Re: 1949 Claud Butler Olympic Path #931600E (Stars & Stripes)
Getting a little excited… :shock: I think I’ve found something just a little different…..
When I first stripped the bike down, I of course took good care of what was being removed, but as the parts were so caked in muck & rust, I only gave them a cursory glance before I popped them in ‘the dip’.
One such set of parts that I didn’t spend much time looking at was the head-set, I knew what it was, another (albeit rare) Brampton Alatet, possibly a Mk1 if the name stamp was the right way up
Now, although I said this project has come to a pause, that doesn’t mean I’m just going to bag it all up and throw it into the corner, no I’m going to clean all the (supposed to be) bright stuff up as much as possible, then put them in the waiting box ready for the next trip to the platers.
Now, have a look at the photos below, on the left a Brampton Alatet Mk1 from my 1955 CB Tour of Britain frame set. on the right, is what I pulled of the ’49 Olympic Path…. Almost exactly the same right? Wrong… it’s a GNUTTI Export with UK threads and (25.4 x 24tpi) & UK bearings (20 x 5/32”) top and bottom!
On closer inspection, its much sharper, the machining is crisper. I wonder if this was copied by Brampton? Or maybe made under licence?
Any ho, its going on Velobase……