What you lot need is a good...

[simonknee]

... restoration project for the New Year!

Look what I picked up for twenty quid from a fellow evictee. (Our garages are being turned into pokey flats)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Simon

[garyeanderson]

Looks kind of complicated, most of us wouldn't have a clue as to where to put the key.

Gary

[elanfan1]

Well done Simon - that'll be worth a substantial amount more once it is finished.

[65sunbeam]

That is a very nice Raleigh! I have a few Moultons that I ride. Any other British bike/Elan owners out there? Let us know how your Chopper restoration goes. Eric

[twincamman]

think Id rather have the Mini ---I discovered the internal combustion engine in 1956 and never went back to bikes ---I have a 1969 Botteccia race bike with 25 miles on it I generated enough methane gas to melt a whole ice burg Andburn a hole in the ozone layer while riding it ...Ed

[UAB807F]

You've been done Simon - the petrol tank and engine's missing !



Brian

(seriously, that's a good find. I do a fair bit of cycling, like tinkering about with bikes and have often thought about getting an old Moulton to restore)

[ElanSeries2]

Lordy lord. Sorry, but a Chopper? I should think you lust after a TVR! It handles like a pig, weighs far more than any bike should, and was out of date before it arrived. The Elan, on the other hand...

If you are going to restore a bike, how about a Hetchins? Witcomb? Mercian? Roberts? Bob Jackson? Orbit? Or any decent handbuilt frame? You may need to learn to ride with "drop handlebars", but its worth persevering, I think.

But then, if you're into bikes (whatever ilk), you are ok by me. Happy riding!

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Lordy lord. Sorry, but a Chopper? I should think you lust after a TVR! It handles like a pig, weighs far more than any bike should, and was out of date before it arrived. The Elan, on the other hand...

If you are going to restore a bike, how about a Hetchins? Witcomb? Mercian? Roberts? Bob Jackson? Orbit? Or any decent handbuilt frame? You may need to learn to ride with "drop handlebars", but its worth persevering, I think.

But then, if you're into bikes (whatever ilk), you are ok by me. Happy riding!

Oh, ooh, aah a Hetchins! I have dreams about curly Hetchins; also Cinelli of the same era.
Campag', Mafac, Mavic & Dunlop Silks to finish 'em off of course. Lubberly!!
All like rocking horse poo these days
I could never have afforded them either when I was a youngster

Satisfying myself presently with a Giant 2011 steel framed Fixie; tons of fun when there's no wind

I read somewhere that Sir Alex Moulton recently died; a great engineer RIP.

Cheers
John

[lotocone]

Lordy lord. Sorry, but a Chopper? I should think you lust after a TVR! It handles like a pig, weighs far more than any bike should, and was out of date before it arrived. The Elan, on the other hand...

If you are going to restore a bike, how about a Hetchins? Witcomb? Mercian? Roberts? Bob Jackson? Orbit? Or any decent handbuilt frame? You may need to learn to ride with "drop handlebars", but its worth persevering, I think.

But then, if you're into bikes (whatever ilk), you are ok by me. Happy riding!

Oh, you're making me think about my '72 Hetchins frame. It doesn't have the curly stays, but the fork crown is great. Too bad I crashed it in a race years ago and damaged the top tube. I might get that replaced if I can find the right person. There is a 70s Holdsworth Professional here that needs to be restored too.

Yes, happy riding!

Bob

[CBUEB1771]

Any other British bike/Elan owners out there?

I had a Bob Jackson in the seventies, two locally made frames now, a Chris Chance and a Peter Mooney. Hetchins frames are truly lovely.

[rgh0]

I ride an early 80's Dawes Galaxy. I have probably put as much mileage on it as on some of my Lotus in recent years

cheers
Rohan

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Lordy lord. Sorry, but a Chopper? I should think you lust after a TVR! It handles like a pig, weighs far more than any bike should, and was out of date before it arrived. The Elan, on the other hand...

If you are going to restore a bike, how about a Hetchins? Witcomb? Mercian? Roberts? Bob Jackson? Orbit? Or any decent handbuilt frame? You may need to learn to ride with "drop handlebars", but its worth persevering, I think.

But then, if you're into bikes (whatever ilk), you are ok by me. Happy riding!

Oh, you're making me think about my '72 Hetchins frame. It doesn't have the curly stays, but the fork crown is great. Too bad I crashed it in a race years ago and damaged the top tube. I might get that replaced if I can find the right person. There is a 70s Holdsworth Professional here that needs to be restored too.

Yes, happy riding!

Bob

I just can't imagine how it would be possible to replace that top tube without pulling, at least the whole main triangle apart.
That would mean heating / releasing the braze at all of those joints / lugs at the same time. The building process the other way around is relatively simple but an alignment jig is invariably used for that.
I'm pretty sure that Reynolds 531 double butted tubing can still be sourced though.
Maybe just using that lovely frame as a conversation piece hung on the den wall is the easiest solution.

[elj221c]

My daily rider, when I was much younger was a 1948 Paris, the frame of which was given to me by the original owner. (I wasn't born in '48!) Before that I owned a Cinelli but all I have left of that is the head badge. A lovely frame which I terminally bent in a crash.

For those that are interested in classic bikes, try this site:- http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/index.html

[lotocone]

Any other British bike/Elan owners out there?

I had a Bob Jackson in the seventies, two locally made frames now, a Chris Chance and a Peter Mooney. Hetchins frames are truly lovely.

Do you have any pictures of the Chris Chance or Peter Mooney frames? I've never seen either one. On Mooney's website, his frames look great.

Bob

[CBUEB1771]

For those that are interested in classic bikes, try this site:- http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/index.html

Thanks for this link, a very interesting site!