Re: [CR] Post War Brits Euro Parts

(Example: Framebuilding:Norris Lockley)

Date: Sun, 9 May 2010 16:14:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: "P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@yahoo.com>
To: Derek Athey <devondirect@googlemail.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTimGgKaGwaaNTNSr0hDbYZ8KSEmeLc_OTUehtsRa@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Post War Brits Euro Parts


--- On Sun, 5/9/10, Derek Athey <devondirect@googlemail.com> wrote: 

"On the subject of your proposed component list for the Raleigh Record frame. It would be more or less, appropriate as you have it except, in my opinion, if one was buying the machine in 1962 and could afford a Williams AB77 alloy chainset etc., There would be no way you would put on a crappy gears like the Benelux P2. It would have to be a Benelux Super 60. The AB77 was designed with the Super 60 in mind. Also the GB 66 Centre-pulls would have been a no-no it must be the Universal centre-pulls by this time. Finally, the Brampton B8 pedals were old hat by 62. It would have been the Campag Gran Sport steel caged/alloy barrelled version with the early strap loop on the cage. Again these were the accepted mix of Brit/Euro parts at this time."

Thanks.. Derek. So it is, as I feared, already by 1962 difficult to achieve an "All British" kit and not be the object of scorn and derision among clubmen. But if I ever do get my Raleigh Record T.O.B.frame, she'll be all British and yes with a Super 60 and Brampton B8s. Interestingly, Raleigh spec'd both all British kit for some of their models OR all Campagnolo (or at least "all" in terms of what they made then) for their line in 1962. But the rims were already Weinmann.

It has been mentioned that Constrictor made sprint rims at this time but surely these must be the rarest of all components... one just never sees these on offer on eBay and even the later Birmalux rims are rare.

On the subject of post-war shortages, chrome remained in short supply and c. 1951 became acute enough that Raleigh spec'd stainless steel rims for most of their top-end roadsters and this is also when Dunlop started making their famous HP rims in stainless. Ironically, these are rarer now than the chrome versions if only because most of those have rusted beyond redemption. "Painted out" parts remained on Raleigh machines, both roadster and club models, through the 1949 model year. The first post-war Raleigh Club model, the Lenton Sports (no. 25) of 1946 had many black-enamelled fitments in lieu of chrome.

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA