Velognome 

Thanks Noglider, I have the fenders in black, I just like the chrome but was thinking of going native with the original black & white-tale. Mark900, the Chaincase pic. was grabbed of the net, too lazy to photo the one I have. But mine is in good original condition.

Howard

Hammered fenders for 650b fit 650a wheels. My appreciation waxes and wanes, but SWMBO likes the look so I leave them on.

crank_addict

Enjoying this thread. Recently came across a poor to fair condition Rudge Sport - all chrome - (frame and fenders) 3 speed SA. Missing the crank. Has a Brooks that now looks like a burn't taco. Front hub has dyno. Rims badly corroded. Cables yanked. Naturally, needs fresh rubber, pads, cables, pedals.... I didn't bother to check the serial number or determine age. Somehow this sorry ride is calling my name. Any idea if these chrome versions were special? Guestimate value in rough condition?

Velognome 

Chrome ones are nice and command a higher price just as do the 23" frames...you won't get rich flipping it, but it'll just sell faster.

jamesj

I need new tires for years now I have been running Cheng shin tires on my 3 speed and have grown tired of how dead they feel, I always feel like I'm having to struggle just to get some where. I want a faster zippy tire, what should I get?

Velognome 

Kenda's with the raised center rib are OK at best, I ride them at their max 55psi to get reasonable road speed

wahoonc

Panaracer Col de la Vie or Michelin World Tour.

Aaron

rhm

Panaracer Col-de-la-Vie are pretty nice. They are pretty fat, so you don't have to run them at high pressure. I must have over a thousand miles on mine, one flat so far.

Schwinnsta

Another +1 for Panaracer Col-de-la-Vie.

Gasbag

Great thread! Meet my 1963 Rudge 23" sports. I bought it from the daughter of the original owner for the princely sum of $30. It had been stored for 30+ years. I took it down to the bare frame and did a full restoration / preservation for its 50th birthday. The paint was dead and all the old lube had turned to tar. The original Brooks saddle is in nice, supple condition. I will be adding a period correct lantern (if the postal service can see fit to deliver it) and possibly a rack for work commuting duties. I named him "Casey Jones" due to the oil ports and old locomotive attitude.

I don't watch TV, I rather spend my free time these days restoring old bicycles. After I get the 1 Austrian, 2 French, and 1 American bicycle restorations that are waiting their turn completed, I think I am going to focus my attention on the old English bikes. They require fewer special tools and I really like the fit and finish of them. In many ways they remind me of the straight six cylinder, three on the tree cars and trucks of my younger years.

This is my first try at uploading pictures here, so hopefully the internets smile down upon me.

gna

Gasbag

After completing my Rudge, I took a notion to add a Dynohub to it. I located a Phillips ladies bicycle on CL for cheap that had a complete Dynohub and lighting system. The photos were poor so I didn't catch much else about it until I had purchased it. The old girl, 1956, seems to be an odd duck. It is a Phillips Royal and all of my searches far and wide have not turned up another. Note the Raleigh-like thimbled fork. Other Phillips that I have seen with this style are flat across the top. Also the head badge is quite different from standard Phillips. Note the seat tube and fender decals.

I bought it from the brother of the original owner. It was purchased new in Boston and brought to Chicago after his sisters death.

Now I'm not so sure that I should cannibalize this old lady for the Dynohub as she is a good candidate for a preservation.

noglider 

Gasbag, welcome! Your Rudge is a lot like mine, which is one year older. It's a 1962 model, and for what it's worth, I am a 1961 model.



Here are the rest of the pictures.

I saw move the lighting system to the Rudge, since that's what you'll be riding (right?). Then fix up the Phillips, which is also a very nice specimen. Does anyone know when Raleigh bought Philips?

Nerdy Norm

1960 - source: https://www.raleigh.co.uk/Company/History/

noglider 

That's what I thought. So how did the Philips have a Raleigh fork in the 1950's.

Gasbag

Thanks for the welcome Tom. FWIW, I'm a 1961 model myself. I was acquainted with your Rudge while searching information here about mine. Like you mentioned in an earlier post, it is a special bike and it is already in the keeper category.

