I bought this 1950 Sun Wasp as a frameset from Mr. Killroy of our forum a few years ago. He made a post in 2019 to talk about weighing it, here:
Weighing a 1979 Mercian Campionissimo & 1950 Sun Wasp
At first, I thought I would restore it, and so left the frame aside while I rode my bikes and took on other projects so that ideas on what to do with the Sun Wasp could be allowed to properly gestate. Stripping for paint? Back to Mercian for the job? A Montreal shop?
Having spent hobby-bike funds on other machines I decided this frame needed to be ridden and that I needed to love it and consider it a keeper before it earned the right of restoration. Originally, this bicycle was a 'Massed Start' model, in early 1950s Britain this means a model meant to emulate continental race model set-ups with derailleurs which were starting to become popular, versus the time-trial events done in the UK up into that decade commonly with fixed-gear and touring hub-gear (Sturmey Archer) equipped machines. I really like hub gears so the first build was with one of those, a 1950 Sturmey FM four-speed, medium ratio hub, with ratios that are quite practical for distance riding at a good clip and for rolling hills too. Period dynamo up front ran modern LED lamps perfectly. Its worn a few different cranksets, as I found the period-correct Williams units, despite being quite nice to look at are too narrow for me.
Old pics of previous setup with hub gear, dynamo, and lights:
April 2025 - fixed wheel fun. I decided to switch things around with a newcomer Peugeot shaking things up, and the dynamo will now power the lamps for my '72 UE-8 commuter project and the FM four-speed will run on the '75 Competition with a Maillard 700 front for a fast credit-card tourer machine. I found a tatty looking set of Super Champion Mod 58 27" wheels with Normandy hubs (fixed/fixed rear). Not the greatest hubs in the world but they work and parts are plentiful, and after opening them up and finding no wear marks on the cones or in the cups, I figure these have a lot of shop wear and tarnish on the rim surfaces themselves but saw little actual use on the road. Now they will see some mileage! Set up now returns nearly 70 gear inches which is great for around here, though I may switch from the 18t to the 17t side from time to time for speedier runs at 73 gear inches.
It gives a great ride! Quick and light, very responsive. I am pleased I scrounged some rough Bluemel mudguards in white, they look more appropriate than the Planet Bike ones I had on before. I think its slightly more aggressive in its measurements than my Competition built 25 years later but with design origins in the Wasps' era, but I have not measured. I need to find a frame pump that'll fit inside the pegs. The paint is in sad shape, but I really like the patina and continue to rub on Renaissance wax to protect the steel. That is not sustainable though. I'll need to paint it at some point, because these lugs deserve some embellishment. They look like armoured helmets from the middle ages:
