Best of British (Components)

Canuk

Canuk

Old School Grand Master
I've recently been on the look out for a Harden 'Bacon Slicer' rear hub to go with this nos front hub I picked up, and quite amazed at the variety and quality of British parts from the previous century. From Constrictor alloy rims to GB66 brakes, it's a plethora of innovation and great British engineering!
 

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Webb Pedals:

One feature of these pedals is the larger than average ball bearings (5/16″) contained in a race. The other is the centre spindle body that is of aluminium alloy
 

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Williams AB77 cotterless chain set
 

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B & T ‘Manx’ brakes
 

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B & T were best known for their manufacture of bicycle mudguards under the ‘Bantel’ brand. However, in 1947 they produced a revolutionary all alloy cam-action brake almost forty years before their modern equivalent, the Campagnolo ‘Delta’ brake, was conceived. They called it the Manx brake, one assumes as a tribute to the Isle of Man cycle races. In a year that saw the introduction of many hiduminium and duralumin components such as ‘Lytaloy’, ‘Burlite’ and ‘Stratalite’ by Hobbs, Burmin, and Strata, B & T in turn must have looked for peacetime outlets for their engineering talents.
 
Hobbs Lytaloy brakes

These were sold from 1947 – 1950. The manufacture is believed to have been out-sourced by Hobbs to be built to their own high standards, resulting in a brake superior to most others at the time.

I used to have a Lytaloy headset but it's lost to the mists of time and house moves.
 

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A couple of my bikes have Britannialloy pumps, Tonard racks and Spencer mudguards, I have a ligtweight alloy Apex handlebar from the people who also made pumps.
 
Burlite 'Delta' brakes
 

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Burlite brakes were manufactured in Birmingham, Burlite Accessories Ltd., 25 Linden Road, Bournville, Birmingham 25.

They were available from 1945 onwards for a few years until the ubiquitous GB's just about took over the market for UK made brakes.

On the right are the hooded alloy levers with bands right around the bars rather than the more common clips. This pair on Patricia’s Bates BAR fit 7/8″ bars only so no good for 15/16″.

They were advertised in Aids to Happy Cycling in 1949. These levers would be matched to the stirrups (see image bottom right) which were obviously intended to compete with the ‘standard’ GB Hiduminiums.
 
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