Old bike bits?

[Steve Watkin]

I've just rescued an old Rudge bike from my friends garage. It's got steel
26" wheels, rod brakes, 3 speed hub, full chaincase, and a hub dynamo on the
front.
What I would like to know is where to start looking for bits as I intend to
use it for local errands.
At the moment I need:
1/ The rear lower part of the chaincase (covers the bottom
of the rear sprocket)
2/ Brake blocks
3/ The round bit of the chaincase that covers the front
chainwheel.
4/ Something similar to the original saddle (could buy a
new Brooks but it would look odd on an old bike)

Any leads or help would be appreciated. Thanks SW

[Dr Curious]

"Steve Watkin" <steve.watkin1@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:cbohrd$m9p$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
> I've just rescued an old Rudge bike from my friends
> garage. It's got
steel
> 26" wheels, rod brakes, 3 speed hub, full chaincase, and a
> hub dynamo on
the
> front. What I would like to know is where to start looking
> for bits as I intend
to
> use it for local errands. At the moment I need:

> 1/ The rear lower part of the chaincase (covers the
> bottom of the rear sprocket)
> 2/ Brake blocks
> 3/ The round bit of the chaincase that covers the front
> chainwheel.

...

1 and 3 may be tricky as you need to ensure you get the
correct part as otherwise they may not fit. Some vendors are
fairly understanding and may allow you to return non-fitting
parts - at your cost. As many aren't sure of what they have
in any case.

In the past brake blocks were fairly standard and you
presumably have the current worn blocks to use for
comparison,

> 4/ Something similar to the original saddle (could buy a
> new Brooks but it would look odd on an old bike)

Unless its badly torn or rotten - and thus useless, old
leather saddles can be often brought back to life with
copious applications of dubbin - 43p a tin from a Wilkinsons
near you. Or you can spend 6 times as much on Proofide if
you really insist. Afterwards it may also need to be
retensioned if it has a screw undernaeth for that purpose.
But go careful if the leather looks as if it might split
around the rivets. Whether it will be comfortable or not is
another matter.

Otherwise there are usually plenty of leather saddles for
sale on Ebay. Some are NOS - new old stock and often more
expensive than new for sought after models. There are also
plenty of worn ones - although you have to consider how
comfortable a well worn secondhand saddle is likely to be.
Given that one advantge of leather saddles is that they mold
themselves to their original owner.

>
> Any leads or help would be appreciated. Thanks SW
>

Ebay can be a really good source for old bike bits

Bikes come under a number of classifications -

Home > All Categories > Collectables > Transportation >
Bicycle

Home > All Categories > Collectables > Transportation >
Bicycle > Other Bicycles

Sporting Goods > Cycling > Bicycle Parts >

If you've never dealt with Ebay before, in my experience
anyway, vendors of bicycle spares seem an honest enough
bunch. More so than you'd expect when buying pirated
CD's at least.

Always check the postage first to see how much you'll have
to pay in total.

Anyway good hunting

Curious

...

[Anonymous]

"Steve Watkin" <steve.watkin1@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:cbohrd$m9p$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
> I've just rescued an old Rudge bike from my friends
> garage. It's got
steel
> 26" wheels, rod brakes, 3 speed hub, full chaincase, and a
> hub dynamo on
the
> front.

Dunno if you know this already, but it's quite important so
I'll say it anyway : Don't take the hub dynamo apart to
'fix' it. You'll lose all the mangetism if you don't know
what you're doing. (I'm guessing it's a Sturmey hub 'mo).

cheers, clive

[Tony W]

"Steve Watkin" <steve.watkin1@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:cbohrd$m9p$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
> I've just rescued an old Rudge bike from my friends
> garage. It's got
steel
> 26" wheels, rod brakes, 3 speed hub, full chaincase, and a
> hub dynamo on
the
> front. What I would like to know is where to start looking
> for bits as I intend
to
> use it for local errands. At the moment I need:
> 1/ The rear lower part of the chaincase (covers the
> bottom of the rear sprocket)
> 2/ Brake blocks
> 3/ The round bit of the chaincase that covers the front
> chainwheel.
> 4/ Something similar to the original saddle (could buy a
> new Brooks but
it
> would look odd on an old bike)
>
> Any leads or help would be appreciated.

Googling for Cycles of Yesteryear will doubtless pay
dividends.

T