# Vintage English Rocket



## Lonestar (Sep 10, 2020)

I found this at a local resale stop, and bought it for the Brooks saddle for an attempt at restoring it. 
I just kept it as a wall-hanger. (The saddle)
The whole bike was 10 bucks! Did I do ok for 10 bucks?
The lights are now on my '62 Typhoon.


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## Oilit (Sep 10, 2020)

For $10.00 you can keep the saddle, give me the rest of the bike and still come out all right.


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## catfish (Sep 10, 2020)

Love the head badge!


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## Lonestar (Sep 11, 2020)

Oilit said:


> For $10.00 you can keep the saddle, give me the rest of the bike and still come out all right.



I'll trade ya for a 1/4 pounder w/ cheese...


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## Lonestar (Sep 11, 2020)

catfish said:


> Love the head badge!



Thank you!


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## Oilit (Sep 11, 2020)

Lonestar said:


> I'll trade ya for a 1/4 pounder w/ cheese...



I'd even throw in a side of fries, if I was closer.


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## Lonestar (Sep 11, 2020)

Oilit said:


> I'd even throw in a side of fries, if I was closer.



If you were closer it'd be yours buddy!


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## jimbo53 (Sep 11, 2020)

Nice bike! If that is a Sturmey Archer hub, it should be date stamped. I've seen a lot of old British 3 speed roadsters, but this is a new one for me.


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## phantom (Sep 11, 2020)

Nah....They should have had a mask on when they took your $10


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## Lonestar (Sep 12, 2020)

jimbo53 said:


> Nice bike! If that is a Sturmey Archer hub, it should be date stamped. I've seen a lot of old British 3 speed roadsters, but this is a new one for me.



Thanks! I'll have to take a closer look at the hub for the date stamp. The bike is front porch-art with my wife's plants.


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## Lonestar (Sep 12, 2020)

phantom said:


> Nah....They should have had a mask on when they took your $10



Ahhhh, what's 10 bucks for a good piece of porch art?


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## juvela (Sep 20, 2020)

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Do not think it a Raleigh product.

Integral headset looks like it may be a Brampton product.

Fork crown shape and cap suggestive of Hercules.  The firm did cycles with integral headsets at one time.

Blades appear they may be D-section which would mark it as relatively early.

Bicycle imported by Joannou.

They were a major popularizer of English three-speeds beginning in the immediate postwar period.  They later went on to handle derailleur geared cycles from Britain as well.

Mr. Joannou was a Cypriot who moved to Britain and thence on to the the U.S.  He founded a bicycle importing & distribution firm shortly after the end of the second world war.  Company called J.&G. Joannou.

Possible the Rocket badge may belong to them.

Other members are sure to know more regarding Joannou.

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## jimbo53 (Sep 21, 2020)

The frame appears to be a 21 incher due to the short head tube, but the fork looks to be for a bike with 28” wheels due to the excessive clearance between tire and underside of fork crown. The paint on the fork looks blacker than the rest of the frame leads me to speculate that the fork was a replacement, possibly due to an accident. Just an observation, don’t mean to be picking apart your bike.


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## Lonestar (Oct 31, 2020)

jimbo53 said:


> The frame appears to be a 21 incher due to the short head tube, but the fork looks to be for a bike with 28” wheels due to the excessive clearance between tire and underside of fork crown. The paint on the fork looks blacker than the rest of the frame leads me to speculate that the fork was a replacement, possibly due to an accident. Just an observation, don’t mean to be picking apart your bike.



Hey, no worries! I don't feel that way at all. I am amazed at how much yall know about the details like you mentioned. I appreciate all input!!
'Preciate ya!


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## Lonestar (Oct 31, 2020)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> Do not think it a Raleigh product.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the input, sorry so late to reply. I am very grateful for the comments, thanks! I love how Cabers are so knowledgeable & willing to share!


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## rocketlover (Jun 1, 2021)

Lonestar said:


> I found this at a local resale stop, and bought it for the Brooks saddle for an attempt at restoring it.
> I just kept it as a wall-hanger. (The saddle)
> The whole bike was 10 bucks! Did I do ok for 10 bucks?
> The lights are now on my '62 Typhoon.
> ...



Hey


Lonestar said:


> I found this at a local resale stop, and bought it for the Brooks saddle for an attempt at restoring it.
> I just kept it as a wall-hanger. (The saddle)
> The whole bike was 10 bucks! Did I do ok for 10 bucks?
> The lights are now on my '62 Typhoon.
> ...



Hey I am sorry for a late reply I just seen your post I actually own a rocket like this but mines is more complete I have been looking for years for anything about these rockets and can not find anything mines has the fenders chain guard same head badge the air pump on the frame I just wanted to post thank you.


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## Lonestar (Jun 1, 2021)

rocketlover said:


> Hey
> 
> Hey I am sorry for a late reply I just seen your post I actually own a rocket like this but mines is more complete I have been looking for years for anything about these rockets and can not find anything mines has the fenders chain guard same head badge the air pump on the frame I just wanted to post thank you.



No worries! I'm glad you may have gotten something from the post! We would love to see your bike, we love pics!
I still have this bike, although it is kinda just porch-art. Thanks for the reply!


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## Oilit (Jun 1, 2021)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> Do not think it a Raleigh product.
> 
> ...



I think you're right, this looks like Tubing Industries before they bought Raleigh. But I've been reading about Monark, and they started importing English lightweights during the '50's (before Huffy bought them) and "Rocket" was one of the model names they used a lot. Did Joannou import these for Monark, or am I being led astray by the name?


