Umm ... American handlebars

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Pete

Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
26
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Location
Peterborough, England
NEW%20ONE.jpg


Just bought this ex GPO trade bike recently after searching for one for several months. It's low slung at only 20 1/2" tall (meaning that if I turn the seat innards upside down & lower it as far as possible I can almost get my heels on the floor!) but long enough to accommodate my tall upper body. Nothing fit's me like one of these. It's got heavy duty drum brakes front & rear as well, which don't chicken out in the wet like rim brakes tend to.

I want to re-style this thing, but am a bit stuck when it comes to handlebar choices. I'm looking for something of this general shape, that positions the grips parallel to the top tube..
hbars.jpg


... But without a built in one piece stem & no roller lever brake mounts. Is their anything available in America that fits the bill? The closest thing I can find in the UK are moustache bars, but I'm not ready to compromise just yet!
 
Thanks for the suggestions you two, both of these would suit me just fine, kind of similar to some 'Rollfast' bars I saw on this forum after posting this thread. Nothing hopeful shows up on a UK only internet search for the manufacturer's brand names though, unfortunately. I guess I'll have to keep checking Ebay USA for a seller who'd be prepared to throw a pair of handlebars this far, now that I've got two specific names to punch in, saving me wadding through hundreds of 'Bicycle handlebars' & cutting out a lot of hassle.

Edit: The Huffy has a gorgeous frame by the way, very ornate tubing. Always strikes me right away that older US bikes have the big ol' BMX style bottom bracket shell though. Very uncommon over here outside of BMX frames.
 
Yeah, this one is a Pashley actually - The really old GPO bikes were built by New Hudson (A Birmingham company, incidentally) & are a touch nicer. Would be the ideal frame to build a 26" wheeled version of their expensive 'Guv'nor' model, as the shape of the lugs & tubing is the same.

For no sensible reason, here is a picture of my old one which looked like the one above when I got it. Built out of junk on almost no money at all:
my%20old%20much%20missed%20bike.jpg


If you want to get one y'self, ebay is really the best bet. Be careful not to buy a stolen one though - Any bike officially auctioned off by the post office will have the paint scratched away around the frame number on the seat tube lug revealing the code clearly. If the paint is intact, the bike is nicked!

On the H\bar front, I got to realise that American bars are a different size tubing to British ones. I've discovered a UK company called ridelow that sells Electra Amsterdam bars though, so when the next pay cheque rolls in ...
 
Pete said:
Yeah, this one is a Pashley actually - The really old GPO bikes were built by New Hudson (A Birmingham company, incidentally) & are a touch nicer. Would be the ideal frame to build a 26" wheeled version of their expensive 'Guv'nor' model, as the shape of the lugs & tubing is the same.

For no sensible reason, here is a picture of my old one which looked like the one above when I got it. Built out of junk on almost no money at all:
my%20old%20much%20missed%20bike.jpg


If you want to get one y'self, ebay is really the best bet. Be careful not to buy a stolen one though - Any bike officially auctioned off by the post office will have the paint scratched away around the frame number on the seat tube lug revealing the code clearly. If the paint is intact, the bike is nicked!

On the H\bar front, I got to realise that American bars are a different size tubing to British ones. I've discovered a UK company called ridelow that sells Electra Amsterdam bars though, so when the next pay cheque rolls in ...
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That other bike is nice also. Pashley started off in Digbeth, Birmingham then moved to Aston, Birmingham - then Stratford. Thanks for mentioning that code thing.
There is a type of handlebars in the style you want called Nitto handlebars but I don't know anything about them, I have only seen them on bike pictures.
 
Update:

Still haven't bought them new handlebars, thanks to my beloved employer failing to pay my wages in AGAIN whilst he's jetted off to porugal for a holiday. I sincerely hope he has a wonderful time :wink:

So anyway, annoyances aside, I've been concentrating on jobs I can do for free.

First thing was to remove the modern 'sealed cartridge' type crank & replace it with an old prettier one of inferior design. The original arms fitted to this thing wouldn't accept a standard crank puller, but a blow torch, hammer & chisel had them both off within an hour. Excellently, the first cotter' BB spindle & crank I pulled out of my junk pile fitted exactly right, which is weird because that never happens!. The chain line remains true - no mucking about with spacing required. Rudge 'Hand Built' logo crank, BSA spindle & a Pashley frame - it shouldn't have worked out, but it did.
Rudge%20hand.jpg


Dug out a tiny old Sturmey Archer brass gear lever from the 1920's/30's, which I like a lot:
Brass%20gear%20lever.jpg


Removed the bent forks, seat & handlebars & replaced them with the ones from my old black bike. Also fitted it's old 1940's dynamo headlamp, which comes in ever so handy seeing as I don't have a dynohub on there yet! Finally today I got around to stripping the paint & made a start at filing off the brazed on cable guides.
Side%20view%20no%20paint.jpg

Pretentious%20shot.jpg


I originally planned to paint this satin black, but now I'm thinking clear coat over the scabby bare metalwork might look kinda cool. What would you go with?
 
Well, according to Rudge's Wikipedia entry:

Ulster Grand Prix

In 1929 Graham Walker won the Ulster Grand Prix averaging over 80 mph. This prompted the release of the Rudge Ulster, as well as a JAP engined 250 cc and parallel 4 valve 350 cc. The Ulster was one of their most famous models.
Click to expand...

rudge-logo.gif


so the chances are that you are right, & I'd guess that they used the logo in reference to their success in the motorcycle world. Weirdly though, on later bikes when Raleigh had taken them other, the hand logo is painted yellow. I guess Raleigh just missed the point!

Rudge.jpg


All those British parts are cool! If it was me I would paint it black, including the rims, and put all-cream tyres on if I could get them, if not, whitewalls.
Click to expand...

At 26 by 1 1/2", I'm glad to lay my hands on any tire regardless of colour! They're well hard to find. I'll probably swap the rims for 1 3/8" ones to save me some hassle in the future. If that slack jawed idiot ever pays me, that is!
 
I have those exact same handle bars. I found them at the bicycle salvage yard and had to have them.
 
I have those exact same handle bars. I found them at the bicycle salvage yard and had to have them.
Click to expand...

Their really fairly common over here, I've got like 5 or 6 of them!I don't really like the built in stem thing with 'um myself though, or the un-used mounts for the old fashioned steel rod brakes. Plus their awkward to fit cable type brake levers to as they aren't long enough.

BTW - 11 out of 10 for liking crackin' band NOFX!
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28298708@N07/2938859440/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Well, I got the old crappy thing shot blasted & powder coated for the 'good deal' price of only £40, then couldn't be bothered with it for several months! After a time of wanting to 'get rid of' , & wanting to wash my hands of it, my interest is somehow re-ignited! Weird.

Since this photo I've adapted some 50's style Raleigh syle mudguards to fit it. Also, I've modified a bullet proof 1952 Sturmey Archer dynamo 3 speed hub with a longer axle, & a brake drum in place of the AC generator. It's way smoother than the 1996 model it replaces, seems to free wheel forever - British engineering skills have really taken a dive since the fifties it appears!
 
@ pete:
your bike is great! i love the hubs, the frame and the fork :!: :mrgreen:

there was a similar bike fabrikated by "monark" at the house in sweden, i was at holiday at, and wated it so bad i could barely resist just taking it with me :roll: :mrgreen: :wink:
 
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