1951 Tydlesley Cycles Planet Pintail

[fiveSixteenths]

Don’t know about you, but I needed a bit of a break from all the crap news, and yesterday I finally collected My New Project - which had been looked after by family friends in Bristol for the last few months.

it was rescued by the last owner (I think I might be the fourth) and quite well powder-coated so not idea how it might have looked from the factory- but it has the original enamelled head badge, all the brazing are complete, threads look good and a Campagnolo seat pin. All for £40

Am collecting (full disclosure - have been lol) parts and pondering on where we go from here

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Quite light for 1951, but fork weighs nearly half the frame lol

 

[fiveSixteenths]

And apologies.
Probably Frankagnolo

 

[fiveSixteenths]

And just could resist starting to look at setting things up.
Nice Milremo stem seems fitting, as does the Milremo saddle.
Think I need a 28.something or 27 seat post, the lovely GS one definitely doesn’t fit.
And barrel adjusters and pad holders.

 

[Woz]

Nice project, and good luck with it. I'm curious about the gear lever boss, what would have been there originally?

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Nice project, and good luck with it. I'm curious about the gear lever boss, what would have been there originally?

Aw, cheers
Have also been wondering about that, was hopeful someone on here might know…

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Nice project, and good luck with it. I'm curious about the gear lever boss, what would have been there originally?

Ah, am now thinking, surely that’s the thing that sits snugly under the band? Will have a look tonight

 

[grantoury]

Very nice, interested to see the result.

 

[otherself]

My mid 1950's Carlton had gear lever bosses. Not uncommon to see gear lever braze-on mounts on 1940s-50's British and French bikes. (Simplex). Campagnolo started producing their own in 1955 afaik. They went out of fashion for a bit (circa 1960-1975) because band-on downtube shifters were cost-effective in the frame building process (especially for larger manufacturers).

Nobody truly knows who invented or first used the down tube gear lever boss. Could have been Paul de Vivie (Velocio) or Joanny Panel with a Le Chemineau, around the year 1914, based in St Étienne.

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Ah. Neat. I wonder what the price of the earliest Campagnolo version that would fit might cost…
…no, not going to look. I think I don’t want to know.