Ladies English Armstrong 3 Speed Frame rescue

[gkeep]

HI All,
A coworker rescued this Armstrong frame from becoming scrap metal yesterday. No back rim unfortunately. He did dig the front rim out of the pile, has a Dunlop Roadster tyre. Despite all my research efforts I can't find any other Armstrong with this chainring or the simple decal. All the Armstrongs I've found online have a regular metal headbadge. Without the rear hub I have only hunches as to age. The art deco style Armstrong decal is nice, all the bikes I've found online seem to have a script style logo. I tried a little Maguires Cleaner Wax on the forks and front fender and this paint should take a nice polish.

The grips say John Bull Sport Grip and I like the Brampton trigger. I've been wondering if the rear hub might have been a Brampton or Sturmey Archer. I think it would make a nice around town ride for my wife or daughter, cause they need 4 different bikes to ride too, like me! Now I need a bigger basement.

Anyone with insight , age estimate, photos of other Armstrongs please chime in and educate me about this survivor that made it all the way from Birmingham to San Francisco.


Someone has been riding this lately, it had a modern plastic pan spring seat and a zip tie for a cable guide. This could be sharp on a Tweed Ride with a wicker basket in front to make up for the missing head decal.

 

[rhenning]

It would be a nice rider but I think if you put $200 into it you would have $100 bike. If you have all the parts to do it sitting around it might be worth fixing. Roger

 

[gkeep]

Too true. It's sad that a machine built with real skill and craftsmanship becomes worth less than one of the mass produced big box store bikes. Working at a solid waste transfer station in a big city gives you real perspective on our throw away society. Everything from truck loads of unused construction supplies to grand pianos to yes, random 26 inch rims with Sturmey Archer hubs get tossed. There are days I've walked through the public dumping area and witnessed a truck dumping numerous pianos. But don't get me started. I can only imagine all those cool bikes that were dumped back in the 60s and 70s. I guess it just makes the survivors more rare and valuable...

If I have to buy anything for this bike it will most likely be new cables and brake pads, but I do have one new pair of pads so I'd only have to buy 2.

 

[SirMike1983]

Looks like an early 1950s era base model Armstrong. It pre-dates Raleigh taking over the Armstrong name.

 

[Andrew Gorman]

With the Brampton shifter it is from after the Sturmey Archer AW patents ran out. Don;t recall when that was and it's late.

 

[dnc1]

The ladies (and gents) roadster models seem to have known as the "Peerless" model from the '30s through to the '50s, so it's probably what your example is. In '50s catalogues they are listed as having 3 (or optionally 4) speed SA transmissions. AW model hub typically.

 

[rhenning]

The SA patents ran out in 1952 or 53. I have a Brampton shifter on a 1953 Schwinn Varsity. Roger

I added a couple of pictures of the Varsity and parts.

 

[gkeep]

Thanks for all the information. It seems like this must have had a SA hub with the Brampton trigger shift. I'm looking forward to taking some time and cleaning the frame in the coming weeks. I've already got two projects going and with this it makes three womans bikes I'm working on. Then there is a coppertone 64 Traveler and a black 61 Traveler I should get started on someday...

I sent the photos in an email to a friend who lives north of London and is a walking history encyclopedia. I'l have to see what he has to say about the bike.