Vintage Bicycles

[WingedWords]

I have some tubulars and used to ride them in NYC, which many thought would not work out well. I still have a new pair but they might be eight years old.
Gotta be some makers still selling them?
Pretty strange old tech, you glue the tire to the rim.

Plenty of tubs still made if you want them and can afford them.

eg https://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/road-and-track/tubulars/competition

In my racing days nobody thought of using anything else - I had my special racing wheels with silk tubs. There's nothing like the feeling (and sound) of riding a decent tub, but I've long settled for the convenience of a good quality clincher. I've still got the racing wheels in the loft - 32h Campag Record on Mavic rims and still with the 40 year old Clement tubs on them and a Maillard 13-18 block. Don't think I'll be riding them now.

Actually inflating a tub makes it expand and grip the rim tightly, so you can ride an unglued tub. Though only as an emergency get you home measure.

In the good old days when Merckx ruled, riders would keep a stock of tubs gently ageing in their cellars. So 8 year old tubs should be nicely matured by now.

And the nimble fingers youngsters in my club earned their pocket money with a punctured tub repair service. It involved cutting the stitching at the site of the puncture, patching the tube, and resewing.

Anyone here got any thoughts on the new generation of tubeless tyres and rims?

 

[telemnemonics]

Plenty of tubs still made if you want them and can afford them.

eg https://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/road-and-track/tubulars/competition

In my racing days nobody thought of using anything else - I had my special racing wheels with silk tubs. There's nothing like the feeling (and sound) of riding a decent tub, but I've long settled for the convenience of a good quality clincher. I've still got the racing wheels in the loft - 32h Campag Record on Mavic rims and still with the 40 year old Clement tubs on them and a Maillard 13-18 block. Don't think I'll be riding them now.

Actually inflating a tub makes it expand and grip the rim tightly, so you can ride an unglued tub. Though only as an emergency get you home measure.

In the good old days when Merckx ruled, riders would keep a stock of tubs gently ageing in their cellars. So 8 year old tubs should be nicely matured by now.

And the nimble fingers youngsters in my club earned their pocket money with a punctured tub repair service. It involved cutting the stitching at the site of the puncture, patching the tube, and resewing.

Anyone here got any thoughts on the new generation of tubeless tyres and rims?

I have a nice pair of Campy hub early aero rim tubular wheels but won't go back to the old gears.
I've thought about trying various index derailleur/ index shifter combos on a 7 speed freewheel to maybe get 3-4 gears to shift on the rear, and combined with two front rings have enough range for the delicate spinners.
Tubulars are so snappy to respond!
I have both shifters and derailleurs in 7, 8, and 9 speed and each moves a different amount from a different cable length pull.

If that doesn't work I could throw on an old antique Campy rear derailleur and go with just the front shifting for a two or three speed.

Looked a bit for a Shimano freehub/ tubular rim combo bargain but it's more of a curio.
I have some very light clinchers and never even tried the newest tubeless clinchers.
Tech is light years ahead of me and I'm too old to care!

WRT tires staying on from pressure, I got a front flat with the tire mounted on still sticky old glue i thought was enough.
Pretty fast down hill, single brake single speed so no rear brake.
Braking dragged the tire right off and I was skidding on aluminum!
Made me rethink fresh glue!

 

[chris m.]

I love using tubeless with Stan’s sealant. It has the cushier ride of a sew-up, is lighter than having an inner tube, and flats are very rare and easy to deal with. You just throw a tube in, pump it up and convert back to tubeless when you get home. But hopefully without jinxing myself I’ve gone over a year without a flat on my gravel bike.

 

[WingedWords]

I have a nice pair of Campy hub early aero rim tubular wheels but won't go back to the old gears.
I've thought about trying various index derailleur/ index shifter combos on a 7 speed freewheel to maybe get 3-4 gears to shift on the rear, and combined with two front rings have enough range for the delicate spinners.
Tubulars are so snappy to respond!
I have both shifters and derailleurs in 7, 8, and 9 speed and each moves a different amount from a different cable length pull.

