'57 Lenton Grand Prix project

[bulldog1935]

Hi Dale, just getting a single 28.6 Huret band clamp - the boss is symmetric with the cable stop as a shifter part. When I visually compared the bosses, they looked identical, but no go.

forgot one more thing - going use the Rustines half hoods on the Weinmann levers

If I get rained in this weekend, going to wrap the bars - have some mustard-grey Brooks leather that's been stashed for years.
Also planning to use my KKT Pro Vic II pedals with Ale Clips and mustard-colored Binda straps.

and speaking of bosses - I used my dremel and file to cut the boss from a top-of-seat-tube shifter clamp to get the cable stop for my FD.

 

[bulldog1935]

rained in today and, as promised, photos of my Brooks mustard bar wrap
the half-hoods will be flattened on the brake levers when the brakes get cabled

it's really not quite this yellow, tried to correct it with some blue...

this is closer to the true color

 

[Dale Alan]

Nice,really dig the hoods.

 

[bulldog1935]

thanks

btw, went back with my channel locks and bent the tabs on the Rustines hoods a bit more, and they sucked right into the brake lever bodies.

the metal tab runs all the way through, and is a perfect boss for the Weinmann cable stops.

 

[petritl]

Very nice

 

[Dale Alan]

I keep going back to that shifter .I had a set,wish I kept them. I love those skinny levers.

 

[bulldog1935]

something else I've figured out about the Benelux shifter - the only way to make it work will be blue loctite on the threads - the thumbscrew tends to both tighten and loosen as you move the lever
FWIW, others have luck with loctite even on more modern shifters with the same cantankerous action.

btw, weeks ago, I was bidding on a single L/S band-clamp Cyclo shifter, but it outbid my interest.

and my Huret L/S shifter setup will do the job just as well, and will even look the part.

 

[WVBicycles]

looking good

 

[bulldog1935]

btw, I found a bike on bike forums verified to be a '57 model and s/n about 30 higher than mine (unfortunately, it had much rust).
The point is, it verifies my frame was built in 1957.
Peter Kohler also has an article that the first Lenton GP was displayed at the 1956 bike show.
It didn't arrive in Raleigh catalogs until 1958.

 

[bulldog1935]

It's an amazing small world.
I shopped UK for a decade to buy both my between the wars fly reels made by JW Young & Sons of Redditch, and postwar Youngs to convert to left-hand-wind and sell.
http://bulldog1935.u.yuku.com/
I made many friends across the pond.

My Phil bottom bracket arrived yesterday. The RH-thread, left side cup glided in. I spent all evening trying to get the drive side cup to start. It would glide for 3 turns, bind, click, and instantly cross-thread. Shawn at my local bike shop had pressed in my new headset and, at the same time, removed the 60-year fixed drive-side BB cup - he reported it was a booger.
I can only guess there's a piece of the old cup thread bound somewhere.

Google found a set of BB taps in the UK for me. Vintage Raleigh, 26 tpi, RH and LH thread.
I contacted the seller, and asked if he would sell me only the drive side tap.
Sure enough, no problem selling the single tap and posting to USA.
Thanks Alf.

http://bike-inn.co.uk/

so here's a mock-up of the chain guard - looks like it's going to fit nicely and crank arm clearance will be tight, but should work great