Originally Posted by
pitcanary
Nice looking roadster. Have you tried
http://www.transport-museum.com/ ? I emailed them recently and they were very helpful and past on some great contacts. One being a 75 year old gent in Coventry called Dave Mac - tel (024) 7668 3239. He has been making and repairing Rudge Whitworth bike parts (mainly motorbikes) although he has a few push bikes. I bet you he could tell you a nugget or two about Swift. I'd be interested to see some better pictures of your bike as I have a 1939 Rudge Whitworth. Probably a few similarities. I'm having a mare putting this back on
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=357385
Good luck with it.
Pit Canary
Thanks for the tips Pitcanary!
In fact I have already emailed the Bicycle Curator (Lesley Robertson) at CTM, but she's on holiday right now, so I wait!!
(I met her briefly last year when I was in Coventry and got a tour of their bicycle store!!
Amazing!!)
I've also found the Swift Register (thanks to Easthill : )) and working on that one.
They have around 200 Swift bicycles on it apparently.
Meanwhile I have some better photos now, and having given it a closer look, it is an interesting machine.
Still pretty dirty, but I'm working on it..
It was used often by the previous owner who used to take it in his camper on holidays!
The saddle is in need of recovering, but really comfortable.
Swift also made their own free-wheels by the look of this:
Can't do much for your problem though, because on the Swift the rod that comes down to the rear brake is a pretty crude arrangement, whereby the rod is simply bent around the BB!!
May be it isn't original, or a part could be missing.
The rear wheel is shod with a "Camel Cycle Tire".
American spelling, so I'm wondering if it is an old USA product.
Got plenty more pictures if anybody wants to see them!
Thanks for the Dave Mac contact. I will pursue that one.
And I for one would be interested to see some more pics of your machine too!