Vol. 1, Issue 8

Since the last CLN we have held the first V-CC Cambridge Section Ride and were blessed with near perfect conditions – except for a rather strong wind on the section from coffee stop to the lunch stop. After much research I managed to find a pub (Ickleton Lion) which did all foods from baguettes to the full roast. They made us very welcome as well; judging by the reports in N & V this must be a first I think. We had a good turnout, the most popular marque was Gillott. Patricia was on her 1948 Gillott Spearpoint, John Green also had an early 50s Spearpoint and John Holder was on his 50s 25” Tapertube.

On the ride I took the Flying Scot which had not been out for quite a time. With the extra rides organised by our own section we should be able to rotate the bikes and get out on them more. The Bates Weekend will be held quite close to Cambridge this year so we are looking forward to that – at least this time we will have one Bates between us. We also plan to do the Reading Ride which has the theme Hetchins this year so I will take the Magnum Bonum complete with Chater double chainset and Campag gears, Patricia thinks she will take the Bates as not many have seen it yet.

John Green had a very nice 53/54 Gillott catalogue which I had copied to facsimile quality at some expense. I did this as it was printed on a green backgound and I guess a bog-standard copy would have ‘blacked-out’ where the green was. I have also acquired a quite informative 1974 Pat Hanlon catalogue which was produced in the form of a duplicated folder – lots of lug details, etc. As the paper size is different to A4, copies tend to come out offset on the reverse sheet – it is only a little out but one cannot produce a nice folded copy. I’m sure there is a way round this and I am working on it.

I guess you all know that I have a Hetchins catalogue which I think is c1959, I have had this copied – also has lug details. Someone said that he thought he had a 1950’s Aids to Happy Cycling in a drawer at home – I am keeping my fingers crossed but not counting on it yet.

I also have a rather poor quality copy of a duplicated Percy Stallard (1949) and a similar 60s Heylett Cycles plus an even worse copy of a 1938 Hicking catalogue which has some interesting frames in it – most fitted with an in-built seat-tube chain oiler. While on the subject of catalogues it is possible to download a very nice 1950s Flying Scot brochure from the web. I have rather poor quality brochures for most of the bikes we have but do not have anything from Bates c.1946 or Hetchinns c.1972.

I recently acquired a nice fluted steel cottered Stronglight 5-pin chainset which had an alloy TA double ring 36/46t which is the ‘touring’ option. I thought that I would put the rings onto another 5-pin crank but found that the original one was offset to take a double ring and my other 5-pin cranks were not. If this had worked I had hoped to get a more racy TA double chainring as I have always fancied a Stronglight/TA set from the early 50s. I think I will give up the idea now as it is getting too complicated as I need the 36/46 to stay on the 1970s 21 ½” Pat Hanlon we have.