clayface

Excellent job. This just shows the potential of the U-frames and that there are good vintage frames out there other than the Raleigh Twenty.


Roberto

v1nce

Hey Clayface. Yeah i agree it is an outstanding job. Though if you read the other thread concerning U frames i would say that very much suggests very few if any of those are truly good alternatives. Most are just rather shoddy and end up failing.

clayface

Yes v1nce, it can be a hit and miss job. But my words were base on Boe's first comments in his TwentyFixer thread on how his folder rides.
However, I've been fortunate enough to come across a good one. My Victoria folder dates back to the early 70's and I'm sure it was abused by children (ruined paint in the one piece stays-rack suggests so) because that's how folders were sold here in those days. Since I decided to build it up (I found the frameset in a rubbish dump) I've been riding it both on and off road without a niggle.


Roberto

v1nce

Cool. Do you have pictures of that Victoria on these boards or elsewhere, i haven't come across them yet. Sound interesting. Ah yes the 70's. Back in the days they made some nice bikes! Mind you i wasn't born yet in the early seventies har har.

clayface

Here's the shot (quality is rather poor) I found the frameset, seatpost , stem and bars. The paint and seatpost were in a sorry state so just repainted it and got a new seatpost. I've just got some adaptaers to use a cotterless BB and so replaced the original cottered crankset (we corresponded about your Twenty's original a few weeks ago) with this one. There are still a few things to solve: fit the rear brake in its "normal" position, get a short cage rear derailleur and mudguards.
The hinge is solid and so the frame doesn't flex if it's tightened correctly. Weight is around 13 kgs and folding dimensions are in line with most modern 20" .


Roberto

af895

Great bike Roberto! The rear geometry resembles the Bianchi "Aquiletta" (and the "Aquilotto" motorized version). Very nice design that doesn't need seat-stays, instead using the rear rack as part of the structure.

Here's a couple of links I found to the Bianchis, for comparison:
https://www.mopedarmy.com/photos/brand/144/2588/
https://www.yellowjersey.org/aq.html

Love to see more pics when you've got them.

v1nce

@ Clayface. Oh yeah, now i remember, yeh u were looking for cranks. Very nice wheels! The dropouts, frame geometry, tube thickness and all the rest suggest it is a well built/quality machine. The beefy back rack and the reinforcing "strut" by the headtube are cool. I like it! Did it come with a derallieur hanger?! And if not how did you get one on there. More (detail) pics please!!

clayface

Thanks for your kind words.

Well, I decided to spend the spare time this weekend completing the unfinished jobs and show a few more pics (these days I'd rather go riding than tinkering over the bikes!)


Victoria are still making fine bikes these days in Germany, most of them geared, but back in those days most of their bikes were single speed with a coaster brake (the rest of their production was dedicated to motorcycles). The hanger in this bike came with the SunTour derailleur. It's an 86 Cyclone MkII model.


I got the tyres (Haro MultiSurface II 20x1.75) and rims (Weinmann Zac 4019, 36h) off ebay for a very reasonable sum and laced them to some unbranded vintage hubs that I had lying around the parts box to make a solid wheelset.

Freewheel is a 5 speed Regina Extra BX and the chain is a pre-Sram, gold Sachs. The chainstays are so short that any shift of the chain to any cog other than the middle one results in the worst chainline I've ever seen (so I won't bother to squeeze any more gears into it!).

I found the mudguards very cheap in a department store. They are plastic (very similar to the ones v1nce shows in his page) and meant for 26" wheels. The front one needed a bit of "ovenwork" to get the adequate shape.

I decided to keep a low budget for this bike since it was going to be a back-up bike. Most of the parts were already with me so the final cost was around €70. It's great fun to ride, specially when the children and grown-ups in the neighbourhood see me riding a "strange bike with such small wheels" (folders are absolutely uncommon here) .


Roberto

af895

Hey V1nce! To add to Roberto's reply: There are versions of many, perhaps most, derailleurs (Shimano, SRAM, Campy etc) that have the option axle mount. (integrated hanger? Not sure of the terminology)

Roberto: thanks for those pics. Colour bears a striking resemblance to the green used by Mercedes-Benz in the late 1970's/early 1980's - CLASSIC! Very much a keeper - great job restoring it.

v1nce

Nice pictures, i like the perforated front chain ring. Looks like a cracking bike and the low cost is remarkable. So the derallieur hanger/assembly is an old school variety that will work in most 'old campagnolo style' or similair drop outs or am i mistaken?

