Hoofddorp Barn, BSA folding Bicycle

[Alex van de Wetering]

Finally the frame is done; a time-consuming job for anybody without blasting equipment. I sprayed a coat of zinc primer, than satin black paint, masked the arrow on the front frame tube and sprayed the frame in the green shade. I decided to add an extra step to the paint process and add a Matt clear coat on all the green parts......the green I used was just too matt for my liking and the matt clear coat gives it a little bit of a satin/matt look.

Also attached are pictures of my front wheel....before and after grinding off some metal to get rid of the small "dots" in the rim sides.

Last, but not least...I got the steering wheel done. I bought the steering wheel a few weeks ago. Tube diameter, shape and measurements are pretty good, but the centre tube and attachment is different. The pictures basically show the modification.....grinding, welding, grinding, welding, sanding...etc. Last night I was able to spray a coat of zinc primer, after I grinded off all the remaining chrome.........I want the bike to rust when the paint chips off....not show a bright chrome underneath

I am spending some more time on the bike now.....Normandy is coming closer and last week I lost my job due to the current economic climate .....the bike ensures I can put my mind on something else.

Alex

[Alex van de Wetering]

front wheel

[Alex van de Wetering]

Steering wheel

[cletrac (RIP)]

Alex, you're doing a great job there. That was an interesting comment you made:
".I want the bike to rust when the paint chips off....not show a bright chrome underneath"
That's the reason I don't use any of that bright blue type primer on my truck. The paint IS going to chip and rust will look better than bright blue or chrome.

[Bill Miller]

Looking good Alex!

Sorry to hear about you losing your job, hopefully it is not too stressful a situation for you. (I lost my job two months ago now )

Grinding off the texture on the rims looks like it was a very tedious job... have you sourced your brake calipers yet? In working on my bike which looks like it has NOS pads on it and not ridden in some time (maybe decades), I noticed that the original calipers are set too tight/close too the rims for really effective braking power. When the calipers are relaxed, the pads only sit about 5mm or less from the rim. I don't know just how far and how long you plan on riding this bike but you may, in the interest of safety, chose to use a less original style caliper over a more effective one. Personally, I think the BSA calipers are over designed with too many moving parts, I also noticed that when there is not enough tension on the cables the the spring that pulls the two sides together may shift to one side and the calipers jam, giving you NO brakes... of course the soles of your boots may be the most reliable brakes of all The bike is so bloody heavy your not likely to get up much speed unless you going down a steep hill! Getting UP that steep hill will give you a heart attack first...

Give me disc brakes or Vee-brakes on an aluminum framed bike anyday.

[Keith Webb]

I also have a BSA pushbike which although incomplete is almost unused from new. It is not the folding type unfortunately but was originally khaki.
The brakes on this one pull up onto the rims which have rolled edges and don't squeeze from the side like yours. I have not been able to source 28 X 1 3/4 tyres or tubes for it unfortunately.

[Bill Miller]

HI Keith, sounds like you have a BSA Mk.IV. Unlike the folding bike it came with push rod brakes and the westwood rims (concave profile). I have never ridden a bike a with that type of brake (not at all common in North America) but supposedly it is pretty effective brake system and easy to adjust/repair. Though issued in WW2, I believe the Mk.IV design dates back to the First World War, maybe earlier? Push rod brakes fell out of favour some 50 years ago.

Are you sure it uses a 28" tire? The Airborne bicycle that Alex and I have uses a 26 x1 3/8? I know that 28" tires & tubes while scarce, can still be had as last year I restored 28" rims on another bicycle I have.... getting 28" rims/spokes and rear hubs... that's another matter.