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  #1  
Old 20-04-09, 17:54
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Default Hoofddorp Barn, BSA folding Bicycle

A while ago I purchased a BSA folding Bicycle project, after looking for one for quite some time. It was clear from the start that buying a complete example in good condition was not within my budget, as I didn’t want to endanger other projects, like the C8.

In the end I found a project in the Southern part of Holland, which was basically a genuine BSA frame with incorrect wheels, incorrect chain wheel, saddle. Etc. Basically I was buying a frame with everything else missing (including brakes). The problem with buying an incomplete folding bicycle is that it is very hard to find parts as I am certainly not the only one with an incomplete bike.
Anyway, I had a genuine basis and the intention was to get it in reasonable driving condition before the 65th remembrance of D-day, so I can cycle along the coast.

Below is basically what I started with. Also included is the BSA frame number, for those listing surviving examples.
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Old 20-04-09, 18:03
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Attached you will find some pictures of the repair work on the seat-frametube. The former owner forced a new seat post into the frame. Nothing wrong so far.....but remains of the original BSA seat post were still in the tube....in the end the frame tube was forced to expend which resulted in a crack.
I wasn't satisfied with the frame crack, especially when my intention was to actually drive the bike.
It was extremely difficult to get the seat post out, in order to repair the frame tube. In the end I even had to open the crack a little further, before the seat post could be removed. I than started cleaning up the tube, bending it in the right shape again, welding it and sanding down the welds with a powerfile.
I wasn't able to get all the remains of the original BSA seat post out of the frame, so I decided to leave it and make a "custom" seat post with a slightly smaller diameter at the bottom.
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BSA-Foldx1.jpg   BSA-Foldx2.jpg   BSA-Foldx3.jpg   BSA-Foldx4.jpg   BSA-Foldx5.jpg  

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Old 22-04-09, 10:28
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Here is a picture of my "custom" seatpost, which is essentially a seatpost with the correct "BSA" measurements, which I shortened. I than welded a new steel tube with a slightly smaller diameter into the seatpost.

Also pictured is the bolt for the steering wheel. I measured up an original BSA steering wheel and looked for a replacement. I found an old chromed example with nearly the same shape and measurements, so I decided to use this as a base. I drilled a hole trough the bolt and inserted a piece of rod which I bent into the "wingnut" shape. A few welds to secure it and to creat a slightly domed end to the bolt. I than cut the ends to the correct lenght and welded a little bit of material to the ends, creating the rounded ends.

Next up.....the BSA chainwheel, cranks and peddles.

Alex
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Old 22-04-09, 11:03
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looks like you will have a good example of the bike once you have finished Alex.
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Old 22-04-09, 13:09
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Thanks Cliff!
Since a few months I have been closely looking at a lot of preserved examples and I realised that a lot of them carry non-original parts, especially those here in Holland. It seems the bikes were extensively used after the war....(Holland being a typically "cyclist" country of course) and therefore a lot of them have the same worn parts replaced...like the chainwheel, seats and brakes (which according to some never worked anyway).

Alex
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Old 22-04-09, 13:23
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Work on the chainwheel and cranks.

My bike came with a non-original chainwheel and cranks whihc took a good amount of abuse during it's lifetime. A few friends of mine surprised me with a newly milled BSA chainwheel, spare crank and bushings, rods and washers to recreate the pedals. Initially I wanted to modify my current chainwheel by having letters "B, S, A" lasercut and wedling them into the existing chainwheel. But the crank was in the wrong orientation regarding the chainwheels as well. Anyway, the surprise parts were a great thing and saved me a lot of time.

Pictures below is the chainwheel and crank that came with the bike, the newly cut BSA chainwheel and a picture of three stages of crank modification to the appearance and measurement of the BSA ones.

