Thank you Norris, this clarifies it perfectly.
For anyone interested, you can view the following at:
http://smg.photobucket.com/
1. Photos of a road/path frameset, badged as a Claud Butler, but I'm dubious of this. Whilst not relevant to this thread, idf anyone can positively identify it, I'd be most grateful.
2. Pictures of rear dropouts, with adjusters, on my 1938 Granby. For some unknown reason, they are not the Granby patent ones, but Brampton 9s, as illustrated on:
3. a scan of page 109 from the 1932 Brown Brothers catalogue, which, together with:
4. a scan of page 110 from the 1932 Brown Brothers catalogue shows the various features mentioned by Norris, including the wheel/chain adjusters and the small spigots pressed or forged or machined into the very end of each drop-out (see first engraving at top left of page 110 for the latter).
5. A scan of the relevant page from the 1939 Claud Butler catalogue.
Neil Foddering Weymouth, Dorset, England
>From: Norris Lockley <norris.lockley@talktalk.net>
>Reply-To: norris.lockley@talktalk.net
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [CR]REARWARD FACING DROP-OUTS redux
>Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 03:09:32 +0000
>
>I have only just dashed back from ameeeting and am now trying to find some
>relaxation by reading the Clasicrendezvous List. So far I have read only a
>selection of contributions, but felt that I might be able to explain why th
>is type if horizontally rear-facing drop-outs were used. If someone has alr
>eady put forward this expanation please accept my apologies because I haven
>'t yet had time to read all the contris yet.
>
>
>
>Some members have correctly stated that the long rear slot permitted the ra
>pid change of gear ratios, by replacing the single sprocket...usually a fix
>ed gear one, the chain taking up the slack of the chain or vice-versa
>, hence the longer than usual slot..longer than those on long Campag
>forward-facing gear drop-outs.
>
>
>
>This type of drop-out was particularly popular in the 40s through to the la
>te 60s in the UK when the road-track fixed gear commuting bike was popular,
> the bike also doubling up for a spot of track racing, or even for
>competit
>ive roller racing during the winter wet season, in the club-house.
>
>
>
>I can't speak for this type of drop-out in the States but in the UK, where
>the use was predominantly with fixed gear it was customary and indeed essen
>tial to use the drop-ots in conjunction with wheel/chain adjusters. These w
>ere pressed steel affairs fairly long with an eyelet that slotted over the
>non-Q/R axle. On to this eyelet was welded a threaded rod that passed throu
>gh the centre of a U-section piece of steel that located up against the ver
>y end surface of the drop-out
>
>
>
>When in place the wheel would be pulled rearwards until quite tight and the
> track nuts tightened, but not fully so. The mechanic would then set his
>sp
>anner of the small nut at the end of each adjuster rod , gently pull the wh
>eel backwards and in this way gradually fine tune the tension of the
>chain, until it had just the correct tension., and then lock the track nuts
> up firmly. If the frame was slightly out of track and the wheel not
>exactl
>y central in the stays or the wheel itself not built true, the adjusters co
>uld compensate as necssary. It was an incredibly accurate way of tensioning
> a chain and also centering the wheel. The fact the the adjuster butted
>ver
>y hard against the end of the drop-out when the chain was fully tensioned r
>endered it impossible to pull the wheel over against the stay even under sp
>rinting conditions.
>
>
>
>Several models of track-ends made in the UK during that period appeared to
>be very chunky and had two small spigots pressed or forged or machined into
> the very end of each drop-out. These spigots located on the inside faces
>o
>f the U-section part of the adjuster and virtually locked the adjusters fir
>mly into position.
>
>
>
>A similar but smaller ajuster was very common on single speed roadsters and
> kids' bikes for a very long time.
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>Norris Lockley Settle UK
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