doctor-bond
Feature Bike
This was a bit of an experiment, but it looks like it’s a keeper so time to give it its own thread.
It started life as a neglected 1980s British Eagle Crusader - these were tourers built (I think in Wales) to a price point (stock photo
What caught my eye was that the frame was made of Reynolds 531 CS (Club Sport which, If I remember rightly, means 531DB main tubes, 501 cromo forks and stays). And that it was also equipped with Modolo Rocky cantilever brakes which are wonderfully goofy with fixed straddle wires and kooky quick releases.
The frame turned out to be a real gem - light at 4.4 lbs and with thin cut out lugs and sweet heart shaped detailing.
The fork, on the other hand, was a dog - obvs where the money was saved, and as a result, I almost got rid of it; but a lucky eBay search netted a really nice replacement allowing the build to go ahead. I have no idea what the fork is, but it’s nicel made and suits the bike. It’s not chrome, but raw metal which I keep waxed - no clear coat to go yellow or encourage tin worm. As I’d changed so much, I couldn’t call it a British Eagle, so decided to rebrand it with my own decals - fairly easy with a bit of Illustrator fiddlement.
Add MTB-derived transmission, some nice dura ace wheels, a Nitto cockpit and it was ready for an outing at the Anjou Velo Vintage retro bike festival in France. We do the long route which knits together back roads and, er, ‘ gravel’ paths with the odd stop for cake and wine.
Since then it’s been my go to for exploring, as you can follow your nose and link up bridleways, green lanes and badly maintained back roads. I’ve swapped the Modolo brakes for ones that work, and moved the shifters to the stem. It will also get some mudguards once I’ve stripped them down.
It started life as a neglected 1980s British Eagle Crusader - these were tourers built (I think in Wales) to a price point (stock photo
What caught my eye was that the frame was made of Reynolds 531 CS (Club Sport which, If I remember rightly, means 531DB main tubes, 501 cromo forks and stays). And that it was also equipped with Modolo Rocky cantilever brakes which are wonderfully goofy with fixed straddle wires and kooky quick releases.
The frame turned out to be a real gem - light at 4.4 lbs and with thin cut out lugs and sweet heart shaped detailing.
The fork, on the other hand, was a dog - obvs where the money was saved, and as a result, I almost got rid of it; but a lucky eBay search netted a really nice replacement allowing the build to go ahead. I have no idea what the fork is, but it’s nicel made and suits the bike. It’s not chrome, but raw metal which I keep waxed - no clear coat to go yellow or encourage tin worm. As I’d changed so much, I couldn’t call it a British Eagle, so decided to rebrand it with my own decals - fairly easy with a bit of Illustrator fiddlement.
Add MTB-derived transmission, some nice dura ace wheels, a Nitto cockpit and it was ready for an outing at the Anjou Velo Vintage retro bike festival in France. We do the long route which knits together back roads and, er, ‘ gravel’ paths with the odd stop for cake and wine.
Since then it’s been my go to for exploring, as you can follow your nose and link up bridleways, green lanes and badly maintained back roads. I’ve swapped the Modolo brakes for ones that work, and moved the shifters to the stem. It will also get some mudguards once I’ve stripped them down.