The last picture of this post is the start of the chainwheel modification. The non-BSA one was seperated from the crank, which was a little harder than I anticipated. During production the crank was forged to the chainwheel, so I had to sand down the centre of the attachment until I saw the little tooth keeping the crank and chainwheel in the correct orientation. It took some serious hammering to get the two separated. In the picture the new BSA chainwheel is lossely positioned onto the crank.
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Old 24-04-09, 12:01
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Time for a new update. The chainwheel is done in the meantime. Here is a short description of the process:

There were two issues with the newly cut BSA chainwheel; it's is a few millimeters too big (while the centre is of the correct size) and it's completely flat, compared to an original chainwheel which is slighly pressed into shape, creating an edge to guide the chain onto the teeth.

To create the correct shape and size of the chainwheel I decided to use the cranks and the teeth of the stuff that came with my bike and the centre of the newly cut BSA toothwheel.
I fixed the newly cut wheel to the "modified" crank (rounded to the BSA shape) with two small welds. This way I could check if it was centered and straight, before securing it.
After checking, I made a ring of welds "filling" the gap between the hole in the chainwheel and the slightly smaller crank. After cleaning up the welds I welded some extra material to the centre to get it a flat surface in the centre.
A normal chainwheel has a boss near the centre, which is basically some material from the crank which is forged around the hole in the chainwheel. It also ensures the chainwheel positions good on the bike itself. I replicated this by welding a thick washer onto the chainwheel. Four holes were drilled to be able to weld it securely to the chainwheel.
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BSA-Foldy1.jpg   BSA-Foldy2.jpg   BSA-Foldy3.jpg   BSA-Foldy4.jpg   BSA-Foldy41.jpg  

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Old 24-04-09, 12:06
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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I decided to use four extra welds along the edge to decrease the chance of failure while driving in the sun along the Normandy beaches

Than...cleaning up the welds and checking the chainwheel on the bike again.

Now......changing teeth! With a basic saw I removed the teeth from the chainwheels that came with the bike. I cleaned up the remains of the spokes from the "old" chainwheel and than used it as a template to draw onto the newly cut wheel. This way I knew where to cut it the teeth from the newly cut wheel. Then it was basically removing some material and testfitting....removing some more, testfitting again, until it fit perfectly. The last picture in this batch shows the pieces combined with a few welds.

Alex
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BSA-Foldy5.jpg   BSA-Foldy8.jpg   BSA-Foldy9.jpg   BSA-Foldz1.jpg  
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Old 24-04-09, 13:46
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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The first two pictures of this batch show the chainwheel after cleaning up the welds.

Next up was changing the cranks into the BSA type with the bushing at the end. The cranks were sanded down to the correct "rounded" shape in a previous step already, the stock ends were cut off and the newly turned bushings were welded to the ends. The process was basically the same as with the chainwheel; first two welds to tack it in place, than aligning the pieces properly, so the holes at both ends of the crank move parallel....and welding it fully afterwards.

I am not a very good welder and a very basic MIG weld set doesn't help either, so I usually have to weld a bit, clean it up....weld a bit more, clean up a bit more....and so on, and so on.
I cleaned the welds up with an angle grinder, then a powerfile and than the Dremel multitool for the last bit.
After both cranks were finished, I noticed that I had welded the bushing on one of the cranks the wrong way round
So, it was time to turn off the light and close the door of the barn for that day!

The next session, the bushing was cut from the crank again and welded in the correct orientation. I drilled holes in the end of the crank, cut some thread and testfitted the little thingys with a spring and small ball. After testing the setup with the rods, about to be converted to pedals, the thingys were removed for painting.
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BSA-Foldy6.jpg   BSA-Foldy7.jpg   MLU-take2.jpg   MLU-take3.jpg   MLU-take31.jpg  

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Old 24-04-09, 14:00
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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The BSA pedals are basically nothing more than a rod with two washers at both ends which can slide in and out the cranks. The ball thinghy in combination with two groves in the rod ensure there are bascially just two positions of the rods......(think what would happen if one of them would slide sideways into the frame while you are cycling at speed).
My friends basically gave me a kit to make two repro pedals; two rods turned on a lathe and the four washers for the ends. I started welding the big washers to the ends and welding two smaller washers in the centre, resembling the look of original paddles. Than they were assembled with the cranks and chainwheel. After a coat of paint, I welded the other two smaller washers at the other end of the rods. So, the pedals were now part of the cranks. Than I realised I painted the rods as well, but they should have been kept blank steel as with the original! so, here we go again .