If that doesn't work I could throw on an old antique Campy rear derailleur and go with just the front shifting for a two or three speed.

Looked a bit for a Shimano freehub/ tubular rim combo bargain but it's more of a curio.
I have some very light clinchers and never even tried the newest tubeless clinchers.
Tech is light years ahead of me and I'm too old to care!

WRT tires staying on from pressure, I got a front flat with the tire mounted on still sticky old glue i thought was enough.
Pretty fast down hill, single brake single speed so no rear brake.
Braking dragged the tire right off and I was skidding on aluminum!
Made me rethink fresh glue!

Tech is light years ahead of me too and I'm also too old to care. I've had indexed gears on an 1988 Saracen MTB and a Marin Point Reyes urban and they were very nice. An essential advantage if you're racing, but for where and how far I ride currently I'm perfectly happy with a single speed Brompton for utility trips around town and a hack Fuji Track Classic fixed for longer pleasure trips. (Best £300 I ever spent.) I always used to ride 68" fixed, but I've dropped that down to 54" now. It gets me up most local hills. The only bike with gears I ever use (sunny dry days only) is my 35+ year old Ken Bird with downtube friction levers - after 50 odd years I'm pretty used to them. I think it's a 6 speed block. Might be 7. Maybe one day I'll splash out on something modern (preferably a new pair of non-arthritic knees) and I'm sure I'd love it, but I doubt I'd go faster, further or more comfortably than I do at present.

Oh yes - glue on your tubs kids! (But old glue should get you home if you take it slow. And don't go round corners.)

 

[Stanford Guitar]

I love using tubeless with Stan’s sealant. It has the cushier ride of a sew-up, is lighter than having an inner tube, and flats are very rare and easy to deal with. You just throw a tube in, pump it up and convert back to tubeless when you get home. But hopefully without jinxing myself I’ve gone over a year without a flat on my gravel bike.

You can also carry a dynaplug. The good thing about tubeless sealant is it will show you exactly where the hole is. I only ride MTB, putting a tube in a tubeless wheel on a trail can be a mess.

 

[tintag27]

I have some tubulars and used to ride them in NYC, which many thought would not work out well. I still have a new pair but they might be eight years old.
Gotta be some makers still selling them?
Pretty strange old tech, you glue the tire to the rim.

Yes - very old school - apparently the tyres ('tubs' I think they used to call them) were perfectly fine, unless you went round a corner too quick, when they could just roll off the rims with the high side-stresses involved, haha... Not to worry - my brother has at least 3 other high-end bikes and even at 73 he is very fit, and riding every week - the Lotus Elise is getting dusty in the garage as well!

 

[bettyseldest]

Could not find any photo's of my '83 Woodrup time trial bike, '70s Jack Taylor Tandem or 70's Pat Rohan juniorback Tandem, I'll post some when I dig them out. I did find this picture taken in 1987. I swapped the Jack Taylor for a racing trike and this tandem trike for the summer. Tom Graystock and his wife Pauline used my Jack Taylor to set all club mixed tandem records between 10 and 100 miles for their club the Oxonian CC. Here I'm riding their long barrow (tandem trike) with my best mate Malcolm in the Tandem Club Championship 30. We beat the Tandem Club record (and that of our own club the North Road CC) by about a half minute, only to have a further four minutes knocked of the record later in the event by a pair who really knew how to ride a trike.

I don't know who built the original tandem, but I do know that it had a Ken Rodgers Trike kit permanently installed in the early '80s. The rear axle has a differential` which made it easier to ride if you lifted one of the rear wheels whilst cornering. It has both side-pull and cantilever brakes on the front wheel, and came with a front hub drum brake operated by a lever on the stokers bars. On our first training run Malcolm panicked and grabbed the brake lever, almost flipping us over, so I took that off at the first opportunity.

Edit - just found a recent picture of the Jack Taylor Tandem - Reynolds 531DB, double gents frame 21" back and front. It now lives at our house in France, so I have not seen it for almost a year. Here I am with next best friend (and vocalist in my band) Alan. Not as slim as we used to be, or as hirsuite.

