Early racing tt bike !?

[velo6]

This will give you a little overview of what people rode in those days
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/time-trials.html

In the section reader's bikes you can have a look at machines with (F) behind it - fixed gear machines.
Probably from the mid 50s derailleurs slowly entered the scene.

There are still some chaps around riding their vintage steel in 10M TT's, good fun!

It doesn't need to be expensive, you could probably get a decent pre-1960 531 frame with fixed/geared wheel set for sub £100, and you do not necessarily need track ends to ride a fixed gear.

Have fun with the search

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Re:

Not specifically what you asked for, but I have a late 70s Dave Moulton TT frameset which is lovely and light and has close clearances. It's a 53cm frame, with rear shifter/mech routing only, if of any interest then let me know.

 

[Tooldtobebold]

Re: velo6

Thanks for that velo6 i think your right about a 80s frame being the way forward ! And the cost shouldn't be too much i think were i went wrong was the 50s bike i tried for size was the bike that joe Simpson won bronze on not your regular 50s bike

 

[Midlife]

These crop up on eBay regularly........

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=178542

Just need to check which one

 

[velo6]

Please don't let my/our comments put you off to get a 1950s project.
All (well most) my bikes are pre 1960, and I like to ride them hard.

A bike like Tommy's Flyer track is a typical 1950s road/path frame, made by master builders - responsive and light enough to have some fun with. Just don't expect to get the paper thin clearances like you see on LFGSS forums, etc...

They can be had, you just have to be a little patient till something crops up.
There is an ex-Herne Hill Flyer on the bay at the moment. I think it's fairly overpriced for the condition, but just to show they are out there. Hilary Stone for example has a lovely Carlton Coureur (very rare) track frame from the 1950s, very tempting but again over my budget for a frame alone @£245. The Pollard he has is really nice as well with very close clearances for a 50s frame.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carlton-Flyer ... Sw1blZmDrU

 

[Midlife]

The seat stays on that Flyer don't look very Flyer - ish ....

 

[Tooldtobebold]

Re:

I agree it doesn't look like the two that i looked at the weekend !

 

[Old Ned]

When I was TT,ing in the 70's it was pretty much organised and we had the RTTC (I think that's what it was called) to oversee it. People rode TT bikes if they had the cash and had done since the 60's Step back a few years to the 40-50's and the older riders told me of "testing" which was the same as time trialling but not quite sure how well it was organised. "Testers" just seemed to don an alpaca jacket and use their ordinary bikes

Massed start racing was probably more prevalent ?

Hens I'm not sure if you would get a TT bike from that era, would likely be fixed gear

Time Trialling was well organised way back before the 50's. The Road Time Trials Council was founded in the early days of the 20th century and held a tight grip on organisers and riders with a multitude of regulations, many of which told you what not to do! In the 60's I basically had one style of bike that did everything (apart from track!) with double chainrings and a couple of pairs of wheels for training and racing. Fixed wheel was the main trend, riders worrying if they should ride an 81", an 82", or even an 84" gear on the morning (very early morning!) of an event. Single ring TT bikes came more common in the early 60's, gears for TT'ing becoming fashionable only after the late and great John Woodburn won the '62 25 championship on them and Charly McCoy broke the 25 record. In my memory, the term 'Testing' only came common a bit later and tended to be used by road racers as a slightly derogatory term for someone who couldn't ride RR's well (ie unable to sprint, climb or hold his place in a bunch). Alpaca jackets and tights went out in the 40's (?) thankfully but even in the beginning of the jersey and shorts era they had to be black until club jerseys were allowed. Definitely no trade jerseys!!. Goodness knows what the early RTTC stalwarts would think of the current scene!

 

[Nob]

Re:

Proper TT bikes of the 70's

https://www.iancammish.co.uk/nobs-tribute-to-roger

 

[velo6]

This one is ending in roughly 3 hours - late 1950s road path, Nervex Pro lugs?
Lots wrong with it, but a decent basis for a 50s TT bike

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172830672127?ul_noapp=true