Anyway, it was easy just to remove the paint and given the other parts another coat afterwards.
Oh. I paint all parts with a zincprimer, than satin black paint to replicate the black primer used on original BSA bikes and than the green.

The last pictures shows where I am now.....time for a beer in the sun and another walk around the Chev C8.

Alex

Next up......Fork, steering wheel and brakes!
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Old 24-04-09, 20:25
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Alex, the hardest part about restoring a bicycle is when it comes to renewing the tired old power plant. You're doing such a great job so far, I'm sure you'll handle the power plant too!
Did you ever get through all that stuff on the DVD?
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Old 24-04-09, 22:11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering View Post
The last pictures shows where I am now.....time for a beer in the sun and another walk around the Chev C8.

Alex

Next up......Fork, steering wheel and brakes!
Alex to someone like me who has never used a welder, metal lathe etc the work you show is nothing short of a miracle. Don't forget while on that walk around the Chev to polish the badge again for luck.
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Old 24-04-09, 23:04
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Default Fantastic Work!



Alex, what a superb job you have done so far! I am truly impressed with your ingenuity to replicate the crank. You are putting me to shame, I can't even find the motivation this week to fix the brake cables on my BSA! (The fresh snow and ice outside doesn't help either, my garage isn't heated)

One thing intrigues me about the paint on my BSA however. You mention black primer and the green top coat. My bicycle seems to have the turd brown colour inbetween the primer and the green This only applies to the frame/forks/handle bars/crank. The brake calipers seem to be only green on black. BTW, my pedals show evidence of paint on the rods. It is likely they were painted at the factory, but the paint would very quickly get worn off due to use and there purposeful sliding in and out of the crank arm.

Since mine is the only unrestored BSA Airborne cycle I have seen up close, I can't explain the odd paint or have any reference to compare too? Mine is serial number R14015. Most of the BSA's I see in photos are much more green colour than mine. Mine only has a very light coating almost a "mist" of green over the brown?

Here is a photo of the crank on my bike (I had removed the rear wheel and chain for maintenance when this picture was taken)... shows how accurate your build is and my odd paint job. The brown shows clearly where the green has worn away from contact with boots and trousers. Also a shot of the BSA logo/decal on the downtube, shows chips that reveal the primer, the brown and the top coat of green.

(Alex, I am also assuming you received the photos I emailed you the other day?)
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Old 07-05-09, 13:34
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Bill, Dave, Cliff, thanks for your reactions.
@ Dave......yes I am working on the tired power plant as well......I eat my vegetables and cycle to the train every day on my way to work

A quick update.

My bike came with a non-original fork; the top was too "elegant" compared to the BSA style and the sheet metal "washers" were missing, near the axle.
Bill Miller helped with a series of pictures of his bike and along with measurements from another BSA survivor I was able to modify the fork to look like the BSA one.
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Old 07-05-09, 13:46
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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I welded the little elegant edge into a flat, straight line, like the BSA fork and also added extra material to the top of the fork, also creating a flat surface at that end.


At first I used washers with the correct inner and outer diameter to weld to the end of the "legs". Unfortunately these washers were very thin, so I wasn't able to weld them to the fork, without the welding equipment "eating" the thin metal. So, I found some thicker washers in the garage and welded these to the forks without trouble. I welded the holes shut, so I can drill a smaller hole later on (the second washers had a slightly oversized hole).

I discussed these "washers" with Bill and they were most likely intended to fit a fender or luggage carrier. The folding Bicycle didn't have these, so BSA probably used a "civil" fork for the production of their folding bike.


Currently I am working on the frame and steering wheel. Removing the paint and dirt from the frame takes more time than I anticipated. But, I work on small section of the frame at a time and spray zinc primer in stages afterwards.

