Second Pattern BSA Paratrooper Bicycle Register

[Mercian]

Hello Jim @one More toy

As @GTs58 said, you need to post a few times, and permission is automatic.

Seller's photos : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25651970...d=link&campid=5335809022&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

These are the correct brake blocks, they slip into the brake shoes, held in place by the keyway.

I'll search out other parts later.

Best Regards,

Adrian

 

[one More toy]

Thanks Mercian for your help , I know it's frustrating to babysit a newbe but the help is appreciated

 

[one More toy]

There is a certain number of posts that you have to make before you have the personal message feature. I have no idea how many postings it takes. go through the forum and make a bunch of three word posts. Like oh that’s nice. And keep an eye on your personal message feature and see when it pops up.

Thanks GTs58 now I don't have to find a 5 year old to show me how

 

[GTs58]

Thanks Adrian for your information , I'm trying to sign in for your personal message to me , not going good , guess I will have to find a 5 year old to show me how . I will keep trying , one day we'll connect until then keep up the good work Jim

I've tried to find any information about the Personal Messaging feature. I came up empty and there may not be one thing that informs a new member when they are allowed to send PM's. If there is a certain post count needed that information is not available! This topic should be posted in the things to know section, or somewhere where it is easily found. @Dave Stromberger

 

[Nostalgic Dave]

@one More toy , you should be able to send private messages now.

 

[one More toy]

@one More toy , you should be able to send private messages now.

Thanks Dave I'm trying to receive a message from Adrian about parts , thanks jim

 

[one More toy]

Hello Jim, and Welcome

Your R57626 is near the end of production, and, as you say, will probably be a 1944, though the final proof of that is not yet available.

The closest survivor I know of is R57631, which 20+ years ago belonged to a guy called Brian Asbury in ON, Canada.

BSA Airborne Bicycle Survivors – www.captainstevens.com

More recently it was reimported to the UK, then sold on. Here are some detail photos of it, though it seems to have spent a lot of time outside....

1944 BSA Airborne Paratrooper & Junior Pegasus Parabike – The Online Bicycle Museum

1944 BSA Airborne Paratrooper & Junior Pegasus Parabike

onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk

As to parts, I can point you to sellers of reproduction grips and transfers, and possibly saddles. Also original brake blocks. BSA marked air pumps the right size are very rare, though other period british makes of that size can be found more easily.

Brake calipers turn up, but are expensive. You may start with a free 'wanted' advert on this site.

I will send a personal mail here now, see if you can respond to it.

Best Regards,

Adrian

Trying to find pm from you , still working on it

 

[one More toy]

Hello Jim @one More toy

As @GTs58 said, you need to post a few times, and permission is automatic.

View attachment 2061866

View attachment 2061867
Seller's photos : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25651970...d=link&campid=5335809022&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

These are the correct brake blocks, they slip into the brake shoes, held in place by the keyway.

I'll search out other parts later.

Best Regards,

Adrian

Adrian is this to far out of line , something like 62000 to 72000 bikes not accounted for ? If BSA made 2000 bike's a year , five years from 1945 would put it in 1950, could the 10000 missing bikes be in Korea? 1950 to 1953 , Korean war yes I know a rabbit hole

 

[Mercian]

Hi Jim @one More toy

Thanks for coming back to the 'missing' BSA's, since the problem has now been solved.

You are quite right, the numbers were too far out of line, but it was necessary to work out why.

Currently, I have just short of 350 serial numbers of surviving BSA Paratroop bikes (and have seen many more where I couldn't get the serial number). This is about 1 frame in every 175 made. The numbers are also quite well spread, with at least a couple of numbers in every thousand frames. So this is a very good sample.

The range of numbers was from R923 to R62836, and then there were three outliers in the R70000+ range.

I was able to contact two of the owners of these, who very kindly helped me. In both cases the bicycles had early features (first type pedals, no saddle stem socket on the bottom bracket, etc), and so we could prove that both bikes were actually in the R10000 to R20000 range, with the first 1 being stamped at an angle, and/or the top covered by the wheel-nut which meant it could be misread as a 7. I was not able to contact the third owner, but I'm sure it's a misread number.

So it seems that around 62000 were made, of all types.

This is backed up by a comment in the BSA Proaduction history of WW2 'The Other Battle', printed 1946, which says:
During WW2 128,000 military bicycles were made composed of ‘more than 60,000 folding paratroop cycles’, i.e., just under half of production, the balance being the standard Mark V service bicycle.

Incidentally, you will often see the figure of 60000+ quoted, this book is probably the original source.

The same history allows the calculation of a maximum production rate of 1000 BSA Paratroop bicycles a week when in full production.

Just out of interest, another thing that occurs with early number stamping is that the ones are occasionally upside down:

Best Regards,

Adrian

PS, I received your Personal Mail by the way, and will write back later. (-:

 

[one More toy]

Hi Jim @one More toy

Thanks for coming back to the 'missing' BSA's, since the problem has now been solved.

You are quite right, the numbers were too far out of line, but it was necessary to work out why.

Currently, I have just short of 350 serial numbers of surviving BSA Paratroop bikes (and have seen many more where I couldn't get the serial number). This is about 1 frame in every 175 made. The numbers are also quite well spread, with at least a couple of numbers in every thousand frames. So this is a very good sample.

The range of numbers was from R923 to R62836, and then there were three outliers in the R70000+ range.

I was able to contact two of the owners of these, who very kindly helped me. In both cases the bicycles had early features (first type pedals, no saddle stem socket on the bottom bracket, etc), and so we could prove that both bikes were actually in the R10000 to R20000 range, with the first 1 being stamped at an angle, and/or the top covered by the wheel-nut which meant it could be misread as a 7. I was not able to contact the third owner, but I'm sure it's a misread number.

So it seems that around 62000 were made, of all types.

This is backed up by a comment in the BSA Proaduction history of WW2 'The Other Battle', printed 1946, which says:
During WW2 128,000 military bicycles were made composed of ‘more than 60,000 folding paratroop cycles’, i.e., just under half of production, the balance being the standard Mark V service bicycle.

Incidentally, you will often see the figure of 60000+ quoted, this book is probably the original source.

The same history allows the calculation of a maximum production rate of 1000 BSA Paratroop bicycles a week when in full production.

Just out of interest, another thing that occurs with early number stamping is that the ones are occasionally upside down:

View attachment 2062774

Best Regards,

Adrian

PS, I received your Personal Mail by the way, and will write back later. (-:

Off topic yes , short time line , has eneyone herd of the Capel military show in Surrey England at Aldhurst farm July 5th 6th and 7th , something like 500 military vehicles 11th annual meeting if so please let me know I'm thinking on flying to it , so far one person I emailed had not heard of it they live 100 miles away


Thanks


One more toy