What a superb machine! I'm pleased that I wasn't aware of the bike while t he auction was live, since it's saved me a load of fruitless grovelling to my wife in the attempt to persuade her to break into our savings...
Nonetheless, I think that it was a bargain at the price, when you consider what you'd get by way of a modern machine for the same money, and how said machine would plummet in value.
As Peter says, a bike of that age in that condition is an extreme rarity ov er here, although they do turn up, used, in their original finish from time to time. I have a 1939 Carlton Flyer - see
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/
and a 1946 Carter Unilite - see
http://smg.photobucket.com/
in their original paint and chrome, and with their original documentation, plus a 1946 Holdsworth and a 1949 Jack Jones in their original finish, but without documentation. With use, each machine has had parts replaced.
As a point of interest, the Jack Jones was the bike that Jones built for hi mself; he was the framebuilder for W. P. Newton, and since Doug Smith sold me his beautiful Newton, which appears on the Classic Rendezvous website, t hey make a great pair. The address on the Jones head tube transfer is the same as that of the Newton, and, indeed, the transfers of each machine are of similar format. I don't have any photos of the Jones at present.
Back to the BSA - I find it interesting to see that BSA used Constrictor br akes, perhaps because of their relationship with Constrictor, as the suppli er of cranksets, pedals and other accessories with Constrictor's brand name s. I have a set of wingnuts of the came pattern as those on the Oppy, but marked "Conloy", and I've also seen them marked "BSA".
Neil Foddering Weymouth, Dorset, England
> From: kohl57@starpower.net
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: RE: [CR]1938 B.S.A Opperman Gold Special Model 985 T
> Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:26:03 -0500
>
> Actually not so amazing at all. I can readily recall at least four or fi
> ve
> other high quality British machines of this precise year in this conditio
n
> ,
> right down to all of the receipts, tools etc. on eBay over the past say
> three years or so.
>
> Why? 1937-38 seems to be the first year British complete machines were
> imported into the USA and certainly when the first Raleighs were. All vi
> a
> New England distributers. Not a great time to import what were
> breathtakingly expensive bikes with the second Depression just setting in
.
>
> And when cycling in the USA was well, the perserve of boys delivering
> newspapers and tweedy weirdos, the later being Raleigh's main market then
> methinks! So maybe these bikes were bought as curiousities and just tucke
d
>
> away in the cellar. That explains both the condition, the fact little if
>
> anything was altered or changed and all of the bits and receipts, too, we
r
> e
> saved. You'd never ever find British bikes of this era in this condition
> in
> the UK where they were ridden to death.
>
> But an exceptional example of the classic pre-war British club racer..
> .at a
> very fair price indeed. If you don't think so, try sourcing the bits for
>
> this at the prevailing sterling/dollar exchange and find out!
>
> Now.. will the new owner actually dare the ride the thing?!
>
> Peter Kohler
> Washington DC USA
>
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