# Unknown camelback english bike



## bairdco (Oct 18, 2015)

Edit... figured it out. Its a 1950 Wearwell boys sports racer...

Got this today, no headbadge or stickers.

Odd parts. Has a Hercules B type 4, 3 speed hub, with a 3 speed freewheel and Simplex derailluer. So I guess it has 3 external, and 3 internal gears , which would make it a, uh... 9 speed?

Dunlop 26x1 3/8 EA-3 rims, Phillips front hub with wingnuts.

Cool lugged camelback frame, kinda on the small side, but, so am I, so it'd fit me.

"Guaranteed" leather saddle.

Under the bottom bracket it says "made in... (something I can't read."

Looks beat, but the tires hold air, and with a tune up will probably ride great. 

Dunno what I'm gonna do with it, but for the price, and the hub and seat, figured I couldn't go wrong.

Any info?


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## bairdco (Oct 18, 2015)

More pics...


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## bairdco (Oct 19, 2015)

Anyone? Help?


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## bulldog1935 (Oct 20, 2015)

I would start here, and back up through the companies that Raleigh absorbed along the way
https://oldbike.wordpress.com/9-bicycle-history-nottingham/

Thanks for posting, a very on-topic example.


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## rhenning (Oct 20, 2015)

I am guessing it is a Franken British bike built or modified as time went on.  From the hub it would be a Hercules but there are parts from a bunch of other British bikes on it.  Yes it is a 9 speed.  As a teenager I did similar things to my Hercules.  2 back sprockets, 2 front sprockets and the 3 speed hub made mine a 12 speed.  It looks like it has part of a head badge so what does that say?  Probably just someones toy of mixed parentage.  Roger


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## bulldog1935 (Oct 20, 2015)

the 6-digit serial number and stamp on the seat post should lead to something about the frame's origin...


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## bairdco (Oct 20, 2015)

Been doing a lot of digging and I'm leaning toward it being a pre-raleigh phillips bike.

Chainring is standard phillips, it has phillips apollo pedals, phillips front hub and the frame lugs and headbadge lugged section looks phillips.

Hercules hub is 1952-3,  pedals are early 50's, and other parts seem to place it all in the early 50's. 

The frame seems to be pretty obscure. Searched thousands of photos and the only camelback design I've found is a phillips motorized bike, but it has rear facing drop outs.

The only decal left is a bike shop waterslide on the seat tube, but it's been damaged by the cable pulley clamp. Part of it reads "los angeles, california.

Gonna start tearing it down today. This type of bike isn't really my thing, but this particular one is pretty cool.

If anything, it should make the hipsters jealous.

Thanks for the replies. I was getting lonely.


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## OCD (Oct 20, 2015)

Not sure the origins, but one of the coolest bikes I've ever seen


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## bulldog1935 (Oct 20, 2015)

things take time around here - don't always have the right answers at hand, but you're doing a good job and rest of us are enjoying it, too.  
It's certainly easy to see a P in that seat post stamp.  
I bet that will lead to serial number info...


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## bairdco (Oct 20, 2015)

It's turning out to be more and more of a frankenbike. 

Left crank is stamped "japan," right crank is stamped "phillips."

Brake calipers are stamped "crown. Made in japan." 

I just hope the frame isn't japanese. Not that I'm bike-racist, I just want it to be english and rare, not japanese and junky.


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## rhenning (Oct 20, 2015)

I had a mid 1960s Raleigh with that style of frame and it was primarily designed for shorter riders as the seat tube is shorter than normal.  I will see if I can find what Raleigh called theirs.  Roger


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## bairdco (Oct 20, 2015)

Yeah, it's a smaller bike. I'm 5'7 so it fits me fine.


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## bairdco (Oct 20, 2015)

Ok, found the Raleigh Colt. Similar style, but many ne has a bottom bracket oiler, different "keyholes" in the rear dropouts, and other differences in the frame. 

Getting closer...


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## bairdco (Oct 20, 2015)

After sandblasting the frame and grinding the mess of brazing off the bottom bracket, it now says "made in england R119AL"

Which might date it as a raleigh, 1954. But it might not.


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## bairdco (Oct 21, 2015)

Trying to identify this is driving me crazy.  Too many weird anomolies that I don't see on raleigh, or anywhere else. 

Headbadge has two vertical threaded holes. Every raleigh badge I see has three rivets, phillips has horizontal rivets...

Headtube has, dunno the tech term, inverted headset? No outer cups. 

Drop outs are art deco, and don't match any I can find.

Bottom bracket has an oiler.

Two serial numbers that make no sense anywhere.

