In a message dated 11/12/02 6:31:42 PM Pacific Standard Time, monkeylad@mac.com writes:
<< I've always liked the BSA stuff and they seem to have made just about
every metal part for a bicycle at one time or another. I've always
wondered if they made all the parts themselves or contracted them from
other folks other than Sturmey-Archer for the hubs. Though the BSA
Sturmey hubs were just more than re-labeled SA 3-speeds. They were a
major armaments manufacturer, thus the "A" in their name, so I'm sure
they had the tooling and know-how to do it. On the flip-side it seems
like a major investment and change of direction, particularly with the
need for British Small Arms by the British for warfare from 1910 to
1945. >>
In the motorbike world, BSA was known for making ALL their own stuff. They
were one of the few that made their own exhaust pipes. Gas tanks and other
sheet metal parts were all "in house".
The rifle on their logo is a "Martini-Henry". Roughly 1872 and a falling
block, single shot breech loading rifle with metallic cartridge. It replaced
the Snider conversion musket (Brit version of the Trap-Door Springfield).
I would be amazed if ANY of the bicycle parts were farmed out (other than the
3 speed hubs?).
Stevan Thomas
Alameda, CA