 

[Bill Jones]

A friend just gave me this mint handmade Ritchey! Looks like it was made about 1980 by Tom Ritchey. Fillet brazed and nearly mint condition. All parts are Campy Super Record from the late 70's early 80, except the triple crankset, front and rear derailleurs (they looks like mid 90's Campy Record). Bike looks like it has been ridden less than 100 miles! Going to do some more research on it. Also has matching frame mounted Silca pump from the 70's!

View attachment 776375

 

[Lonn]

What Schwinns command that $$?

Schwinn Corvettes. This ragged out one just sold for $306 and $85 shipping. The ones I missed were far nicer. I was seeing $$$$ lol.

 

[Bill Jones]

A friend just gave me this mint handmade Ritchey! Looks like it was made about 1980 by Tom Ritchey. Fillet brazed and nearly mint condition. All parts are Campy Super Record from the late 70's early 80, except the triple crankset, front and rear derailleurs (they looks like mid 90's Campy Record). Bike looks like it has been ridden less than 100 miles! Going to do some more research on it. Also has matching frame mounted Silca pump from the 70's!

View attachment 776375

Beauty! Reminds me of my full Campy Schwinn Paramount(1978 Chicago built), Reynolds 531 Tubing, Nervex chrome lugs, Chestnut Brown Metallic. Still have it, and it's cherry!

 

[telemnemonics]

Schwinn Corvettes. This ragged out one just sold for $306 and $85 shipping. The ones I missed were far nicer. I was seeing $$$$ lol.

View attachment 777772

Beauty! Reminds me of my full Campy Schwinn Paramount(1978 Chicago built), Reynolds 531 Tubing, Nervex chrome lugs, Chestnut Brown Metallic. Still have it, and it's cherry!

Well I’ve been keeping an eye out for a yard sale Paramount since the ‘60s but something like that Corvette I might have passed by!
I actually have a late Chicago Schwinn that appears to be prett high end with suntour forged dropouts and the double butted tubing ping thing that sounds different from thick wall to thin.
But it had a wrong size seatpost hammered in with thin sheet aluminum shim and it seems like too much trouble to save. Has an unusual transition badge too, under the crap spray paint job, or maybe it was painted with a broom.

 

[kingofdogs1950]

Could not find any photo's of my '83 Woodrup time trial bike, '70s Jack Taylor Tandem or 70's Pat Rohan juniorback Tandem, I'll post some when I dig them out. I did find this picture taken in 1987. I swapped the Jack Taylor for a racing trike and this tandem trike for the summer. Tom Graystock and his wife Pauline used my Jack Taylor to set all club mixed tandem records between 10 and 100 miles for their club the Oxonian CC. Here I'm riding their long barrow (tandem trike) with my best mate Malcolm in the Tandem Club Championship 30. We beat the Tandem Club record (and that of our own club the North Road CC) by about a half minute, only to have a further four minutes knocked of the record later in the event by a pair who really knew how to ride a trike.

I don't know who built the original tandem, but I do know that it had a Ken Rodgers Trike kit permanently installed in the early '80s. The rear axle has a differential` which made it easier to ride if you lifted one of the rear wheels whilst cornering. It has both side-pull and cantilever brakes on the front wheel, and came with a front hub drum brake operated by a lever on the stokers bars. On our first training run Malcolm panicked and grabbed the brake lever, almost flipping us over, so I took that off at the first opportunity.

Edit - just found a recent picture of the Jack Taylor Tandem - Reynolds 531DB, double gents frame 21" back and front. It now lives at our house in France, so I have not seen it for almost a year. Here I am with next best friend (and vocalist in my band) Alan. Not as slim as we used to be, or as hirsuite.

