Rusty Coventry Eagle 531 rat build

[sparkybhp]

I scooped this with a ridiculously low eBay bid - collected last night. Bonus - it’s got 531 tubes and a scruffy but not wrecked Brooks B17 saddle. I plan on keeping the awesome rusty patina and building it as a bullhorn bar single speed. I’m going to polish the wheels and components to contrast the scruffy frame - should look sweet.
Any info on model or age would be cool, thanks.

 

[sparkybhp]

Making progress already, wheels need more polish but the frame rubbed down with steel wool and then a coat of wax - looking sweet.

 

[sparkybhp]

Pretty much there now, fitted just a front brake as space is tight at the handlebars - had to drill out the clamp to 25mm to get it tight up against the stem. That was a mission - even with a starret hole saw in my pillar drill, it kept binding up (being aluminium) and got damn hot too..
It rides nice, the gearing is very tall but makes a nice cruiser and is light for such a large frame.

 

[pigman]

Unless it's fixed gear, ie doesn't freewheel, it needs a back brake to be road legal. If you have an accident some legal eagle may jump on this and render you liable

As well as you may not be able to stop on a descent

 

[The History Man]

I bought one of these new in 82 as I couldn’t afford a team Raleigh bike. Nice to see one getting some love. If you ever want to move it on……….

 

[sparkybhp]

Unless it's fixed gear, ie doesn't freewheel, it needs a back brake to be road legal. If you have an accident some legal eagle may jump on this and render you liable

As well as you may not be able to stop on a descent

..I mean - thanks for the heads up, but I’ll take my chances. Don’t think there’s many folk, least of all coppers that’d know or try and enforce that one.

If you ever want to move it on………

Cheers THM, actually currently listed on eBay now, but I fear you may be too far away to collect..

 

[Old Ned]

Remember the guy that ran into a pedestrrian and killed him/her a couple of years ago? Coppers ("especially coppers" ??? It's their job!) ) were soon there and quickly realised his bike wasn't 'legal'. Ignorance of the law (and it IS law) isn't an excuse.

 

[sparkybhp]

To be fair I’ve been thinking about the above comment and done a bit of reading up. General opinion seems to be that it’s only something that’s going to be raised if there’s an accident, but if that happens you’re in trouble.. In the interest of safety and making riding more enjoyable I’ll be either installing a rear brake or a fixed rear wheel in the near future..
I’ve decided to hang on to this for a while, despite it being too big - it’s still rideable and it does ride nicely. I love the looks too, it’d be hard to recreate the patina this has. Watch this space.

 

[Old Ned]

In the late 80's/early 90's a mate of mine was riding his new time trial bike to test it and he was stopped by a patrol car. The copper got out and accused my mate of riding a bike with no brakes and that he would summons him. He was a mite pee'ed off when my mate showed him that the rear brake was attached under the bottom bracket and the front brake was behind the fork crown. Exit one frustrated man in blue.

 

[sparkybhp]

Slight change of direction on this one! Decided to revert to 10 speed and fit drop bars.. Also fitted the B17 saddle and a GB shorty stem to match the GB bars.
Rides nice (and stops!) in this configuration, reason for the change is I’ve just built an MBK single speed in a size that fits - a much more suitable bike for that sort of build.
This is now for sale on eBay (only because it’s too big!) and I’m looking for something similar in 56cm size.