IEthatsME

Got back to the Rudge last month. We fitted new tubes and tyres to give it a try - it worked great. The gears need a bit of a clean but they worked. Here's a few photos (note the Rudge wave).

3speedslow

Thank you ever so much for checking back in! Wonderful to see the Lady getting out for a trip. Is it going to be a greenway bike or do serious shopping duty?

If I had a bike like that I would ride it around town and hope it would lead to a few more old bikes brought out to the light of day.

Great looking Rudge!

IEthatsME

The bike will get a thorough cleaning and get used for both green laning and shopping.

IEthatsME

Clubman on post #19 was right about the babyseat, the "Babscar", as I found it stamped on the side plate.

3speedslow

" green laning " is that the term they use over there ?

IEthatsME

Well, it's one I'm used to using.

palincss

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sludgeulper/6148253752


C.T.Osborne (Chossy) Ltd, bicycle saddle bag manufacturer, Epsom. c.1992.

The charming 1930s factory and office of C.T.Osborne, makers of the famous Chossy bicycle saddlebag. Notice the sunburst vents in the facade, and period door. Does the building still exist?**
168, EAST STREET,
EPSOM,
SURREY
KT17 1ET
*thanks to waverley610, for alerting me to the really quite unexpected news that the building still exists almost unaltered. I now have located it on google street view
Last annual returns were in 1994, company dissolved in 1996
www.duedil.com/company/00424009/c-t-osborne-chossy-limite...
Directors at Close - John Reginald Osborne b. 1931 and Susan Mary Osborne, b 1942 Mr Osborne was a director of the museum of Leathercraft in Northampton from 1991 to 1997
www.museumofleathercraft.org/about-leather-museum/
The building - sept 2014 - is subject to an application to demolish and erect housing and an office.
epsomcivicsociety.org.uk/2014/09/02/168-east-street-epsom...

clubman 

Google maps shows it was leveled sometime between 2009 and now. Charming in it's day but doomed by real estate commerce. They erected multi-purpose buildings and called it 'Choosy place'. blah

BigChief 

What a lovely bike. Thanks for getting back with the pictures. I'm finding myself, once again, with road envy. Is that beautiful pavement typical of country roads there? Where I live, the back country roads are all unpaved and rocky. I'd love to ride a road like that.

3speedslow

@palincss Thanks for the details about Choosy. It's really neat to learn about the many suppliers to these great bike marquees. It's quite a treasure hanging off the back of the Rudge.

IEthatsME

I don't know much about the average bike path but the photos I took are on national cycle route 7. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-7
which is across the street from my house. It's an abandoned railway that was ripped up and paved for a cycle route. It's very nice - even has solar powered lights for night time.

BigChief 

Oh wow, it's a dedicated bicycle road. That's wonderful. I don't think I'll see anything like that here in my lifetime, but hopefully someday people will make it happen. Until then, at least I have a big old DL-1 that makes the dirt roads rideable so I still get to do some vintage bike riding in the pretty countryside.

rustystrings61 

National cycle route 7 makes me think of National Seven, which makes me think of this -

3speedslow

How long does this greenway " national 7 " go? Solar lights and title make it sound you have the big time bike infrastructure right outside your front door. Perfect for a Rudge ride!

dweenk 

You led me astray with that Youtube link. I've been listening to Renbourn music for over an hour.

IEthatsME

I get back to the Rudge in a couple of weeks! Should I keep the baby seat on it?

clubman 

It's a very unusual accessory, I'd keep it.

BigChief 

I would leave it in place also. Since it's a dual purpose unit, it's still a complete rear carrier without the child seat attached.

Stevensb 

@IEthatsME These bikes are way outside my sweet spot but I think they're very cool. A few years ago I was tempted by this beauty that looked to be fairly complete and original. I was intrigued by the child seat.

More photos of the bike are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/116749...57663409168058

Cheers.

Brad

IMG_2365 by BJ Stevens, on Flickr

IEthatsME

Looks like that's a yes for keeping it on. I need to track down the rest of it.

clubman 

I'd be ambivalent about sourcing the rest of it unless it increased the value, which it won't. These bikes don't get big dough in the collectible market, too many were made. It's more of a conversation piece but if you stumbled across the other pieces cheap, why not. It does make a great rear rack without the rest of the bits. I'd certainly want it just for the mojo.

BigChief 

It's true that there is no great monetary value to this class of bike since so many were made virtually unchanged for so long. But to me at least, I think these bikes, especially ones from the early post war years are rather high in historical value. When I first started my 3 speed hobby I was only interested in pre 60s bikes. These days, I find myself wrenching examples from the 60s and even 70s. The older bikes are becoming much more rare. Not more expensive, but much harder to find. I really enjoy seeing fine bikes like this preserved and enjoyed. Thanks for sharing.

Road Fan

I think the skirt protectors were usually between the chain stay and seat stay, not between the seatstay and the rack and fender vertical struts. They were still provided on womens' city bikes I saw in Austria in the mid-90s.

Road Fan

Indeed, Steve, good job!

IEthatsME

The Rudge was out and about again. It's a heavy bike but nice to ride.