Funny that folders are such "freak out machines" in your area. Sometimes when i am feeling petty i am tempted to start a website called FoldersRule.com or something like that. Then i could give stickers with that URL to everyone rocking folders to stick on their frames. On the site would be information regarding the great benefits of folders, 20 inch and maybe Brooks. In order to educate the Zombiefied 700 cc "ha ha, is that a kids bike?!" masses. ;-)

clayface

I've even used that same hanger with track style horizontal dropouts (I know the SS and fix community will rule me out for doing such atrocity! ) So yes, they work on almost any dropout with any derailleur.


Roberto

Boe

clayface, what cranks are thoose, looks like Super Mighty?!!!

clayface

Late 70's French Solida. Nothing special, just one step above cottered cranks.

Roberto

Don Lundquist

Just bought what looks like the twin of your "Hon California" at a flea market (outside chicago) You already know more about the bike so I'm interested in other info you get including how old it is. You said the serial # looked scratched out. Where was it? I have 3 other "older folders" (2 Italian 1 German)The HON is the newest and the easiest to find info on so I appreciate info on ID'ing souces and origins of all my bikes. And thanks for the picture.

ccm

I Have Got A Dahon Speed D7 :d

v1nce

@ cccm: Nice that Dahon, simple, steel? and does the job! How much did it cost you if i may ask?

ccm

HI !Vince:the Dahon Speed D7 is made by 4130 Chromoly Steel and I really enjoy the riding.It cost me $260 US dollars!

Your Twenty looks great. I

James H Haury

How did you do that ovenwork with the fenders? You got that front fender to conform very closely to the front tire.I am impressed .What is the front handlebar stem made of it looks like a piece of pipe with aheadset clamped to it.I use haro 20 by 1.85 inch tires on my yeah.

clayface

I put the plastic fender over an old steel front one (which was absolutely rusted and unusable) and tied both with mild steel thin wire over several places then put it in the kitchen oven for 10 minutes at 150º, and left it to cool down. To hold it to the fork dropouts, I made a U shaped attachment with a piece of 3mm wire. It doesn't match the arc of the wheel exactly because the older fender was a size bigger (500A) than the current wheels. Plastic are not all the same so care must be taken throughout the process.


The stem is the original one that came with the frame. I cut the neck off because the thread for the bars clamp was gone. I use a 1 1/8 stem and two adapters, one to adapt it to 1" and the other one is a piece of threaded 1" steerer from an old 26" fork.


Those Haro's are excellent. They are absolutely "multisurface". They have lots of traction on loose ground, gravel, wet tarmac, anything. I'm really impressed with them. I've not had them for long, but I'm sure that the price to pay for all the top marks goes in their durability.


Roberto

v1nce

Ha ha, that's a cool name. Hmm do you spend any time on THEFORCE.NET ....? Or maybe read some of the FanFics there? Good stuff for any SW fan.

14R 

Yes, I am a big Star Wars fan. For a little while I paid credit card bills and even "sponsored" a trip to south america by selling Star Wars props off of E-Bay (I am pretty decent in the custom lightsaber, tusken raider's weapons and Wookie bandoliers industry).

I use to read the force.net for hints about the prequels before they came out. Not I spend more time in prop message boards and this forum (every 20 minutes or so I check them while studying during the weekends).

IF you noticed on my latest halfway picture, you can see a sticker or the car behind. Can you identify that?

v1nce

Hmm nope, though it reminds me a little of Mandalorian stuff i have seen or maybe even more of the Star Trek pantheon, Klingon style. What is it?

And if those wheels/car is yours it would appear the Star Wars industry is pretty good to you ha ha. So were you a collector turned seller or have you always been reselling/a middle man or do you make all those props yourself and then sell them?

Funny about those props, i am replaying the KOTOR pc game, Dark side campaign and a cool thing about that game is the many different weapons you can acquire and assemble.

14R 

It Mandalorian! I made a Boba Fett armor once (using plastic buckets from Home Depot) that ended up really nice but the customer did not want it painted so I kept the stickers (was a custom thing for MGM/Disney Star Wars week).

I always made the props on a "pre-order-only", most of the time for big-time collectors. Just recently I made some low quality lightsabers to sell off of E-Bay.

About the car? Well, before getting accepted into graduate school, before working for the U.S. Government, before moving to the USA and before the clone wars I used to be a well respected dentist. now I only study, eat, workout and plan on upgrading my little Halfway.

v1nce

Damn that some life story,.. the Clone Wars can Change a man! I used to be A Wookie elder, now i am a Twi-Lek Rogue ha ha. I am glad i got the Mandalarion thing almost right! But seriously that is interesting how you have changed direction. How old are you if may ask? What made you give up dentistry? Did you really work for uncle sam and if so what did you do? How do you financially support yourself, just the SW props or some other gigs?

14R 

E-Mail sent (after all, no more folding bikes in the subjects)


Rafael