# Please Help Identify this bike!



## Two Wheeler (May 7, 2018)

A friend asked for my help in identifying this bike. His information he got with the picture says it's an English Touring bike. 


 

 

 I would like to see if any of you English bike collectors can shed some light on these pictures taken in 1937. Thanks for your help in advance!


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## bulldog1935 (May 7, 2018)

can you post a higher-resolution scan of the first photo?  There's nothing to work with starting at that resolution, and the photo grains are finer than the current pixels.
Also looks like a Williams chainset.
short reach on the bars, guessing North Road



here's the place to begin searching brands

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders.html
and here
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/readers_bikes.html

check out the Granby Special frameset in this article:
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/granby-ives-restoration.html 




and when Darren shows up, he seems to know his way around Veteran-Cycle Club


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## Two Wheeler (May 7, 2018)

I 


bulldog1935 said:


> can you post a higher-resolution scan of the first photo?  There's nothing to work with starting at that resolution, and the photo grains are finer than the current pixels.
> 
> short reach on the bars, guessing North Road
> View attachment 803190
> ...



I don't have the pictures in my possession. So that's all I have to work with. Thanks for the information. I'll see what information I can get from those two websites.


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## dnc1 (May 7, 2018)

I agree with @bulldog1935 re. the bars and chain set, but difficult to determine anything else from the photos.
I'm guessing that they were in some far-flung outpost of the then British empire judging by their "tropical" attire, possibly India.
You're not going to want to tackle any hills of note whilst wearing that get-up and carrying all that weight on your back!
Also, the chain line in the first photo suggests a three-speed hub gear, but look at the rear hub in the second photo!
Any other info. On the rider/location etc.?


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## Two Wheeler (May 9, 2018)

dnc1 said:


> I agree with @bulldog1935 re. the bars and chain set, but difficult to determine anything else from the photos.
> I'm guessing that they were in some far-flung outpost of the then British empire judging by their "tropical" attire, possibly India.
> You're not going to want to tackle any hills of note whilst wearing that get-up and carrying all that weight on your back!
> Also, the chain line in the first photo suggests a three-speed hub gear, but look at the rear hub in the second photo!
> Any other info. On the rider/location etc.?



dnc1, I'm waiting to see if I can get some more information. Thanks for your help!


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## bulldog1935 (May 9, 2018)

dnc1 said:


> ...I'm guessing that they were in some far-flung outpost of the then British empire judging by their "tropical" attire, possibly India....




Made me check my 1939 Army Navy CSL catalog, but every bike with their marque had rod/roller brakes. I scanned the page if anybody wants to see it.
A brake cable is visible in Dan's first photo.
This Claude Butler is not far off base, same geometry, fork, and catalog states you can order it with any bar, stem, or gearing options.




http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/catalogues/cb-1938-catalogue.html

I will show this corner of the Army Navy catalog, which basically identifies what bike brands you can order shipped to India.



@dnc1 Darren, there are some things I'm willing to say about the bike.
It appears to be a techy lightweight for its day, chosen for the task at hand.  The fancy lamp tells me it's a better appointed bike than typical Birmingham or Nottingham production, and that is going to point me at framebuilders.
This BSA Opperman would be about the best you could order shipped by A&N CSL to India, and while it's a flagship club racer and jewel in its own right, I would guess his bike is probably a custom.


 


https://bsamuseum.wordpress.com/1936-bsa-opperman-special/ - fun article to read, btw
and another nice bar diagram from the '36 BSA catalog, and back to Dan's photos, I like the way he's riding hoods on his NR bar


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## Two Wheeler (May 10, 2018)

As it turns out these pictures were taken in LA!


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## bulldog1935 (May 10, 2018)

Dan Shabel said:


> As it turns out these pictures were taken in LA!



If the bike was purchased in LA (Beverley Hills), you need to follow up on the history of Hans Ohrt and his bike shop - probably the only prewar shop anywhere nearby that was importing British bikes - and supplying them to the Stars.  You may be able to identify the maker by historic references to his inventory.
But I believe he was importing Claude Butler.




here's a place to begin:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-...0s-claude-butler-sold-hans-ohrt-how-much.html

As pointed out by @SirMike1983 on the Swift thread, so many of the prewar British bikes that turn up here were imported to Canada.
Finding a new British bike in the US then would be a bit of a chore, and Hans Ohrt was one of the few importers (I would bet the movie relations between Hollywood and London was a big factor there).  Certainly nothing like postwar when American fliers brought home a love affair for British Lightweights.
Though we loved between-the-wars British fly reels on high-grade American bamboo fly rods, relations between the US and UK then were actually not that good (until we began dramatizing the 1940 Blitz in movie house newsreels).
Through the 20s, both Navies had worked out detailed strategies and contingencies for war between us, since we were the two biggest boys on the block.


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