd find one sitting in the corner sulking. So no - not here; i guess with time they'll increase in value (see the other post about scarcity and rising ebay/craigslist costs) - so I guess it is a consideration but they are hardly rare - yet. Personally I think if you are unsure the thing to do is go halfway and replace enough components to make it safe, fun and efficient but be as faithful to the original (unlike my own haha ) to keep it in the spirit of things.
This one by Lenny Taylor is a very good example - lovely new S7 drive and light wheels but with bright chrome and original paint:
http://lennytaylor.freeyellow.com/Twenty.htm
The wheels are pretty crappy, but they're getting replaced anyway.
I think that's a given looking at the pictures..
Oddly, the front is a 36h, while the rear is a 28h. Do I have the hub laced to a new hoop, or look for another hub
Depends on how well the stock Sturmey Archer 3 speed is working. They are pretty bombproof - you may need a new cable and shifter lever but the hub probably just needs a clean and a service. In my experience they have a pretty useable gear range and if you wanted something quicker and were prepared to put on a modern front crank / bb combo you could increase the chainring size for a bit more speed (and/or put on a smaller sprocket - I think 14 tooth would be your minimum size on that hub)
...possibly a 5 speed/derailleur combo. See next post for a follow question to go with this one.
From what I've seen - I think putting a derailleur on would be quite a job - you'd probably need some sort of chain guide over the chainwheel to avoid losing the chain all the time and would still have to cold set (bend) the rear triangle to accept the cartridge hub. Cheg had problems using the lowest gear on his too - the chain rubbed against the chainstays. If you wanted more gears than three I'd recommend a SRAM Spectro 5 or 7 or a Shimano Nexus system. Some come with coaster brakes or back-pedal brakes which are probably better than the crappy calliper brakes too. I had v-brake bosses brazed onto my frame (which led to having it resprayed) to upgrade the braking system which I think was well worth the cost
So here's my question, which is related to the one in the previous post: Is there any reason to try to keep the bike original?
I don't think so unless you want to have a nightmare finding replacement parts. I think it's possible to upgrade it sympathetically with lighter alloy components (rims, bars, seatpost, cranks) and still have something in the sprit of the original but more usable and less sluggish. I'm sure most people on here would agree. Or if 'halfway' isn't enough you could just hang caution to the wind (and expense haha) and go the hot-rod way and not worry so much about historical integrity - looking instead for performance. I harbour ideas of carbon forks, disc brakes (to keep black rims nice and black, Rolf rims et al in my next project - possibly a non-folding twenty painted ferrari red with black parts everywhere else.
Keep us posted on any news!
Huw