Oh. Bill was correct about the pedals. They were originally painted, but paint wore very quickly during use of the bike. I have removed the paint of mine, so the sliding system works properly.

Alex

p.s. the last picture shows a wheel I bought two weeks ago; it's 26inch and 32 spokes, just like the oiginal. The shape is also very close to original. The only thing is the rough surface on the sides of the rim.....I will try to remove a little bit of the surface, hopefully creating a flat surface again....
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Old 13-05-09, 15:10
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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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
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Old 13-05-09, 15:12
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front wheel
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Old 13-05-09, 15:14
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Steering wheel
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Old 13-05-09, 17:19
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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.
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Old 14-05-09, 04:26
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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.
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Old 14-05-09, 05:27
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Default Brakes on BSA pushbikes

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.
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Old 14-05-09, 07:29
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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.
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Old 14-05-09, 11:23
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Dave, Bill, Keith,

Thanks for your reactions. I am having lots of fun with the bike and it gives me some oppertunity to test things and techniques, before going onto the Chev C8.

Thanks Bill. To be honest it is stressful, but I am confident I will find a nice job again and for now I try to concentrate on getting the best out of my last few months at work. The product design scene here in Holland is a small one, so I might need to look at other sectors, though.

regarding the brakes:
I have been able to buy some repro brakes parts from someone here in Holland who produced a run of repro BSA brakes some years ago. The stock was sold out a long time ago, but he offered me the test-parts and some remaining bits. Although the parts will need some work, it does give me something to start with.....which should save time. The set included most of the brake parts, but some were missing. I have ordered the missing parts at laser-cutting firm and expect them to be ready soon.

Bill, I agree with the comments on the reliability of the BSA brakes, but I do want to stay as close to the original as possible and not look for replacement brakes with a more reliable system. Who knows....maybe next month I will think different after rushing down one of the cliffs in Normandy, followed by a bunch of broken bicycle parts.
Anyway, I do plan to ride the bike, but I will probably walk when I think the stress on the bike might get too big.
The design of the BSA brakes is indeed somewhat overdesigned, allthough I do respect the way they created a brake from basically sheet metal parts, which makes them easy to produce in larger numbers.

Alex
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Old 14-05-09, 11:24
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Keith,
I can have a look for tires for you here. Finding 28inch x 1 3/8 tyres here in Holland is no problem, although you have to look a little harder for the ones without the reflective white edges on the sides and a more period looking thread. Tubes is no problem at all and you can get them here in any DIY shop. If you want me to have a look, let me know what you need and I will see what I can do. Maybe I could even bring them to Normandy and ask Lang Kidby to bring them to Australia.
Bill, the same with the plunjer for your pump. I expect to visit a good bike repair shop next week.

Alex
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Old 14-05-09, 11:36
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Default Tyres

Thanks Alex that would be much appreciated. Perhaps John Hedges could bring them back in his Ford Ute - he's much closer than Lang geographically.
Then I can get all excited about doing up my BSA.
Must take some pics so it can be properly identified.
Please PM me if and when you find some so we can sort out payment.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering View Post
Keith,
I can have a look for tires for you here. Finding 28inch x 1 3/8 tyres here in Holland is no problem, although you have to look a little harder for the ones without the reflective white edges on the sides and a more period looking thread. Tubes is no problem at all and you can get them here in any DIY shop. If you want me to have a look, let me know what you need and I will see what I can do. Maybe I could even bring them to Normandy and ask Lang Kidby to bring them to Australia.
Bill, the same with the plunjer for your pump. I expect to visit a good bike repair shop next week.

Alex
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  #26  
Old 14-05-09, 16:25
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Quote:
Thanks Alex that would be much appreciated. Perhaps John Hedges could bring them back in his Ford Ute - he's much closer than Lang geographically.
Then I can get all excited about doing up my BSA.
Must take some pics so it can be properly identified.
Please PM me if and when you find some so we can sort out payment.

Keith, I will have a look for you. Please confirm that it's indeed 28 x 1 3/8 you're after. I will let you know before buying them.
Giving it to John Hedges shouldn't be a problem, as we are on the same campsite in Normandy. Swiss Chris also sent me a PM with suggestions.

