Oh the 20 is rusty and a yukky brown colour


So its getting stripped to bare metal and the painted black.
I like the look of the Raleigh Commando. A 18" wheeled boys bike, version of the shopper

So this bike is getting that look.

Might even remove the down tubes...dont think they do much.
Make it easier to drill the seat tube for the brake cable.

If they're there you can be reasonably sure they're there for a reason... Be careful if you start chopping off bits you may need later on.

I saw on here that some 20s dont have them

I had a Denim a 18" er 20...I converted it to a chopper. No hassle from the bottom of the frame.
But it kept on breaking spokes...in an old shimano 3 speed wheel.
The Commando is a sort of boys version. No downtubes on there
Got a couple of RSWs and they have some ugly sheet metal bracing.

Also I want the 20 to be light weight. So might loose 50grams or so if I remove the tubes

Nice one! Downtubes on NZ built Twentys were conspicuously absent so it's possible you could take them off so it looks more like a commando - though this will remove some of the bombproof stiffness.

If you 'Go Commando' then you must try and source fit one of those gun-muzzle styled chainguards to complete the effect! The font is called Futura Black if you need to remake some Decals

Oh I did have a Commando.
Was even rustier than that one.
So might still have the chainguard somewhere.

Alec,
Just remember that those dts were put there for a good reason ie: frame strength and rigidity, even though the NZ bikes came without them....something about Kiwi uniqueness?
I would leave them there and go for lightweight comps as 50 grams is not much saving in the overall scheme of things. You could experiment with it by charging down some mountain with fully loaded
panniers putting the frame under extreme stress and see if it survives without the dts, but I recommend against this. My R-20 is used for commuting, bunch rides and now some touring and I don't nurse it, so the dts are staying put....that's my 2cents worth.

The frame totals a monstrous 5kg or so. I have given up trying to get light weight out of the R20. Now I load it down for the sake of a workout.

yeah Im no lightweight either.

would be used for jetting about....tarmac and muddy tracks
might even commute to work....but thats 20 miles away.

so will probably leave frame alone.

I got some bits for the 20. I ordered them through work.
I got a brake roller thing. I thought it was to enable me to use old style levers with V brakes.
Ive got a sidepull brake on the back just now..a Weimmann 1080.
Same as I have on the back of my Gold bike a Raleigh Phaser kids bike from the 70s....that Ive converted to a MTB.

The back brake on that and now the one on my 20 feels horrible. V brake levers pull a lot more cable.
So the lever doesnt move much....just feels solid....and theres not much ***********....admittedly Ive got old pads on...but its hopeless....also tough on my hand.
I put a bracket to hold the cable...so I can use a cantilever brake on my suspension forks, on Gold bike

Got another bracket, so might do the same to my 20. Seen them in the catalogue too, there £8

Heres a pic of the 20. With that roller thing on the V brake. But Ive took it off and put a 135degree noodle, and V brake levers.

Ive changed the gear shifter too. The trigger couldnt select first gear. As the lever would hit the straight bars. Fitted a twist grip. Some shoppers came with them. Couldnt find a cable as long. it works, but I would like a bit more length... :-)
Heres what I did to make the trigger work.

Strapped the cable to the bars. Then grab the shifter to change

Alecw35 - What fork did you use on your bikes? I'm still trying to make an RST fork work on my R20. How did you get such a long steerer on the BSA20? It appears to be threaded. Is that the case?

I love my Phillip's Twenty... there is still much I want to do but she's a nice ride in any weather.

(obligatory pic)

Yeah I said before that I cut the head stock at the top...down to 4.2" Then fitted suspension forks of a kids bike. I fitted a riser tube thing, I got it on a Ladies MTB that I was given, sold that bike after that. I have seen one of these riser tubes on Ebay.



Might change the stem. I like the one in there. Had it on my black MTB years ago. I have Specialized alloy MTB bars. So might fit a Specialized stem, its very simmilar to that stem though

I was watching a TV show called Empty
Is a BBC Scotland comedy show.
this week the main star...Gregor Fisher was cycling a BSA 20 at the end of the episode.
He was getting harrassed by a man in a car

I looked at BBCs website...but it doesnt have the clip
https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/empty/
The afternoon Tea clip has the loud MC rapper he was the man in the car.
theres 2 episodes on Youtube have to wait for that one

For those of you that are allowed to use the amazingness that is the new BBC iPlayer to try and catch this moment - it might be still on there. For those that can't (ie non license payers..) - here's a screen-cap of an R20 in the recent(ish) hit movie 'The History Boys' hiding in the background like a shrinhking violet.

I've been waiting ages for an excuse to post this image...

I'm up to two Twentys right now and would not be surprised if more found me...

I suspect that here in Canuckistan, that Phillip's Twentys were sold far more than their Raleigh counterparts as I have never seen an R 20 or BSA 20 here.

It is good that I am fond of little gold bikes with Lion's heads emblazoned on the head badges and I just had to build a pocket rocket this week. I have been pricing out 451 parts as I want to build up a new wheelset using the SA hub in the rear and a Normandy high flange hub up front.

This was a bone stock Twenty on Monday evening when I started tinkering...

