Fixing a Victorian

[Nabeaquam]

My latest thought on paint is like my pedals, can’t decide what to do. I’m thinking about trying to spray or wipe graphite lube on the paint. Nano balls of basically dirt will penetrate into the satin paint. I’m going to try this on some old frames in my junk pile to see how it looks and stays on. It makes a mess to clean up so it should penetrate into the paint pores. How to make my pristine white tires look old? Perhaps a rubbing of bentonite mixed with powdered charcoal? Any ideas?

 

[Mickeyspinn]

White tyres don't stay white for long! Drag em about in the dirt or chuck em in that lake! They'll soon darken.
As for paint sounds intriguing

 

[Nabeaquam]

White tyres don't stay white for long! Drag em about in the dirt or chuck em in that lake! They'll soon darken.
As for paint sounds intriguing

Sounds like I need to seek out muck to ride in. Can’t hurt the look.

 

[Nabeaquam]

And by the sounds of it lots of money in it too.

Perhaps it goes someway in explaining the amount of overkill gone into high end US made track bikes?

I think if there wasn’t money there was prestige to fight for, and they were serious. My very early Claud Butler DSH track bike was cutting edge. The pedals were the same brand but the left one is shorter because you might have to race on grass. The spokes were rusted to wire so I replaced them but I used the original nipples. The spokes were tied and soldered. They were tied with what appeared to be hog rings. I could find no hog rings small enough and I looked hard for a long time. They were double butted with the butting at the wood rim being longer than anything I have ever seen. It was standard length butting at the hub. The original spoke butting at the hub was 2, and 1.8 at the wood rim so I used 1.8 with washers on the hub in my rebuild. I spoke with custom spoke makers and they said spokes like the originals don’t exist. I got custom length straight, no butting, spokes made and used washers at the hub. I tied and soldered the spokes, which is a more modern method than hog rings I’m guessing. This just goes to show how serious they were, no expense spared to make it as fast as possible.

 

[Woz]

A lot of work gone into that wheelset.

I always understood tied and soldered spokes had little to do with speed and strength - was a matter of course for a track bike due to safety issues. My father who did a lot of road racing and some track racing believed it was more to do with the wheel builder being able to charge the customer more! I guess there was some logic and need, but it's something rarely done today; perhaps spoke quality as improved?

 

[greencat]

Nice to see brass washers under the spoke nipples. Henry Burtons of Stafford used to offer that by default. I don't think many took them up on it, but I always did.

 

[Nabeaquam]

A lot of work gone into that wheelset.

I always understood tied and soldered spokes had little to do with speed and strength - was a matter of course for a track bike due to safety issues. My father who did a lot of road racing and some track racing believed it was more to do with the wheel builder being able to charge the customer more! I guess there was some logic and need, but it's something rarely done today; perhaps spoke quality as improved?

I tried to make the respoke as original as possible, so I used the original nipples and tied the spokes. Too bad I couldn’t source the strange spokes and hog rings. Safety is something I didn’t consider and hog rings would be fast and cheaper than solder.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

A lot of work gone into that wheelset.

I always understood tied and soldered spokes had little to do with speed and strength - was a matter of course for a track bike due to safety issues. My father who did a lot of road racing and some track racing believed it was more to do with the wheel builder being able to charge the customer more! I guess there was some logic and need, but it's something rarely done today; perhaps spoke quality as improved?

What's the safety issue woz? Broken spoke impalement?
I've always thought that spokes are best allowed to do they're thing....that silly way of twisting spokes around each...forget what it's called to me is just the most daft thing ever!

 

[Woz]

What's the safety issue woz? Broken spoke impalement?
I've always thought that spokes are best allowed to do they're thing....that silly way of twisting spokes around each...forget what it's called to me is just the most daft thing ever!

Yep, broken spoke flopping about. Not a good thing to have on a tight clearance brakeless track bike. I guess the logic is no more than a belt and braces system and could provide just enough structural support to allow the rider come to a controlled stop.

 

[Woz]

Some great bike handling with a bust front wheel. This really could have gone very wrong.