SallyNH

I have just bought what I believe is a 1930s New Hudson ladies bicycle built at St Georges Works Birmingham. Trying to date it I haven't had much luck with the frame number which is W (women's?) 9946. However a clue may be that it has the bracket for the Cyclone deraileur racing bike. While it has an oil bath and an undated Sturmey Archer AW hub (so post 1936) I am thinking 1939....an identical bike is in the 1939 brochure.... Because they would not perhaps have made many racing bikes at the start of WW2 and used up racing frames to build more utilitarian bikes?

rhm

Sounds interesting! Tell us more, please. You need a certain number of posts before you can post photos.

I've seen AW hubs with confusing markings, and with indistinct markings, but I have not seen one that had no date code at all. The really early ones have only one digit after the AW, so AW8 = 1938, AW9 = 1939, AW0 = 1940, etc.

And it has a rectangular tab brazed to the chain stay?

nlerner

I read somewhere on the Internet that the first year for the AW hub-1936-it did not have a date code. I've had later 1930s AW hubs, and they were dated in the format AW-X, where X = last digit of the year, e.g., AW-8 = 1938.

SallyNH

Thank you for your replies. As soon as I am able to post some photos I will. I assume I have to host them elsewhere?
The little tab is braised onto the right side of the frame where a deraileur would attach on a racing bike. It has two holes in it.The bike is rusty and dusty but absolutely complete. It even has its original New Hudson pedals. I have used the forum before but forgot my password and couldn't reset it because I don't have access to the Orange email account I used to use!

rhm

Yes, it's best to host the photos elsewhere. You might want to email an administrator about the problems with your old account, see if maybe it can be saved, or best deleted or something.

It does indeed sound like a bike from the 30's. Derailleurs weren't used much for racing in the 30's, not even permitted in the Tour de France until 1937. I read on Disraeli Gears that the chain stay mount is often associated with a touring bike rather than a racing bike.

SallyNH

Further to the comment about AW hub dating, there does indeed appear to be a dash and half a number 9 after the AW. I need reading glasses at the best of times but a greasy surface prevented me seeing that.

rhm