Hercules Rod Brakes Rat Rodded?

[PastorRat]

Pea Rays the Lawd, and pass Phil Wood's green grease! P-Ratty has found a Rat Rod Rod Brake possibility!
Or is it a femme fatale? Or maybe Hercules slain and resurrected!
Glow Ray Hal and Louie!

Went to the town dump Wednesday morning for rusty reflection and metal meditation, when BAM!
An Epiphany! Rod Operated Brakes! Oh how my heart was pumpin, my palms were sweaty!
Before I knew it I was slain by the Rat! Get behind me Shimano!

Now is the time for the workbench call! Come down fellow ratters!
Make thy confession, and tell the good chaplain of ratdoom all the ways for dear Hercules to repent and walk right with the Rat.
I have raised it up out of the bondage of that heap of eternal scrap metal.
Hercules redeemed.
Can I get a loud ratmen!?!

 

[Rat Rod]

Love the photos of the dump!....ha ha.

Man, that is one cool looking brake system.

Looks like a great score PastorRat!

 

[dumpster_diver]

I think I have seen that brake setup on a 60s Raleigh who also built Hercules! Nice score. Where there any other bikes out there?

 

[PastorRat]

Thanks guys! The folks at Bikeforums Classic and Vintage think it is a '50s Hercules built before Raleigh bought them out.

D-D there were a few MTBs buried under the pile. Nothing to be excited about and nothing worth risking infection for. So far I have brought home a Varsity, a Raleigh Sports, and parts by the 100s from that dump. I hope to offer some parts for sale here over the winter. BTW, my '66 Collegiate was destined for the dump but fortunately I "Saved" it before it hit the heap!

 

[dumpster_diver]

Well looks good! You would happen to have a 5 speed ladies collegiate on the market in the winter? LMK thanks

 

[karfer67]

rAtMEN pastor for saving that poor soul from the steely wrath that is the heap. now comes the fun i shall get on hand and knee and hand thee the holly tri flow to lube, and steel wool to brush it's sins away.

 

[PastorRat]

rAtMEN pastor for saving that poor soul from the steely wrath that is the heap. now comes the fun i shall get on hand and knee and hand thee the holly tri flow to lube, and steel wool to brush it's sins away.

Saturday services at the First Temple of Ratdoom begin at 10:00 a.m.. Bring your rags, Orangepeelz, bronze wool, and adjustable wrench. I'm certain this English Lady has those crazy sized nuts and bolts! Get behind me Shimano!

 

[PastorRat]

Well looks good! You would happen to have a 5 speed ladies collegiate on the market in the winter? LMK thanks

Nothing now D_D, but I'll keep a watch out for one. As Rat Rod would concur--- "Collegiates Rule!"

 

[Rat Rod]

As Rat Rod would concur--- "Collegiates Rule!"

I'll give a rAtMEN for that. :wink:

 

['72 Eliminator]

I have that same seat. Mine came off a '72 Raliegh.

 

[PastorRat]

I have that same seat. Mine came off a '72 Raliegh.

Which seat? The one on the Hercules that is missing its skin and is just a skeletin? Or the "S" seats on Rat Rod's Collegiates? If you had a "S" seat on a Raleigh, man, you must have lost your Brooks! Do you nead a black vinyl replacement Brooks?

If Rat Rod shows his Collegiates, I get to show mine!

 

['72 Eliminator]

I have that same seat. Mine came off a '72 Raliegh.

Which seat?

The skeleton on the Hercules. Ours appear pretty much the same. Mine's missing it's cover too. The only difference is that yours appears to have a subset of springs in the front. Mine has an articulated metal plate there. I've been saving it for some time now just waiting for the right bike to come around.

Oh, and my vote is DO NOT RAT THE HERCULES! For a woman's frame it is an absolute piece of art. Those lugs are purty and my oh my a rod brake!

Try leaving some messages on oldroads.com in the british bikes section. I bet one of them guys would want it or be able to tell you more about it.

 

[PastorRat]

'72 Eliminator,

Thanks for the tips. The guys over on Bike Forums Classic and Vintage section have suggested it is most certainly a '50s Hercules (pre-Raleigh buyout). Some think it is earlier than '54 or or '53. I've also taken a better look at the decals, lugs and paint, and realize that ratting this rarity would be a poor decision. This is a bike to go as original as possible and simply clean, grease, add new tires, find appropriate grips, new brake blocks, and saddle.

BTW, your saddle sounds like a Brooks vinyl mattress model. I have a black one that is in great shape. PM me if you are interested.

