Rudge Singlespeed

[SirMike1983]

The camel back green bike in this thread is derived from the 28 inch wheel rod brake roadster, with its large, bolt-up seat stays, rear forks, plain lugs, and long wheel base. The fenders are wide, round, and have the heavier type braces that are painted and fasten to eyelet wings on the fender. The front fender is missing and may be tricky to source because it is the older type. The saddle is a rubber copy of the leather Brooks B73 triple spring, which was common on old rod brake Raleighs.

I see no evidence of rod brake mounting holes, which means either a coaster bike or a drum brake bike. If the rear wheel is original, then the coaster is fine.

I would believe it if someone said it was a Canadian market bike, as the camel back design and single speed coaster brake were a popular option in Canada, combining British and American influences. The 700c wheel is almost certainly replacement. These also were popular in parts of Europe, particularly the Netherlands and Germany, where single speed coaster brakes coupled to large roadsters were also popular.

A clue on the age is the use of the gold lining where the white and green paint meet on the rear fender - the gold lining was one of the first things tossed out after WWII to cut down on costs. I think a 1940s (or perhapsearly 1950s) era bike is as good a guess as any. Dating by lug shape as one would with a Sports does not apply because of the long use of plain lugs on the larger roadster frames.

The seat post mounting bolt should be shortened or replaced with a correct one.

 

[RustyJames]

The camel back green bike in this thread is derived from the 28 inch wheel rod brake roadster, with its large, bolt-up seat stays, rear forks, plain lugs, and long wheel base. The fenders are wide, round, and have the heavier type braces that are painted and fasten to eyelet wings on the fender. The front fender is missing and may be tricky to source because it is the older type. The saddle is a rubber copy of the leather Brooks B73 triple spring, which was common on old rod brake Raleighs.

I see no evidence of rod brake mounting holes, which means either a coaster bike or a drum brake bike. If the rear wheel is original, then the coaster is fine.

I would believe it if someone said it was a Canadian market bike, as the camel back design and single speed coaster brake were a popular option in Canada, combining British and American influences. The 700c wheel is almost certainly replacement. These also were popular in parts of Europe, particularly the Netherlands and Germany, where single speed coaster brakes coupled to large roadsters were also popular.

A clue on the age is the use of the gold lining where the white and green paint meet on the rear fender - the gold lining was one of the first things tossed out after WWII to cut down on costs. I think a 1940s (or perhapsearly 1950s) era bike is as good a guess as any. Dating by lug shape as one would with a Sports does not apply because of the long use of plain lugs on the larger roadster frames.

The seat post mounting bolt should be shortened or replaced with a correct one.

Thanks for the feedback SirMike. The seat post mounting bolt is atrocious and I haven’t gotten around to replacing it. The handlebars are probably not original since they are very narrow (17 1/2”/44.5cm) and don’t offer much leverage. The coaster brake arm is stamped “Bendix Canada” which also leads me to believe this is a Canadian market bike. It also seems odd that, as near as I can tell, the hardware is metric.

The wheels have been the perpetual head-scratcher. They’re both Dunlop and the rear is stamped 28x1 1/2 WO and the front is stamped 28x1 3/4 WO. The finish on the front wheel is much better which gives credence that it is a replacement.

I have the front fender but the tab to mount it to the fork is broke. Bummer, but not the end of the world.