View attachment 777761

Woo-hoo!
Jack Taylors rule! Among the many dozens of bikes I have owned number a Jack Taylor tandem, a Supertourist, and a curved tube time trial bike, all from the '70s.
The tandem had top of the line parts, including a Campy crankset. ($$$$)
The Supertourist was equipedd with front and rear handmade racks by JT.
It was my daily driver from years and I took it on a bunch of tours.
It is prolly my all-time favorite bike.
The Taylor brothers have an evil sense of humor. One shop I worked at was a stocking dealer for JT frames. We would order 15-20 at at time.
We would order the usual colors but the brothers would send us... well, I don't know were they got ideas for colours. My Supertourist was ordered in British Racing Green.
It came in what came to be called Industrial Toilet Seat Green.
The brothers knew their stuff and built top of the line bikes.
I nearly ordered a trike frame but ran out of $$. Sigh...
My usual tandem partner and I were the the fastest tandemists in Texas back in the day. I raced cat 3 and my partner was later state women's road race champion. Heck, we beat John Howard and his wife when he was national road race champion. (I had the better stoker!)

Makrrk

That's me on the Tricycle of Death.

 

[Bill Jones]

Well I’ve been keeping an eye out for a yard sale Paramount since the ‘60s but something like that Corvette I might have passed by!
I actually have a late Chicago Schwinn that appears to be prett high end with suntour forged dropouts and the double butted tubing ping thing that sounds different from thick wall to thin.
But it had a wrong size seatpost hammered in with thin sheet aluminum shim and it seems like too much trouble to save. Has an unusual transition badge too, under the crap spray paint job, or maybe it was painted with a broom.

I know Schwinn's from the late 60's on up to mid 80's very well. I was chief mechanic and bottle washer for 10th largest Schwinn franchise dealership in the country.

 

[bettyseldest]

Woo-hoo!
Jack Taylors rule! Among the many dozens of bikes I have owned number a Jack Taylor tandem, a Supertourist, and a curved tube time trial bike, all from the '70s.
The tandem had top of the line parts, including a Campy crankset. ($$$$)
The Supertourist was equipedd with front and rear handmade racks by JT.
It was my daily driver from years and I took it on a bunch of tours.
It is prolly my all-time favorite bike.
The Taylor brothers have an evil sense of humor. One shop I worked at was a stocking dealer for JT frames. We would order 15-20 at at time.
We would order the usual colors but the brothers would send us... well, I don't know were they got ideas for colours. My Supertourist was ordered in British Racing Green.
It came in what came to be called Industrial Toilet Seat Green.
The brothers knew their stuff and built top of the line bikes.
I nearly ordered a trike frame but ran out of $$. Sigh...
My usual tandem partner and I were the the fastest tandemists in Texas back in the day. I raced cat 3 and my partner was later state women's road race champion. Heck, we beat John Howard and his wife when he was national road race champion. (I had the better stoker!)

Makrrk

That's me on the Tricycle of Death.
View attachment 777792

My Jack Taylor Tandem is a touring tandem. It came with front and rear racks built from 531 tubing and dimpled aluminium mudguards. The racks were held in place by the guards, but time wore the mountings until they became unstable, so they were removed. We wanted to have a racing tandem built, but did not know enough about tandems to specify one. So decided to first buy any decent tandem, ride it for a couple of years and then have Chas Roberts, Longstaff or Mercian build one to our spec. We toured on it but also raced. Chas Roberts built us a set of 48 spoke wheels, and for racing we fitted a 56 tooth TA ring and 13 to 21 six speed block. We won several time trials. Malcolm and I beat the National 12 hour record by 30 miles, only to lose the event by three miles. I think that my ex-wife still holds half of the Ladies National 12 hour record. We never replaced it with a racing tandem, even though it weighed in at around 17 kilos. A couple in our club had a tandem built which weighed in at only 12 kilos, which was shockingly fast, but too flexible to feel confident enough to U turn in the road.

When my wife was pregnant with our first daughter before buying a cot or anything like that we bought the Pat Rohan Juniorback tandem (23"/17" frame). At around her third birthday my daughter rode it with kiddiecranks fitted, when the second daughter arrived kiddiecranks also fitted to the Jack Taylor. A Dawes Galaxy Twin (21"/19") was added shortly afterwards so we were always able to ride as a family. My first grandson was two yesterday, which gives me about a year to refurbish the juniorback and work out how to get it to him in Spain where they now live.