From the information I've been able to find out from some people with local knowledge, the NZ bikes had a thicker diameter main tube but no downtubes. I haven't been able to get one of the rare UK twenties to compare with my kiwi twenty yet.

I'm going to keep the twenty standard, but I have built a Healing Cruiser (NZ made R20 copy) into a fixed gear commuter. I have a twenty frame I'm tempted to put the parts off the healing onto, as the twenty has a maintube that is slightly longer than the Healing.

Folding R20.JPG Healing Fixie.JPG

Yeah heres the link for the Iplayer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/it...n_pid=b009g7fs

Says its only on for a few more days

Ive been building up a folding bike.

Is a Hercules compact.
I was given it.
Thought it was a horible Bianca clone.

I widened the rear end with a scaffold pole against the seat tube...for a 7 speed 406 20" wheel
The frame is badly made. The chainstays are hardly welded to the BB shell. Theres big gusset plates there. The BB seems ofset to one side.
The BB takes normal cups.
I fitted a Solida alloy crank the same as my 20 has. Was the first out of the box.
Havent put brakes or cables on it.
Going to see if I can get the weight low enough so I can carry it on the bus.
See if I can get a bag for it.

My neighbour just gave me 2 bikes.
A modern cheap ladies MTB
And a Raleigh ladies roadster that has stainless wheels. Was wanting a set of them.

She also had the Raleigh version of the Hercules Compact...but its someone elses
She had 2 lighter folders in the loft too. But cant get up there
Dont know what they were.

I geuss I could restore the old roadster...is a Hub date of 49 8
But I'll just rip the wheels for my Hercules Balmoral.

I had a Balmoral when I was a kid
I swapped some old engines for a load of old bikes, about a year ago
Got the Balmoral and a tandem in the deal

Hey Ive been messing with my welder.
Been trying to get the hang of it so I can mod my bikes

So Ive been melding tubing cut from scrap bikes.
I thought try to make some actual thing.
So I got a mtb stem thats been bashed a bit
I cut the stem in too in the middle of the extension tube
Got a tube and put the 2 bits in there.
welded it up.

didnt even measure it Its an experiment
so when I put my welding gear away....I measured it....

180mm extension.
oh well
fit a real short frame

was trying to build up my Hercules compact.

Id widened the rear end to take 20" 406 wheels that have 7 speed freewheel on them.
I measured the drop for the brakes..around 80mm.
good I can use some of my weinmann 810 brakes.
I got a brake from a box..cleaned it up a bit. Then built it as a front, with stainless nuts and washers.
I got a pair of roadster type alloy bars. Tried to fit alloy weinmann levers to it, very difficult.
The rear needed a longer brake. So I looked in another box. There was a bag with a polished 890 brake arms in it, I had polished them a while ago.
I built that into a rear brake. Fitted it to the bike.
But couldnt find a cable long enough. Was trying to fit white cables. Re-using bits Id stripped from other bikes. Geuss I'll have to buy a cable. But can only get black from my shop.
I looked for a gear shifter. Couldnt find a 7 speed lever. Found a Grip shift. Dont like them, but tried it anyway. It wouldnt fit..grrrr. The bars are a bit thicker diameter.
Have to look for that 7 speed thumbie. Or could just put a 6 speed on there.
Also Ive got a Shimano 105 6 speed uniglide hub with 2 cassettes. I got it for my dirt cross. But It could go in the Compact.
The quick release clamps on the headset and the seat post are not playing the game. I took them off and cleaned them up. But the stem and the seat pin move in them. Maybe Ive got too much copper grease in there. Dont think so. The stem is the original one. I could put a proper stem in, Ive got a SR stumpneck. But want to be able to fold this bike, with out tools

I see that YST make a threadless Bottom bracket
so you dont have to mess with getting Phill wood cups or rettapping
they seem to be in 110mm to 122mm
but the ones Ive seen are only for 68mm wide shells.
https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwP...c003151c003226

YST also have the One peice bb shell to 3 peice BB axle. Like I fitted to my /city Boy folding bike. Got a nice looking one with sealed bearings and alloy cups.

Also seen a brand called Pristine. Its a 70 mm shell width. So might fit right in there. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-0...eads-16505.htm

It's always fun to find one's old posts and see how things have evolved... I had the little fella down to 24 pounds before the fenders went back on.

I re-tapped the bb so I could install a cartridge bb and run my vintage Stronglight cranks with the flip flop (fixed/fixed) rear hub, and decided the 406 wheels and tyres were perfect for urban assaults as they roll fast and absorb the bumps really well.

[/QUOTE]

This is one of my favourite bikes.

Im wanting a fixed hub for a road bike Im building.
have been watching some on ebay.
But Im a tight Scotsman, so dont want to spend to much.

Im going to a second hand bike shop near my work today. If I remember.
Theres a couple of young men that are from there, on a placement at my work. One said that he could get the bike Im wanting on his discount. I got my City Boy folder there for £5. So hopefully they will have a road bike with a fixed wheel, and the Mk3 Chopper he mentioned.

I and Scottish and Irish which means I love to drink but hate to pay for it...

The flip flop hub on my Twenty is a double sided BMX hub that I converted to fixed.