help me with my bicycle age

[mysteriousdoc]

i have recently bought a bike in an auction , which is stamped BSa ,a small and sturdy bike with hub brakes, 3 gears , and feame number is H88160. can you please help me with to find which model is this .. i assume it is from 1930s.

 

[bobcycles]

Very cool! Guessing late 40's

 

[mysteriousdoc]

hi Bob many thanks for your reply, though i thought it was from late 30s as i read an article regarding frame numbers for BSA i.e.
BSA DATING by Steve Griffith
Frame numbers are a notoriously poor guide to BSA dating. They were not sequential and there are no
known company records. However, in the VCC BSA file are the ledgers from Astleys of Oldham (1934
to 70) who were a large volume seller (50 to 120 bikes a year). These provide a useful part of the
jigsaw but it is important to remember we are a long way from having a complete chronological frame
record. The information from Astley ledgers can be summarised as follows:
-Tandems from 1935 to 1940 begin with AD, AE, AT followed by a four or five digit number.
-For 1934 majority of numbers begin with the letter W then a 5-digit letter begins with a 3 or 4.
-For the period 1935 to 39 the letter is WE or WD or H with a 5 or 6-digit number
-For the period 1942 to 1950 there is no letter just a 5 or 6 digit number.
-Beginning in 1951 a letter prefix was re-introduced running A to E.
-Post 1959 the letter becomes a suffix usually 2 letters.
There is no correlation between models and frame number e.g. sequential number may be roadsters or
lightweights
i might be be wrong

 

[Oilit]

@SirMike1983 may be able to shed some light.

 

[mysteriousdoc]

@SirMike1983 may be able to shed some light.

looking forward for it...

 

[Andrew Gorman]

BSA made their own hubs up until 1956-
http://www.sturmey-archerheritage.com/index.php?page=history-detail&id=91
British roadsters were virtually unchanged for most of the 20th Century so pinning down a date can be difficult. Your bike has been kept on the road, so the tires are probably not going to be a clue. Check for old BSA catalogs and try to match the decals might be the best way to check. Looks like a nice bike in nice condition!

 

[Andrew Gorman]

With the black background on the headbadge decal, if it matches the ones for motorcycles, maybe 1939-1954? or up through 1956 because of the hub-
https://www.heortieg.com/bsa-transfers-and-decals-621-c.asp

 

[mysteriousdoc]

Thanks Mike for ur help.. i kept it for sale at Ebay .. Fetched 206£ .. bought another one ..a vintage Dunelt road bike. waiting for it to arrive.

 

[SirMike1983]

Did you check if the plating was nickel or chrome? Chrome would be a 1930s or later bike usually, nickel an earlier bike. Did it have the white lower portion on the rear mudguard? The BSA catalog for 1934 shows black rear mudguard with a different rear reflector, but the 1936-39 catalogs show white rear tips and a reflector more similar to yours.

Frame serial numbers are notoriously hard to use on British bikes, more so than American ones. We usually date based on hub/component date stamps, component styles, paint schemes, decals, and type of plating. But it sounds like you have at least some idea from the frame date, which is better than most.

That looks most similar to the bikes in the late 1930s-period catalogs, particularly 1936-39, including the two-tone silver head tube. My guess would be a late 1930s bike. That sounds consistent with the bit of information you have from the serial number.

I'd have a hard time selling that one. We're hard-pressed to find that kind of cycle here in the U.S.

 

[mysteriousdoc]

Did you check if the plating was nickel or chrome? Chrome would be a 1930s or later bike usually, nickel an earlier bike. Did it have the white lower portion on the rear mudguard? The BSA catalog for 1934 shows black rear mudguard with a different rear reflector, but the 1936-39 catalogs show white rear tips and a reflector more similar to yours.

Frame serial numbers are notoriously hard to use on British bikes, more so than American ones. We usually date based on hub/component date stamps, component styles, paint schemes, decals, and type of plating. But it sounds like you have at least some idea from the frame date, which is better than most.

That looks most similar to the bikes in the late 1930s-period catalogs, particularly 1936-39, including the two-tone silver head tube. My guess would be a late 1930s bike. That sounds consistent with the bit of information you have from the serial number.

I'd have a hard time selling that one. We're hard-pressed to find that kind of cycle here in the U.S.