 

[kingofdogs1950]

Tandems are lots of fun.
My JT was a touring model like all the tandems we sold at the shop.
I don't think I've ever seen a racing tandem, but it sounds like fun.
Back in the day JT and Gitane tandems were the most common, although we did sell a few Bob Jackson tandems.
Santana came along later. Very nice.
I had lots of fun teaching new riders how to ride tandems. Pedal, pedal, pedal!
A friend bought a JT triplet, the only one I've ever ridden.
It was stolen after he had owned it for ~3 weeks and recovered about thirty years later.
Added: we had a 56t chainwheel on my tandem. Big as a dinner plate, but get it spinning and you are rolling!

Markrk

 

[WingedWords]

Could not find any photo's of my '83 Woodrup time trial bike, '70s Jack Taylor Tandem or 70's Pat Rohan juniorback Tandem, I'll post some when I dig them out. I did find this picture taken in 1987. I swapped the Jack Taylor for a racing trike and this tandem trike for the summer. Tom Graystock and his wife Pauline used my Jack Taylor to set all club mixed tandem records between 10 and 100 miles for their club the Oxonian CC. Here I'm riding their long barrow (tandem trike) with my best mate Malcolm in the Tandem Club Championship 30. We beat the Tandem Club record (and that of our own club the North Road CC) by about a half minute, only to have a further four minutes knocked of the record later in the event by a pair who really knew how to ride a trike.

I don't know who built the original tandem, but I do know that it had a Ken Rodgers Trike kit permanently installed in the early '80s. The rear axle has a differential` which made it easier to ride if you lifted one of the rear wheels whilst cornering. It has both side-pull and cantilever brakes on the front wheel, and came with a front hub drum brake operated by a lever on the stokers bars. On our first training run Malcolm panicked and grabbed the brake lever, almost flipping us over, so I took that off at the first opportunity.

Edit - just found a recent picture of the Jack Taylor Tandem - Reynolds 531DB, double gents frame 21" back and front. It now lives at our house in France, so I have not seen it for almost a year. Here I am with next best friend (and vocalist in my band) Alan. Not as slim as we used to be, or as hirsuite.

View attachment 777761

I was an active time trial rider ("tester") in Kent in the early 80s and happy times they were too. I never approached records, and didn't quite break the hour for a 25, but I remember so clearly and with enormous satisfaction my 2hr8min 50 mile and 4hr55min 100 mile TTs on the Tenterden/Romney Marsh courses. Here's the only picture I have of my state of the art (for 1980!) TT bike.

I still miss that bike - it was lost in a workshop fire along with all my photos, race start sheets and assorted memorabilia.

I replaced it with the allrounder Ken Bird I still ride. (See post#5.) This pic is around 1990 at the early morning start of our French twinned club's Paris to Cambrai ride. Started under the Eifel Tower, took in the closed Champs d'Elysees, Place de la Concorde etc. 140 miles including cobbled NE France at the end. Wonderful memories. (Apologies for the 'tache.)

 

[Lefty Addams]

In the 1970s Britain was filled with these, it was the Only bike to have as a kid.

Called a 'Chopper'

I want this:

View attachment 776396


It was inspired by the Schwinn stingray:

My folks wouldn't let me have one as they feared I might go "Over the Handlebars"....

I had one of these, a mk.2 in this purple, bloody loved it, came off it twice and had stitches, but I loved that bike!

 

[uriah1]

I had a stingray when they first came out as a kid..it got stolen
I still had a big ugly shwinn for delivering papers in the morn
My brother had something called an english racer.

 

[EddieLocrian]

I had one of these, a mk.2 in this purple, bloody loved it, came off it twice and had stitches, but I loved that bike!

the purple chopper was the one. Liked the yellow, didnt like the red.
I was just a poor boy from a poor family so had to make do with a bike from the dump...
Was still fast though.

 

[chris m.]

Nice interview with John Howard here. It's interesting how LeMond came along and was named "LeMonster" because even at 17 years old he was contending for the national championship.

This article is in 2011, and based on Howard's comments it is after Floyd Landis got caught doping, but before Lance was caught.

https://pezcyclingnews.com/interviews/pez-talk-a-true-pioneer-john-howard/