Some years ago, I went to visit a friend in West London. He had a bike under his front hedge, that he had bought to ride, but, as a new father, the cost in making it roadworthy put him off, and he abandoned the project. He offered it to me, and I accepted, saying I would come back an collect it. SWMBO said NO!, so I left it a while.
Last Friday, I did just that. The hedge had grown a bit, and the poor bike had no other cover. I became the proud owner of a Royal Enfield "Lightweight Sport".
I had now idea how old it was, it has the timeless 20's-60's quality of a classic design, but it has some charm, and I have always wanted a rod braked bicycle.
It has suffered the ordeal of living outside, and come off quite badly.
Frame: Royal Enfield WR Deluxe 1964? #103012
Fork: Royal Enfield
Headset:
Handlebar: OEM
Brakes : Rod Brake system
Brake Pads:
Gears: Sturmey Archer AG
Chain:
Crank: OEM
Bottom Bracket: Brampton
Pedals:
Rims: Westwood pattern
Hubs: Rear, Sturmey Archer AG 3-speed dyno hub, Front ?
Tyres:
Tubes:
Saddle:
Seatpost: Steel
Seatpost Binder:
Weight: Not at all lightweight
It suffers rust badly.....
I have the missing quadrant for the chain case.
The branding seems to be a stencil, and the seat tube one seems wrong, would look better vertical.
The joy of the Three cannons on the chain wheel. I may have to leave the cover off of the chain case, so that I can see this.
The 1960 catalogue. It is the bicycle on the left, and has the original lights (in poor condition) but no wiring.
I have already started to work on this. The BB axle is bent, and with a poorly fitting chain case, has caused a wear groove on the back of the drive side pedal arm. The chain is so stretched that it has started to contact and wear the teeth behind as it goes round. All the brake parts are very corroded, and I may just source new items from the bay. The front rim is a write off due to rust. Still undecided as to what to do with the paint, looks like British Rail Green to me. Will need some decals made.
As for age, the 3-speed is dated 62, and the serial number is 64/61. Now I don't know about Royal Enfield serial Nos. so I have emailed the National Cycle Museumhttp://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/ in Wales, to ask for advice.
This is going to be a long haul
Last Friday, I did just that. The hedge had grown a bit, and the poor bike had no other cover. I became the proud owner of a Royal Enfield "Lightweight Sport".
I had now idea how old it was, it has the timeless 20's-60's quality of a classic design, but it has some charm, and I have always wanted a rod braked bicycle.
It has suffered the ordeal of living outside, and come off quite badly.
Frame: Royal Enfield WR Deluxe 1964? #103012
Fork: Royal Enfield
Headset:
Handlebar: OEM
Brakes : Rod Brake system
Brake Pads:
Gears: Sturmey Archer AG
Chain:
Crank: OEM
Bottom Bracket: Brampton
Pedals:
Rims: Westwood pattern
Hubs: Rear, Sturmey Archer AG 3-speed dyno hub, Front ?
Tyres:
Tubes:
Saddle:
Seatpost: Steel
Seatpost Binder:
Weight: Not at all lightweight
It suffers rust badly.....
I have the missing quadrant for the chain case.
The branding seems to be a stencil, and the seat tube one seems wrong, would look better vertical.
The joy of the Three cannons on the chain wheel. I may have to leave the cover off of the chain case, so that I can see this.
The 1960 catalogue. It is the bicycle on the left, and has the original lights (in poor condition) but no wiring.
I have already started to work on this. The BB axle is bent, and with a poorly fitting chain case, has caused a wear groove on the back of the drive side pedal arm. The chain is so stretched that it has started to contact and wear the teeth behind as it goes round. All the brake parts are very corroded, and I may just source new items from the bay. The front rim is a write off due to rust. Still undecided as to what to do with the paint, looks like British Rail Green to me. Will need some decals made.
As for age, the 3-speed is dated 62, and the serial number is 64/61. Now I don't know about Royal Enfield serial Nos. so I have emailed the National Cycle Museumhttp://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/ in Wales, to ask for advice.
This is going to be a long haul
