Thought it would be polite to introduce myself before I start posting questions willy nilly.
I'm Tom and I have 4 bikes at the moment, I worked at Halfords in the bike department when I was 18, so that got me into maintaining and servicing bikes, instead of just riding them.

Heres a photo of the bikes I own now.
TL - My old trust MTB, I mashed it together when working at Halfords.
I think its a Carrera Vulcan frame with RST forks. Mavic rims, Deore hubs. Deore LX gears, brakes, levers. All from when I first built it in 1998ish. Its been green, black, satin black, grafitti, beige, camo, and now its bare metal.
TR - My all weather bike, I use this to cycle to work/shops, I think it's a crescent but it had no markings when I bought it. Resprayed silver and I've chucked a load of vintage accessories at it.
BL - I bought this one along with BR for £30, owner told me it was bought by his grandfather new in 1932, but agian no makers mark, wandering what to do with this one as its mechanically sound.
BR - My summer cruiser, pretty much the same as BL but I've stripped it of everything, rolls super smooth and turns heads with its minimalist looks. 1936 i'm told. My favorite bike!


Well you can see where my questions are going to head, as I would love to identify my bikes better.

Look forward to chatting with you all.

Tom

Well Tom, what else have you ridden? Not really concerned with your bikes.

A horse?!

Thats it I'm afraid, sorry.

Why so much need for brand names ? they all work adequately?

Tom, can we assume you're living in the UK? We have Halfords here in the Netherlands as well.

I just got back from a two week vacation in England, mostly in the Cotswolds.

I was a little disappointed in the biking infrastructure. Instead of biking on bike trails we biked mostly on smaller roads with little car traffic.

I'm 'interested' to know their age, and brand, that's all. I wouldn't say it's a NEED, and wouldn't put emphasis on the word.
I think thats one of the things people do when the aquire anything antique.....they research it. If you have an old clock, it's an old clock, but if you know the make and age and a little history, it becomes your clock, it has a little more soul, because you know a little more about it.

I'm living in Sweden now actually. The UK has a pretty rubbish biking infrastructure yes.

You may find the Classic & Vintage Forum here more amenable to your needs and desires, Tom.

Thanks, I was just introducing myself. Forum etiquette.

Right, sorry. Welcome!

Welcome, Tom.

Hi Tom. Cool bikes, I like to know the "lineage" of my bikes as much as possible too, I'm kind of a detail freak when it comes to machinery. I was into vintage cars for many years and could tell you the specs on every component in the engine and what the engine block, heads, etc. came out of if not original. I'm the same way with my bikes, some people find it interesting some find it weird LOL.

Thanks.