The Phillips Royal fork has thrown me for a loop. It is obviously original to the bike, going by paint condition and pinstriping which matches the rest of the bike perfectly. The Phillips forks of this style that I have seen, somewhat uncommon, are flat across the top.

The rather unique head badge leads me to believe that this bike is a limited edition as I have not seen another during some intensive searching.

Gasbag

I have a NOS Elite chrome bicycle lantern somewhere in the postal service that I bought for the Rudge. I work second shift, so my original plan was to update the Elite with LED lighting and use a blinky out back to avoid getting squooshed on my ride home. Then I got the dynohub idea. Then I bought a parts bike for the dynohub that is to nice & unique to part out. A bit of a quandry. I may need a couple of pints while sitting in the garage staring at them to get this sorted out.

gbalke

Nice restoration on the Rudge Gasbag; you really can't go wrong with black on a vintage Brit cycle. Looking forward to seeing more of your handi work.

So, how far south of Chicago are you?

Gasbag

Thanks for the compliment. I probably have close to 40 hours in the Rudge restoration. Like I said above, it's what I do now to while away my free time. The bikes that I don't want to keep get sold for my cost plus a decent six pack of beer. By not selling at a profit, my restorations will remain just a no pressure hobby.

I'm about an hour south of Chicago in the Kankakee area.

fixed1313

Welcome to the addiction Gasbag, I have pretty much given up on the other countries as well and focus mainly on Brit bikes. They are so much fun to work on and ride. You have two nice looking bikes, I would move the lighting system over to the Rudge and restore the Philips as well.

Gasbag

Thanks for the welcome. I am leaning in the direction doing the lighting swap. The Rudge has Westrick rims and the Phillips has Dunlops so it looks like I will be getting schooled in wheel building. I make my living as a mechanic so the process doesn't intimidate me at all. The toggle under the headlight is snapped off so that needs to be addressed.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Raleigh, my intention is locate the other and lesser known brands as a priority and Raleighs mainly when a deal is too good to pass (read that dirt cheap). I enjoy the research of a project as well. I am located in a hub of sorts of a few different Craigslist geo locations and don't mind a couple hour drive to buy a bike. The only tools that I need to buy, based on the Rudge restore, is an adjustable hook spanner for the BB lock rings and a good quality 16mm cone wrench.

73emgee

Great name, "Casey Jones". These old Black British bikes seem to share many traits with old steam locomotives. Good luck on your lighting conversion, LED's are a great match with the Dynohub.

noglider 

You may eventually need some Whitworth spanners (wrenches). Metric and SAE wrenches don't fit some Whitworth nuts. Or do you have the wrenches already?

What did you have to do to fix up the Rudge?

Gasbag

Being a truck mechanic, I have a well stocked tool box though I don't have any whitworth. As a last resort, I use Snap On adjustable wrenches when the prospect of buggering a hex looks imminent. Nothing can foul the air of my shop with blue language faster than tools that perform poorly. There may be a whitworth purchase in the future. The Rudge required no tools that I don't already own but a properly fitting lock ring spanner and a better quality 16mm cone wrench would have made the job easier.

Gasbag

What did you have to do to fix up the Rudge?[/QUOTE]

The Rudge had dead paint which required a careful rub out with Scratch X. I used Wolfgang paint color enhancer followed by two applications of Wolfgang paint sealant to get the color to pop. All of the old battle scars were left intact save straightening a fender stay. I used Fiebings horse saddle conditioner on the Brooks. The front hub was missing a bearing so I bought a bag of 100 grade 25 bearings from a local bearing dealer. All the small parts were hydro-sonically cleaned and then hand polished. I wiped the cable housings with a rag sprayed with carburetor cleaner and then rubbed paint sealer on them. All bearings were greased with Phil Woods finest. I filled the AS hub with Tri-Flow on my truing stand and spun & drained it until it ticked over nicely and the the fluid ran out clean. The chrome was lightly rusty so I hand polished it with chrome cleaner applied with aluminum foil.

A lot of work went into it, but I'm very satisfied with the outcome.