My 1952 Rudge is now able to be ridden, and with a little brake work and maybe some mudguards, it will be ready to go farther than the end of my driveway (lol!). The brakes and cables are from 1952, and I think I need to get some lube in-between the inner and outer cables to smooth them up. Any thoughts? What lube? any oil injector gadgets? Any gotchas or caveats? These old ones could have been teh best of the big British factory in 1952, or they could have been replaced about 36 years ago (50% of lifetime to date). They are NOT lined with teflon or anything modern and useful!

Levers are some nice Balilla drop-bar levers with screw adjusters in very good shape, the calipers are the original GB Hiduminium sport, and the brake shoes are original, or at least old, in the back and new ones of similar design in the back. IGH is an FM. Nice since I relubed it care fully with SAE 30 (Sturmey's recommendation!!), and adjusted the bearing play, and aligned the rear dropouts and triangles. to get the alignment, dish, and chainlines "all lined up" (lol!). I hope nobody has concerns about Italian levers on a British bike, but I didn't see any GB levers in period, with adjusters. I guess Italy may have been in the lead back then!

Maybe I'll circumnavigate Ann Arbor or at least my city block? I'll probably take it to Auburn with me as a discussion starter. The wheels turn well, most of the FM IGH works, the chainset and headset are smooth and free, and while it's hard to get the seatpost binder tight enough, the bike holds me up nicely. Also, the laced on Super Champion aluminum rims feel and look great!

I hope to do a rail-trail or two, or maybe Huron River Drive or the B2B out to Dexter?