old british ss

I am trying to identify this old british bike: http://static.gelatinpixel.com/fg/ so I can figure weather to restore or rebuild. It has imperial standard threads etc…, a mate said he reckons it’s from the 50s…

thanks heaps

What makes you think it’s British (note the capital B)?

You’re pictures are hard to make out detail? Is that a horse head on the headtube? That’s quite significant if it is.

Also, your mate might be well meaning but is not very up to scratch on dating the bike. My money says early to mid 30’s and Australian.

Lastly, what are going to restore?

what is the makers name on the saddle?

post on this site for frame identification

spirito - there’s a link there to an extra photo of the bottom bracket shell.

“British Made, 94, GR 23, V, LS”

That’s about as useful as a Cinelli bottom bracket shell.

The 94 is likely a serial #, but the rest appears to be BB shell related.

I’m with Spirito, the headbadge is your key to ID. Post it on a real bikegeek forum/mailinglist like classic rendezvous

thanks for the tips guys and apologies for the lazy spelling :frowning:

Means nothing. Pre-war (#2) almost all the cast BB shells were made in England as were a lot of the high end bicycle parts.

Yo datapunk: is the head badge a horse’s head?

it sure looks like a horsehead with a roman style mane. does that mean Carbine?

That’s what I was thinking :wink:

It’s definitely no younger than late 30’s. I’m guessing but early 30’s would be my pic. The Phillips pedals would have come out shortly after so are close to period, the brakes look like weinmann 530’s (also close to period) but it’s a little hard to see and I wouldn’t be surprised if the saddle was a Dunlop.

datapaunk: you mightn’t like me saying this but you’re likely to fuck it up if you are thinking resto. Crucially the wheels have smaller diameter axles and are also narrower in the hub width than is common today. They may even have rear ends that have “snail” washers which will be tricky to replace if lost or to use with normal style hubs.

The drivetrain is less prone to be being fucked up by newb’s with no idea :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley: … apart from losing the original parts and replacing them with same candy coloured Taiwanese crap.

In any case think seriously whether you have it in you to do a faithful resto or even whether it’s really suited to your needs. My strong suggestion is to pass it off to someone who will value it and replace it with something that’s more your scene.

Carbine bicycles were originally manufactured in Melbourne from 1896. Although having no connection with the Melbourne-made Carbine, T W Henderson of 40-42 Park Street, Sydney began manufacturing Carbine bicycles, named after the famed 1890 Melbourne Cup winning horse. Henderson sold the business to F D (Fred) Walcott, an ex-champion cyclist, in about 1918 and Walcott manufactured and sold Carbines from his premises at 88-90 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. Walcott’s business closed down in 1968.

Carbine bicycles were the choice of serious racing cyclists in New South Wales and during the 1930s dominated the racing scene. In 1932 alone the first, second and third place getters in the New South Wales state titles rode Carbine bicycles.

In saying all that … this is speculation. We’d need better pics or more detail to confirm it is in fact a Carbine. If it is it’s one of the more important early Aussie bicycle makes and close to if not at the top of many collectors wish lists.

I for one would offer a trade for something more modern (if you’re in Sydney).

I can’t help, but any chance of one photo of the whole bike?

Yo datapunk: is the head badge a horse’s head?

No I don;t think but will check again when I get home and maybe take some more pics of it.
Update: We’re debating at home about the horse on the front. I will take some more pics on the weekend specifically about the front and the bottom… - sorry won’t have a chance before that…

So is there a difference between British Made, and Made in England - does one predate WW2 and the other not?

Thanks for your faith in me Spirito :wink:
BTW - the reason for asking first is exactly so that I do not screw it up. I may not be an expert in the field, tho I am not a retard either. Anyways, I think I sounded way too cranky here - no hard feelings… :slight_smile: Especially as you’ve given great clues re finding out about the origin of the bike.

I’ve already mentioned that I am aware of the different standards / sizes / threads this bike is built with too.

I have no real intention in trading it for a new one, though if I’d eventually find that restoring this bike’s original splendour exceeds my capabilities I may look into passing it on to someone who’s up for the challenge, but I am in no rush (I have it for a couple of years already, and it appears that this bike is like a good wine, will only get better with time - lol)

Your help is much appreciated though - seriously!!
ah and yes - I am in (or around) Sydney.

bests and please do check back after the weekend when I hope to post some more images.

cheers

^ :?

:smiley:

That’s all cool. I can ruffle feathers but I’d rather get peoples attention early and sound alarmist before any damage is done.

It’s great you’re aware of this bikes peculiarities and that you’re prepared to take your time to do it justice. I’m happy to help if I can and will check in to see what’s going down with regard to better pics.

Ditto :slight_smile:

will be back on the wkend w/ more pics.

Cheeers

Great news - this turned out to be a horse head after all. See all the new pics here: http://static.gelatinpixel.com/fg/gallery2/

see this picture of the logo http://static.gelatinpixel.com/fg/gallery2/pages/IMG_4295.html
or this cropped close up: http://static.gelatinpixel.com/fg/gallery2/pages/IMG_4295crop.html

In fact it looks like it’s a horse head and a horse shoe around the head.
It was a bit challenging to take the correct photo due to the reflections of the chrome, this is as good as I managed to get with existing lights.

Spirito - any idea what the SR on the stem means?

Wonder where the hack am I going to get parts for this beauty.
(I have all parts (will have to get close up to the wheels etc too – next time)). someone did a pretty crappy paint job on it once - hence one of the pedal (winch spocket-wheel etc) is still in place ==> I am yet to figure out how to get it off as the paint is all over everything and several years old.

I think the next step will be to visit the Canberra Bicycle Museum http://canberrabicyclemuseum.com.au/Aust%20manuf%20articles.htm#carbine.

Any other suggestions?

SR = Sakae Ringyo/S.R.
(stem looks same as mine)

as for the Canberra Bicycle Museum I think it has ceased to exist in a physical form and the collection being split to storage for possible future display, or sold.

And the makers name on the saddle. And can you see any identifying marks stamped underneath like a D17C? (I am trying to identify my saddle frame)

Shame that they’ve closed down the Canberra Museum :frowning:

In the meantime though I found out that The Powerhouse Museum has some Carbine’s as well. Unfortunately no photos available so I may have to pop in sometime to check those out.

Thanks for the links though about the SR.

The saddle on mine is in a bit of a bad shape as some d*ck spraypainted bits while the saddle was in place (and the winch) - so these will take some time to clean…, but will let you know if I find something.

Coolio !!! :mrgreen:

The Chrome looks OK and seemingly you have some of the parts pictured so it’s likely you’ll need just odds and ends. Shouldn’t be too hard … all those parts were in manufacture for many years so it’s easy to match the odd bits. 1st thing would be to strip of all the bits and carefully look over the frame for any damage and other distinguishing marks. See if it needs any work and is safe to ride.

BTW … the chainring is a Williams (maybe the crank too but it’s hard to tell).