Fast is fast...: June 2015

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Firestone Colson gets some new shoes and a seat.

I built some replacement wheels for the Colson. Reproduction drop center rims with new stainless double butted spokes. I also rebuilt the hubs with the best parts I could find. Some parts are NOS and some are just survivors. These wheels are virtually identical to what came on the bike with the exception of the spoke nipples. The originals were slightly longer. The Troxel seat looks similar to the one in the Colson catalog. Not sure if it is exactly the same. It will need some more work. Looks like it was dropped on its side which bent the chassis and the pan. I removed the Delta headlamp while I had the front wheel off. It wasn't correct for the bike. It should have a Delta Winner.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Vintage bicycle night at The Berkley Chop Shop.

This was the second event at the Chop Shop in Berkley Mich. The owner Jay is hosting this on the first and 3rd Friday of the month. About 15 bicycles were on display and we took a short ride. I had a great time and met some cool people. Thanks Jay!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

1949 track bicycle built in England.

I just got this little gem in trade for one of my OM Flyers. The Williams crank is dated 1949. It has a GB stem and Bayliss-Wiley hubs. The rims are early Mavic. Removing the bar tape revealed the GB mark on the handlebars. I found NOS tape and bar ends on Ebay. The plastic seat will be replaced with a vintage Wrights. New sew-ups are in order also. Haven't been able to identify the frame and fork. It is marked Made in England on the bottom bracket. It looks like I am the fourth owner. My buddy bought it off the second owner who raced it during the early 50s in Ann Arbor Mi.