Can't find any examples after thousands of searches. Starting to think it's one of the many obscure english brands that disappeared without a trace.


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## wrongway (Oct 21, 2015)

I bought a bike a year ago that I thought was a Raleigh Lenton. Turned out it was something a guy put together to look like one. Did a pretty good job, though, and it led to all sorts of fascinating research about them and RRA and Clubmen bikes in general. You've got a pretty interesting bike there....and those axle wing nuts....wow!! Neat find! Keep us posted.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 21, 2015)

It's a part-together bike. Frame looks to be a 1950s green badge Hercules.


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## bairdco (Oct 21, 2015)

I've searched Hercules bikes and still haven't found a camelback frame. Yet...


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## wrongway (Oct 22, 2015)

Maybe a Humber? I was looking at a 1930 catalog and the lugs are similar. Just a thought......


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## bairdco (Oct 22, 2015)

I searched Hercules with no luck. Nothing matched. BUT, I found Wearwell Cycles, and although I didn't find an exact match for the camelback, they have the same lugs, same dropouts, bb shell, and a later version had "made in britain" stamped on the bb in a similar style. 

So, I'm almost convinced it's a Wearwell.


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## bairdco (Oct 22, 2015)

Found it! From a 1950 Wearwell bicycle catalogue:


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## wrongway (Oct 23, 2015)

Now, that's got to be some kind of rare! Great find. Going to restore it to stock? Wouldn't be too hard I wouldn't think.


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## bairdco (Oct 23, 2015)

I thought about going back to stock, but I like what the previous owner(s) have done to it over the years, so I'm going to carry on and improve on what they started.

I'm keeping the 3-9 speed set-up,  because that's just too cool, and I obviously gotta keep the front wheel with the wingnuts.

The cheaper cranks and brakes I'd like to replace with vintage higher end stuff, and I'm thinking of making a set of antique track bars with an alloy stem.

The frame needs a custom paint job to highlight the lug work. Already have an outrageous paint scheme in my head.

I figure this one's gonna be a keeper (and a rider,) 'cause I haven't had a lightweight bike with gears in a long time (or, never, actually.)

I've built so many custom cruisers over the years, so I'm really excited to build something completely different. 

I'll be posting updates as it goes along...


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## wrongway (Oct 23, 2015)

You build your own bars? Is that hard to do? Do you do that for other people as well?


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## bairdco (Oct 23, 2015)

I've built some funky welded ones, but haven't bent any up yet. But where there's a will (and a torch) there's a way.


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## bairdco (Nov 3, 2015)

So, here's what I've got going now...

Found some alloy Nitto drop bars and an old schwinn stem (made in Britain, ) and I cleaned, sandblasted, steel wooled, and painted everything.

I need new cables, but the 9 speed set-up all (kinda) works, just has to be adjusted when I get cables that aren't all crusty and stretchy.

Not digging the bars too much. The original stem had no reach, and the Schwinn one throws off my steering angle. 

Probably gonna change it up to something more upright. I'm just not a ten speeder type of guy.

And the derailluer is set up wrong, I know, I know...


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## Dale Alan (Nov 3, 2015)

I like it,very unique geometry.I bet with those relaxed angles it will be a comfortable ride.


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## Frank Kauffman (Mar 10, 2018)

I picked up this Phillips camelback model a year or so ago and the curved top tube had me pretty confused. I couldn't find a photo of anything like it. This week I started asking around on some facebook groups and was told about the camelback design that was used for shorter riders. This site was recommended, which led me to this thread. Thanks to the OP and everyone for some interesting reading that puts my bike in context a little bit. Now I want to start digging for a catalog or something to really identify the model. The date on the Sturmey-Archer hub would place it shortly after the sale to Raleigh. Maybe I'll start a separate thread to pick everyone's brains on this one.


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## wrongway (Mar 13, 2018)

Frank Kauffman said:


> I picked up this Phillips camelback model a year or so ago and the curved top tube had me pretty confused. I couldn't find a photo of anything like it. This week I started asking around on some facebook groups and was told about the camelback design that was used for shorter riders. This site was recommended, which led me to this thread. Thanks to the OP and everyone for some interesting reading that puts my bike in context a little bit. Now I want to start digging for a catalog or something to really identify the model. The date on the Sturmey-Archer hub would place it shortly after the sale to Raleigh. Maybe I'll start a separate thread to pick everyone's brains on this one.
> 
> View attachment 767881



Frank,
  I recall 'talking' to you on Saturday and directing you here. Glad you found the site. There will be many helpful people on here! You might try a fresh posting of your bike in the same forum. It might get more attention. I forgot to mention that the Colt is the Raleigh version of your bike.


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