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## rocketlover (Jul 19, 2021)

Oilit said:


> I think you're right, this looks like Tubing Industries before they bought Raleigh. But I've been reading about Monark, and they started importing English lightweights during the '50's (before Huffy bought them) and "Rocket" was one of the model names they used a lot. Did Joannou import these for Monark, or am I being led astray by the name?



I also have a rocket bicycle I been looking for years there a lost bicycle company the history of the bikes I have never  found a trace of there an England bicycle from what I know they used to be used for racing


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## Oilit (Jul 19, 2021)

rocketlover said:


> I also have a rocket bicycle I been looking for years there a lost bicycle company the history of the bikes I have never  found a trace of there an England bicycle from what I know they used to be used for racing



Post some pictures if you can, a lot of English bikes were imported into the U.S, especially from the late '40's up into the early '80's. And a lot of bicycles were "re-branded" by whoever was selling them, the original makers often included their name on a decal somewhere on the bike, but not always, and the badges were whatever suited the retailer. Monark imported English bikes for a year or two before they were bought by Huffy, there's a page in the Monark book with an ad for the "Rocket" but it identifies the maker only as "a division of TI industries", which could be Hercules, Norman, Phillips or a number of other brands owned by Tubing Industries at the time. Besides the name, the crown at the top of @Lonestar's badge is similar to an emblem often used by Monark.
If you get some pictures, try to get close-ups of the lugs where the frame tubes join. A lot of English bikes look similar from 5 yards away, but the construction details can make the difference.


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## dnc1 (Jul 19, 2021)

This 'Rocket' brand doesn't ever seem to have been sold in England.
I believe the  successor  to the G. Joannou Cycle Co. is 'Jamis' cycles and is still in existence.
Could be worth any of you 'Rocket' owners above reaching out to them. 
As @Oilit states, the frame construction could be key to the original manufacturers.


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## bleedingfingers (Jul 19, 2021)

Overhaul it clean it up put some nice tires on it and ride the wheels off it .
Will probably only last you 50 years 
The headlight bracket underneath the headlight is worth 10 bucks .
Also front fork is probably correct extra room is for the fender .
Chain ring and front fork look like Hercules and a lot of other British bikes .


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## rocketlover (Jul 22, 2021)

hello everyone sorry took me so long but this is my England rocket I hope this helps its more complete and maybe will help with figuring out this rocket tires have never been replaced since I got it.


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## rocketlover (Jul 22, 2021)




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## rocketlover (Jul 22, 2021)

I hope this will help out It has had zero work done to it since I got it is how I got it


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## Oilit (Jul 22, 2021)

rocketlover said:


> View attachment 1450082View attachment 1450088View attachment 1450083View attachment 1450084View attachment 1450085View attachment 1450086View attachment 1450087



Wow! That's survived in really nice shape, the chrome is good and it even has most of the original decals, which for a bike from the '50's is not common. It was made before TI bought Raleigh and merged everything, that design is all Birmingham. (Raleigh was based in Nottingham.) I've never seen that headlight before, that's just killer cool!
This is probably one of the bikes that Monark imported before Huffy bought them, the wording on that TI decal is exactly the same as the Monark ad. Huffy bought Monark at the end of 1957, so I'm guessing your bike is '57 or a year or two earlier. Your rear hub is probably a Sturmey-Archer, and the date the hub was made should be stamped under the logo, which will get you close on the year of the bike.
This is the hub on a Schwinn Traveler, made in October 1953:


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## juvela (Jul 22, 2021)

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thanks very much for sharing your example rocketlover

its wonderful that it is so complete and all original

you might wish to consider straightening the drive side crank arm; it appears to have been bent inward in an event of some sort...

should you be doing a disassembly for cleaning and lubrication you might wish to perform an alignment check at the same time; a kinetic force adequate to bend the crank arm may have put the frame out of alignment as well...



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## Oilit (Jul 22, 2021)

Looking at that light again, I can see the "Miller" logo stamped on top of the shell, but that doesn't look like a standard Miller lens. That may be a lens off a car or who knows what that just happened to (sorta) fit. A lot can happen to a bike in 60-odd years. Still kinda cool though.


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## dnc1 (Jul 22, 2021)

Miller also made motorcycle stuff too.
Could be off of a small motorcycle/moped?
Does look more like a car front direction indicator lens on reflection though.


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## dnc1 (Jul 22, 2021)

Oilit said:


> Looking at that light again, I can see the "Miller" logo stamped on top of the shell, but that doesn't look like a standard Miller lens. That may be a lens off a car or who knows what that just happened to (sorta) fit. A lot can happen to a bike in 60-odd years. Still kinda cool though.



Looking at the lens itself in closer detail, it does actually bear the legend 'LUCAS'.
I'm convinced it's a car front direction indicator/ front side light lens from the 1950s/60s.


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## Oilit (Jul 22, 2021)

dnc1 said:


> Looking at the lens itself in closer detail, it does actually bear the legend 'LUCAS'.
> I'm convinced it's a car front direction indicator/ front side light lens from the 1950s/60s.



I went back and looked again and you're right! Good eyes!


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## rocketlover (Jul 23, 2021)

Oilit said:


> Looking at that light again, I can see the "Miller" logo stamped on top of the shell, but that doesn't look like a standard Miller lens. That may be a lens off a car or who knows what that just happened to (sorta) fit. A lot can happen to a bike in 60-odd years. Still kinda cool though.



You are right thanks it is a miller brand but that lenses I never figured it out because it never stays on that it is not original where the back light is so thank you for noticing that.


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## Lonestar (Sep 7, 2021)

jimbo53 said:


> Nice bike! If that is a Sturmey Archer hub, it should be date stamped. I've seen a lot of old British 3 speed roadsters, but this is a new one for me.



stamped 55...sorry took so long to get back to ya!


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