1959 Cavalier His/Her set

[SirMike1983]

Tripple-3- I think what the pictures are showing is that this is a pre-Raleigh Phillips-type product. The reason I say "Phillips-type" is that Phillips was just one brand under the British Cycle Corporation in the 1950s. BCC brands included Hercules, Phillips, and Norman in that time. Phillips and Hercules were the best-known brands under BCC in the 1950s. Around 1960, Raleigh merged with the BCC brands under Tube Investments. The old parts of Birmingham pattern were gradually used-up and replaced with Raleigh-style Nottingham parts. The formerly BCC brands became low-end Raleigh type bikes with feature similar to Raleigh. The reason this isn't like a Raleigh is because it very likely pre-dates the merger with Raleigh. The cranks bottom bracket, fender stays, and dropouts all look Birmingham/BCC-made to me for sale in Pep Boys stores in the US. Those lugs look very similar to Norman brand lugs, which would be a BCC product in this time. That would explain the mixture of features the bike has.

The boys rear hub has the year 60 and the girls is a 59
View attachment 231268View attachment 231269View attachment 231270View attachment 231271View attachment 231272View attachment 231273View attachment 231274
So do you think it's Phillips?
It doesn't look like any Raleigh frames I have had in the past.

 

[T-Mar]

The boys rear hub has the year 60 and the girls is a 59
So do you think it's Phillips?
It doesn't look like any Raleigh frames I have had in the past.

Both the serial number location and format are incorrect for a Raleigh manufactured frame from this period. For that matter, it is also atypical for the Phillips that I have seen. However, it is would be correct for a Hercules.

 

[Gasbag]

Going by the "Made in Birmingham" decal and other features they were most likely built by Phillips. The Norman factory was located in Ashford England and was shuttered in 1961. Hercules, made in Birmingham, would be ruled out as they had a rather distinctive chain guard that they used on all of their bikes including contract builds such as the Hiawatha line sold through Gambles department store. At the time your bikes were built, Birmingham based Phillips was the second largest bicycle manufacturer in England and built contract bikes for many private brands. This was a period of much tumult in the English bicycle industry with the parent company, Tubing Investments (TI), shuttering plants and consolidating production to the Raleigh plant in Nottingham.

Out of curiosity, what does the lower red banner on the head badge say?

 

[tripple3]

Going by the "Made in Birmingham" decal and other features they were most likely built by Phillips. The Norman factory was located in Ashford England and was shuttered in 1961. Hercules, made in Birmingham, would be ruled out as they had a rather distinctive chain guard that they used on all of their bikes including contract builds such as the Hiawatha line sold through Gambles department store. At the time your bikes were built, Birmingham based Phillips was the second largest bicycle manufacturer in England and built contract bikes for many private brands. This was a period of much tumult in the English bicycle industry with the parent company, Tubing Investments (TI), shuttering plants and consolidating production to the Raleigh plant in Nottingham.

Out of curiosity, what does the lower red banner on the head badge say?

"Made in England" the badges are identical
PEP Boys, Manny, Moe, and Jack; Cavalier Cyclists.... pretty cool for lightweights....

 

[Gasbag]

I've seen the lower head badge banners on contract bikes marked "Made in England" or "Made in (name of city)" or "Made by (name of manufacturer)"

 

[SirMike1983]

Western Auto also had contract Phillips type bikes made for them in the 1950s. I ride my lightweights much more than my ballooners- they're a nice handling sort of bike.

 

[Gasbag]

Western Auto also had contract Phillips type bikes made for them in the 1950s. I ride my lightweights much more than my ballooners- they're a nice handling sort of bike.

I am with you on the riding qualities of the lightweights. I have nerve damage in my arm and can only ride in the "sit up and beg" position to keep discomfort away. The lightweights can be ridden fair distances at a good clip without too much fatigue or discomfort. Besides that, I often find myself with a big old grin just because it all just feels right when I'm riding them :o

 

[T-Mar]

...Hercules, made in Birmingham, would be ruled out as they had a rather distinctive chain guard that they used on all of their bikes including contract builds such as the Hiawatha line sold through Gambles department store...

With all due respect, those angular Hercules chain guards were era specific. While they were used in the 1960s, a more traditional style was in use circa 1960. Attached are photos of a Hercules that was dated to 1960 based on the Sturmey-Archer hub date. Note that it does not have the angular chain guard. Now, note the rear dropouts and the serial number format, which is the same as the OP's bicycles: five numerals followed by two alpha characters. The Phillips that I have seen have used a single leading alpha character in the serial number.

 

[Gasbag]

I stand corrected. The angular chain guard was used later on.

That is the beauty of these forums, the sharing of knowledge and information.

Trying to find a reliable source for accurate information on these old English three speeds has been a somewhat futile errand for me. While there is a lot of good information out there, it is widely scattered. Do you know of any publications that chronicle the English bicycle industry?

 

[T-Mar]

What is UEK?...

I'm not sure exactly what UEK stands for, but his is how cranks with this pattern are described in bicycle specification sheets and parts catalogues. UEK could be a manufacturer, brand or even a model. They're definitely English and turn up on lots of bicycles, generally private label brands. I've documented their use on several bicycles covering 1941-1960. Undoubtedly, it extends beyond this range but I can't say by how much.

...Trying to find a reliable source for accurate information on these old English three speeds has been a somewhat futile errand for me. While there is a lot of good information out there, it is widely scattered. Do you know of any publications that chronicle the English bicycle industry?

Unfortunately, I don't. What is available seems to be company histories and they tend to focus on the business side of the industry, as that information is more readily available and appealing to the public at large. The technical side is sorely wanting. A couple of year's back I was a technical adviser for an author on a history of a major brand. After the book was complete, he suggested I take on a similar project but from a technical perspective, detailing the changes and developments to the actual bicycles. I started on the project, but eventually abandoned it, due to lack of interest by the intended market. While there may appear to be a large audience, most are interested only in a particular bicycle (i.e one they own) and are loathe to purchase a book when they can obtain answers for free on forums like this. There are relatively few who are interested in looking at the big technical picture for a brand, let alone an entire national industry.