Old English Roadster with frame issue

[IJamEcono]

Hi,

I don't want to fix this up to ride on a daily basis, but if it's possible to fix this in some way, I'd like to know. I basically want to try and fix it and ride it sporadically. But not sure if this is possible. If not, I'll just hang it on the wall. Any advice? And sorry about the bad picture!

 

[Wolf]

You don't say what frame it is? If it is what we refer to as a roadster- usually 3 speed hub gear- over here then the tubing will be just carbon steel so yes it can easily be repaired. The quick way is to clean the paint off the tube in that area- all the way round and about 2 inches above and below the bad part of the tube. Remove all the rust and decayed steel and file the resulting slot back to good metal producing an even, clean round nosed slot .Then make a half sleeve out of 16SWG tube that fits over the tube and extends an inch or above and below the problem and braze it on. If the idea of just a half sleeve doesn't appeal make two and braze them to form a full wrap.

The resultant tube will be stronger than original if it is done properly!

If the frame is higher quality steel then the same can be done but you just need to be more skilled with the torch to avoid damaging/weakening the material of the tube.

A more complex but neater method is to cut out the damaged section, make internal sleeves and braze in a new section of tubing the same diameter as the original, this will be invisible. However if the tue is butted and the problem is on the transition of the butting then that complicates it somewhat.

 

[IJamEcono]

Here are pictures of the bicycle. I'm thinking it's from the 1930's or 1940's. I'm not sure. 28" wheels. Serial number is 998. Armstrong bicycle. Also says on bike, "Armstrong The Better Bike." Rod brakes on front and back. Single speed hub that says Bayliss and Wiley Co Ltd. The seat is obviously a newer Schwinn seat.

I didn't notice the hole until I brought it home. The hole is under the top tube, near the headtube. I would've bought it anyway, because it's really cool to me. Thanks for your input Wolf!

 

[Wolf]

I think that is definately prewar, I have restored a number of Armstrongs and they all had very soft steel for the tubes- mild steel. Easy to repair. That is a nice find, most of the Armstrongs around are post 1950s from when Raleigh took them over. You will find it heavy but quite comfortable to ride. Enjoy it.

This is the last one I had a while back

became this

 

[IJamEcono]

Wow! Nice restoration! That turned out amazing.

Do you have any idea what kind of seat I'd be looking for? A Brooks?

I was thinking pre-war too. The bike just has age to it, and not the fake kind. Especially with the non-Sturmey hub.

 

[Wolf]

Thanks for the compliment, I have a soft spot for old pre raleigh era Armstrongs.

I doubt it would have had a brookes saddle, the ones I have had have either had a traditional mattress saddle like this

or they have had after marker saddles, usually the common Iscassall saddles

 

[Wolf]

Your bike seems to date from between 1925 and the start of WW2.

A 1928 single in post office guise

And a 1938 version in RAF guise, very little changed over the decade for the single speed work horse.

From the surviving brochures of the period it seems that as i thought the commuter models used the Lycette brand mattress saddle and the lightweight sports bikes were the only ones to use a brookes.

They also made an interesting sidecar which folded up- never seen one!

 

[IJamEcono]

Thanks for those pics and the ad. Those may help a lot! I'm getting lots of different opinions on this bike. Someone on another site said late fifties/early sixties. Some say late forties. I don't know, but my gut is telling me earlier. It doesn't say Armstrong in the crank, but from what I understood, and now see via your ad, is that they didn't always have that. Also, I read that chrome wasn't used on English bikes on a regular basis until the late thirties. True?

I look forward to getting this ready to ride. Can't wait to ride it!