Unfortunately the Hercules frame is way too small for me and possibly even my daughter and wife. Besides, a SS here in the mountains won't take you very far unless you push it up the hills. I might renew it and sell it.

To top this off, yesterday I came home from a visit with church members toting a new project on the car top carrier: a 1962 Schwinn Continental 10 speed! This is more of what I'm interested in! Besides being somewhat unique in that it was the first year for double downtube shifters, it has an all chrome front fork, and it's the last year for "Radiant Blue!" RB was one of those unique Schwinn colors that, while not as flashy as the Coppertone or Campus Green you see above, was duplicated by no other bike manufacturer. I've only found one other picture of RB on the net and that was on a '61 Varsity. My Schwinn vintage lightweight collection has now grown to include:

'62 Continental in Radiant Blue
'66 Collegiate in Radiant Coppertone
'66 Paramount in Radiant Coppertone
'71 Varsity (to be uniquiely Rat Rodded this winter) in Kool Lemon
'79 Traveler in Pearl Blue (built by Bridgestone in Japan)

One of these days I'll put them all together to pose for a Schwinn family picture.

 

[Clothespin n]

and I'll keep my eye's open for any up here for you..I see them once and a while but they are not my cup of Tea.

I like them and respect them...I'm just not a Roadie.

I do see a lot of old Phillips and Ralieghs in my neck of the woods..
I have a 3 speed 1976 Mens Raliegh that is mint.It sits like a Hybrid...half your style,but with cruiser bars..

you have quite a nice collection going there PR,I look forward to seeing the Picture of them all lined up in a Row.

 

[PastorRat]

Clothespin "n,"

Thanks for the compliments! The road bikes are great for riding and exercise. I'll log about 2700 miles this year. I hope to break 3000 next year. One of these days I'll find the perfect candidate at the dump to Rat Rod for just a fun bike. Speaking of which, that gives me an idea--- a Political Rat Rod to go along with the upcoming Presidential Primary battle here in New Hampshire. :wink:

I could go with a Red-Blue theme. Or Donkeys and Elephants. Or BS and more BS! I never get political in the pulpit or at church, but why not on the bike? It's all heating up; Obama and Gingrich were here last week. Ms. Clinton is due in after the first of the year. Kerry crosses the border and is up here all the time. Does Canada go through all this nonsense? Get behind me Shimano!

Speaking of Rat-Rods, is it Wednesday morning? I need to make a dump run after dropping my daughter at M.S.!

 

[Clothespin n]

yes..we have all that nonsence..as well as yours..our Countries are a lot closer than you think...

In fact ..their is no Man on Earth I fear more than George Bush!

and that's all I got taa say about that!

Peace,
Kev.

 

[PastorRat]

yes..we have all that nonsence..as well as yours..our Countries are a lot closer than you think...

In fact ..their is no Man on Earth I fear more than George Bush!

and that's all I got taa say about that!

Peace,
Kev.

Kev,

I believe this has gone OT and Rat Rod the Creator, might shut us down! I'll try to weave bikes back into the mix.

Personally I believe, Pres. Bush, our bike riding leader, and the U.S. Congress have made decisions during the last 6 years which the voters now find not to their liking. Last month voters who walked, pedaled and drove to the polls, expressed their concern, and the end result was a shift from Republican to Democratic control of Congress. What did Bush do? Well, I think he took a brief break in Crawford, TX for a little MTB riding, and then began to reach out to the Democrats. This is not a person to fear. In two more years he'll be retired and building Rat Rods out of old Schwinns in Crawford. Terrorists are worth fearing. Fearing for the safety of Canadian troops in Afganistan battling terrorism and building Democracy in the middle east, now that's a well placed fear. Pres. Bush is a politician, and like all U.S. politicians, the sun will set on their time in office. Maybe this Pres. Bush, instead of building another Presidential Library in TX, will build a Rat Rod Customizing shop on his ranch, and Rat Rod, the Creator, could run their website and take us on visits. 8)

 

[wahoonc]

Just to add to the intrigue of the Hercules Skyliner that Pastor Rat found...It has been transplanted to North Carolina. It is currently sitting on it's shelf waiting on a few odd replacement pieces to arrive. Hopefully later this fall it will be ridden again. So far the exact date of manufacture still eludes us. We have people in 3 countries trying to find it in a catalog. There are some very knowledgeable folks that think it could even be as old as the late 30's but I can't see it. The fenders have been cleaned using the oil coating method and the color is spectacular! Frameset is next.

Aaron 8)