This evening I got on to a bike that was built in 1940 and went for a ride and it sums up so many things that I like about old bicycles... it is a jalopy that was built up from spare parts and is nowhere close to being original.

The wheels are Raleigh branded Weinmann's on Normandy high flange hubs with 36 spokes each... despite their very light weight they have carried me 10,000 miles with no issues whatsoever.

The moustache bars (flipped north roads) are wrapped in cloth and shellacked and I used an 80's steel racing fork to allow for a brake and more sprightly handling. The brake is a Universal 77 linked to a drilled Dia Compe lever.

The drive is fixed and I love the look of the CCM chain wheel and one piece crank... I could shed quite a few pounds if I used that conversion kit and mounted up some modern alloy cranks but I will never do that.

The saddle is an Ideale model 60 that has seen thousands of miles and will see thousands more.

It is a simple bicycle that rides beautifully and that can hold it's own with much newer models as it is not at all heavy.

It is beautiful and unique... there is only one... and it's mine.