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1959 Norman-Built Western Flyer Cantilever

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Thank you for this information.

It is a challenge for a bicycle manufacturer to economically operate an in-house foundry.

Even when foundry produced parts carry the brand name of the bicycle they are typically subcontracted pieces.

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Tail lamp:

wonder if there may have been a relation between Miller brand bicycle lighting products and Tube Investments

noticed that most cycles produced with TI owned names come with Miller lighting kit, unless equipped with SA Dynohub of course...

recognise the machine's tail lamp as one which came on a new three-speed my parents gifted me about 1958. never paid much attention to cycle's brand name; with the perspective of hindsight suspect it may have been a Triumph. livery was red flambouyant with gold lining.

one summer in junior high had the bike locked up in a rack at the school. when came back to it the tail lamp had been disassembled with all of the pieces lying on the ground. perhaps someone was tinkering with it when they got interrupted. all of the bits were there and was able to reassemble it without recourse to tools. so have a good memory of what the Miller tail lamp of the era looks like.


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You're probably right, a foundry is a pretty specialized operation. From what I've read even Norton (motorcycles) contracted out the actual castings despite the designs being proprietary.
 
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three most important things in foundry financial solvency are similar to the famous three in the field of real estate...

...i.e. "volume, volume, volume" in order to amortise the high fixed costs of the operation 😉


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returning to the shell -

have a Brampton catalogue of 1948 that gave a check to...
all of its shells with blunt cut sockets exhibit the beveling rectification shown on the subject shell

however, there are no models which exhibit a gusset
of course there is a full decade between the catalogue date and the SA date so plenty of time for changes in offerings...


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20230226_103402-jpg.jpg


here is an advert from Thomas D. Cross & Sons ltd dated 1950 which illustrates the version of the bicycle's headset which is intended for integral mount -

T.D.C. advert, headset & bottom bracket .jpg


note that the cycle's adjustable bottom bracket cup & lock ring are a match for those illustrated in the advert to the extent that the lock ring is a two-dogg and the cup is turned via pin holes...

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pedal -

member @GTs58 earlier identified the cycle's white rubber bow pattern pedals as an Union product

have been able to learn they have the model name Sport but have not as yet learned a model number

here is a non-reflector set in black -

92382_01.jpg


above image comes from a for sale listing. seller prices pedal set at eighty euro(!!!). the Tin Man would do well to carefully clean and refresh his newly acquired set...

the cladding pattern on this model subsequently changed so that the reflector opening became rectangular


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View attachment 1800214

pedal -

member @GTs58 earlier identified the cycle's white rubber bow pattern pedals as an Union product

have been able to learn they have the model name Sport but have not as yet learned a model number

here is a non-reflector set in black -

View attachment 1800215

above image comes from a for sale listing. seller prices pedal set at eighty euro(!!!). the Tin Man would do well to carefully clean and refresh his newly acquired set...

the cladding pattern on this model subsequently changed so that the reflector opening became rectangular


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Schwinn used lots of Union pedals, but these are the first I've seen on an English bike. They're from the right period but they might be aftermarket. But they suit the bike so they will work for now. Has anybody seen an original Western Auto ad for this bike?
 
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View attachment 1800094

here is an advert from Thomas D. Cross & Sons ltd dated 1950 which illustrates the version of the bicycle's headset which is intended for integral mount -

View attachment 1800093

note that the cycle's adjustable bottom bracket cup & lock ring are a match for those illustrated in the advert to the extent that the lock ring is a two-dogg and the cup is turned via pin holes...

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You are correct about the bottom bracket hardware, upon closer inspection it's clearly marked. The bottom bracket itself doesn't have any markings on the bottom, but I've had a women's Norman built Western Flyer for a while, and I got it out for comparison. It also has a cast bottom bracket, "Jointless" rims and the exact calipers as the men's, but different brake handles. The women's bike was sold by Western Auto as well and is in pretty good shape, except it took a front impact somewhere along the line.

20230319_170135.jpg


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thanks so much for this update with the additional information! 😃

20230319_170925-jpg.jpg


one can only wonder if this puddle of material on the underside of the shell is there to cover something...

...or it may be just a vestige of the shell's casting process which was not cleaned up...

thanks again 😉


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thanks so much for this update with the additional information! 😃

View attachment 1807242

one can only wonder if this puddle of material on the underside of the shell is there to cover something...

...or it may be just a vestige of the shell's casting process which was not cleaned up...

thanks again 😉


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Thank you! If you hadn't posted that ad and pointed out the bottom bracket parts, I wouldn't have thought to check. Now I'm wondering why one has "Made in England" cast into it while the other doesn't, both rear hubs have '59 dates.
 
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as yet do not have a model name/number for the TDC headset employed; either the integral or non-integral versions

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one minor difference on the shells of your two examples is that the shell of the lady's exhibits a lighter bevel dressing to its tube sockets than does the gents

it is possible that workers would hold the shell into the bevel cutter doing each socket individually or there may have been a jig into which the shells could be deposited to cut all of the sockets as the same time

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Jointless brand wheel rims -

firm founded 1894 by one Mr. Charles Henry Pugh to produce these, called Jointless Rim Co.

company sold 1897 and retitled New Jointless Rim Co. Ltd

located in Birmingham

this second firm dissolved by 1916

have not as yet located record as to successor


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aestheticae -

head tube white & cable casing off-white/antique white

cable casing colour may be due to aging

if replace suggest to go with a true white or as an alternate colour choice silver-grey

try to locate a roundwire casing

afaik all modern casing is flatwire; this looks absolutely wrong on a vintage european machine

its employment is like a flashing neon sign that casing is of modern asian origin

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white rubbers of pedals can be brought back somewhat

best to avoid use of mass-market rubber/vinyl dressings such as amorall as they contain amines

they make things look better in the short term but when solar radiation hits the amines bad things commence

best to find a dressing which is amine-free; these can take a moment's search but numerous brands are out there...

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queue -

what is its present state?

have not kept abreast of the new intakes in the past annum or two so need to ask

the only specific machine recalled beyond these two northmen is the Dunford & Elliott

thank you again for sharing these finds with the forum


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You have been busy, good information! Thank you!
And the Dunelt is still patiently waiting it's turn. Maybe once I retire.
 
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