I'm experimenting with a little something on a pair of brake pads: Soaking them in 3 parts isopropyl alcohol to one part wintergreen oil. Supposedly restores the rubber without distorting it.
It's a bit nuts, but it so happens the only replacement pads for this thing that are old NOS and not soft. Trying it this way to see how it affects the old pads...before blowing money on more old pads. Hope it works. I'm experimenting with one pad from my ladies' 51 Sports, and one of the Fibrax pads off the '52.
In the meantime, the cranks have been straightened and installed, along with the chain:
Cleaned up the headlamp bezel and reflector too. Original sticker survives back there, but the glue gave out a long time ago.The front still has its rubber O-ring.
Originally Posted by
Johno59
The bolt has a shoulder that bottoms out before it tightens on the wheel. This is so the wheel may rotate freely. It has a whitworth thread and as such will not seize like a modern thread, - but it will be tight. Use a pair of good pliers or vice grips to give it a twist to help the screw driver.
It can't hurt, but it'll probably damage the bolt head. Believe me, it's WELL jammed.
I figure I'll booger it up once I have a replacement in hand.
-Kurt