Alex
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  #27  
Old 26-05-09, 12:43
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Guys,

Last weekend I was on a short holiday in France, but I wanted to test the bike before we left. After assembling the wheels, steering wheel, cranks and chain I finally did a little test-run in the dark without lighting or brakes...
The first run didn't take me further than 10meters, when the crank broke...

I thought it was my welding and put the bike in the garage and turned of the lights. The next day I realised it wasn't my welding; the crank broke about 3 centimeters further. I remembered that when sanding down the cranks for the rounded "BSA shape", there was an imperfection in one of the cranks. It seems this crank was just badly casted from new as the crack showed shearing on the edges and a hollow section with corrosion in the middle. Anyway, there was just enough time before we left, to weld it and make another testrun. This time everything went fine...slowly I am trying to increase the force on the bike when driving and all seems fine.
This is the current status.

Yesterday I realised that I will be leaving for Normandy in a week and not two weeks So, I am picking up the last repro brake parts from the laser cutter today and finally start on the brakes tonight!

Alex
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  #28  
Old 27-05-09, 11:29
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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BRAKES!!!

Last night I found an hour or so to work on the brakes. I picked up the laser-cut pieces earlier yesterday and I was happy the fellows included a few spare parts, so I have some more material for testing etc.

The first picture shows the repro parts I was able to buy from fellow Dutchman Jim. It is basically a bunch of parts he used to test the bending and forging etc,. when he did his run of repro brakes a few years ago.

The second picture shows the laser-cut parts I picked up; I traced the contours of the brake parts from an original BSA folding bike with a pen on a piece of paper, scanned the paper and than used it as bakeground in a CAD program, so I was able to trace the contour with proper arcs and lines. This way I created 3D models of all the brake parts, enabling 2d Drawings for the laser-cutter afterwards.

One picture shows three "handles". The bottom one is a brass casting I was able to buy from Jim. Sadly it was only one, so I had to make up another. I printed out a 2D drawing of the CAD model I made and cut the shape by hand from a 6mm steel strip. I welded extra material to both sides and than sanded it to to the basic shape....still a lot to do, but you get the idea.

Yesterday, I started with one of the brake handle-assemblies; I used a piece of pipe, the same diameter as the steering wheel to test-fit the parts. (steering wheel is allready painted) You can see in the pictures that it needed some hammering, bending and pusuasion of the vice to get it ligned up.

I will focus on getting the rear brake done first, because I rather have one working brake in Normandy, in stead of two incomplete brakes!

Alex
Attached Thumbnails
Brake3001.jpg   Brake2.jpg   Brake1001.jpg   Brake4.jpg   Brake5001.jpg  

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  #29  
Old 10-06-09, 16:39
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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Well,

The bike was nearly finished for D-day, when the crank broke again. My welding just wasn't good enough, so on the night before we left for Normandy, I welded the crank again. Due to the problems with the crank I wasn't able to get the painted brake parts assembled in time. In the end I packed the bike, tools, all brake parts and spares and we left for the 800km long trip to Normandy.
I assembled the crank one of the first days at the campsite and was able to make some testruns. Than a day later I assembled the brake parts in the morning sun and the bike was done! I drove some meters in Etreham June 6th and in St Aubin-sur-Mer on sunday the 7th.

Here is a picture of the bike on the campsite
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  #30  
Old 10-06-09, 16:44
Alex van de Wetering Alex van de Wetering is offline
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One of the days at the campsite, an MVT member came over to our tent after seeing the parabike in the back of my car. He told me he made repro handlebars and transfers and he brought some sets with him!!! So, I now have very nice resin handlebars and the missing transfers!

On Sunday we found some time to make a "Then and Now"-shot with the bike". Hope you guys like it....

Here is the original picture:


source: http://www.strijdbewijs.nl/

And attached you will find the "NOW" picture.

Alex
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MLU-Alex07.jpg   MLU-Alex06.jpg  
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