My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star bicycle - Part 2

If you have perused Part 1 of my post regarding my 1965 Malvern Star you'll see that I originally re-painted the frame a beige colour....well, I experienced some problems with the paintwork. As I was assembling the bike the paintwork badly peeled away from the frame on the forks, the rear dropouts, and the seat post clamping area at the top of the seat tube.

I was very disappointed. I had my heart set on the frame being finished nicely so I had it sand blasted again, but this time around I had it powder coated a navy blue colour. In terms of durability and finish, I don't think you can beat a powder coat finish on a steel bicycle frame.

After powder coating I repainted the stars on the head tube and forks, assembled the bike.....and here it is - no paint problems this time!



My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star



The 28 x 1 1/2 inch rear chromed Westwood 40 hole rim has a Perry (England) brand 19T rear coaster hub that was restored from old. The hub polished up quite well, although the coaster brake itself isn't too effective for braking. The old coaster brake will pull you up.......eventually, but in today's traffic you need more than just "eventually"! 



Perry England 40 hole coaster hub.

I'm not too concerned about the lack of rear braking as I've also fitted a period Dia-compe caliper brake setup to the front chromed 32 hole Westwood rim. The brake is operated by a drilled Dia-compe lever - drilled levers always look great. Althought the Westwood rims offer a very limited braking surface area the front brake is quite effective in dry conditions (...although I don't think riding this one in the rain is an option!!).

  



Dia-compe brake caliper with drilled lever.

I had trouble sourcing an original Malvern Star chromed headset so I opted for a chromed Japanese Tange headset that looks quite good. The chrome finish sets the head tube paintwork off nicely.



Headtube and headset.

The stem is an original Malvern Star chromed steel stem from the period and the handlebars are also chromed steel drop bars (Nitto steel bars - not original but nice!). Sure they're a little heavy, but chromed steel components still look great on any restoration.

The cranks are Williams brand new old stock (NOS) originals that were very common to bicycles of this era.

This is a track crank setup where the chainwheel is interchangable without removing the cranks from the bottom bracket spindle. The 46 tooth chainwheel is secured to the crank assembly by 5 pins (very hard to find these little gems!) These also polished up nicely as did the NOS T.D.C bottom bracket cups.



Williams chainset.



T.D.C bottom bracket.

The Malvern Star decals look great. I again sourced these from Greg at Cyclomondo on eBay.

.......and of course I fitted a restored Brooks B17 saddle and seatclamp, a bottom bracket oiler cap, and chromed wingnuts to the front axle to finish things off!



Chromed front wingnuts.



My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star is very enjoyable to ride. The large 28 inch wheels with thick black rubber tyres roll along effortlessly on the flat. A soothing sound is emitted from beneath the rider as the 1/2" x 1/8" steel chain rolls around the chainwheel and rear cog. The comfort of a Brooks leather saddle rounds off the experience.....steel, leather, rubber - what a nice combination!

Please see the related posts:

Part 1: http://perthvintagecycles.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-1965-malvern-star-2-star-bicycle.html

Part 3: http://perthvintagecycles.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

Ride safe...

James.

The Sturmey Archer legend



Henry Sturmey and James Archer teamed together in the early 1900's and commenced designing and producing bicycle and motor cycle components. In 1902 they patented their first 3 speed hub. Their approach to cycle component design would become legendary throughout the 20th century as bicycle and motor cycle manufacturers adopted Sturmey Archer components as the basis for cycling innovation and design.

The history of the Sturmey Archer phenomenon is well documented at http://www.sturmey-archerheritage.com/  At this site you'll find some fantastic information on the Sturmey Archer story, with old catalogues and historical advertising material.

The catalogues are fantastic, and the advertising material even better. The advertising style captures the periods of the various products brilliantly. I have posted some advertising material below that captures some of these periods.

...and of course Sturmey Archer are still producing cutting edge cycling components today. Their latest catalogue can be found at http://www.sturmey-archer.com/

I am a proud owner of a 2010 Pashley Guv'nor 3 speed bicycle that is geared by a Sturmey Archer X-RD3 rear hub with drum brake. This equipment is faultless, an amazing piece of technology that is based on the Sturmey Archer patented 3 speed hub of 1902.



X-RD3 - 3 speed rear hub with drum brake

The Guv'nor also has a Sturmey Archer X-FD front hub with drum brake, this hub is also excellent.... and very stylish too.



X-FD - front hub with drum brake and wing nuts to match.



I have recently restored a 1974 AW 3 speed hub. Below are some before and after images of the hub that is in perfect working order.



The old hub covered in oil and dirt.

 

Reconditioned and polished.....almost like new!



The beauty of these hubs is their longevity.....a generously oiled hub prevents corrosion and wear so make sure your hub is well cared for to ensure years of riding pleasure.

Of recent interest is their new line of rear hubs....2 speed kick back, and combined fixed and free hub models with anodised colour choices.......just brilliant.

Until next time...

Safe riding,

James



Brooks bicycle saddles



When I was in Year 12 in 1982 I lived with my Grandparents in a Western Australian country town. My own bicycle had been recently stolen so I borrowed my Grandfather's old push bike to ride to school each day.

His bike was an old steel men's bike with 28 inch wheels that had a back pedal coaster brake. It was a fantastic old bike. The most memorable thing about the bike was that it had an old leather saddle. I don't know what brand of saddle it was, but the experience made me fall in love with leather bicycle saddles.

Over the last few years I have rekindled my cycling interests and, as this blog shows, I've also started to build vintage bicycles. Steel, leather, and rubber....a fantastic combination of materials that are reminiscent of all vintage bicycle builds.

With my rekindled bicycle interest I've been able to extend my appreciation of leather bicycle saddles, and in particular, the Brooks range of saddles. Brooks make some beautiful leather saddles!! Please see more at www.brooksengland.com/

Below are some images of the saddles I have recently fitted to my bikes.



A new brown B67 on a 1949 Elswick.




A new black B66 on a 1975 Raleigh Sport.



A 1974 black B72 on a 1974 Raleigh DL-1

 

A new brown B72 on a 1950's Speedwell.





A new brown Brooks Professional on an early 80's 10 speed racer.



....and of course a new Titanium Brooks B17 that came fitted (OEM) to my Pashley Guv'nor, a beautiful saddle.

....and of course the matching saddlebags also look fantastic, Brooks have a complete range of saddlebags that compliment any Brooks saddle.

When buying any new Brooks saddle it always pays to get a tin of Brooks proof hide, a waxy paste that is applied to the underside of your new saddle. The proof hide moistens and protects the leather making the saddle more supple and easier to break in.

I don't think a vintage rebuild is complete without a Brooks saddle, and I have found that even older used saddles come up a treat after they receive a little care and attention.

I am currently building up my 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star and have restored a brown B17 Special for the occasion.....once finished I'll post some images.

Until next time...ride safely.

James.

My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star bicycle - Part 1

I was born in the mid 1960's and in my teens I derived much pleasure from riding around the streets of a small country town called Busselton, Western Australia, on my Malvern Star 10 speed Sportstar. Since then I have always had a soft spot for the old Malvern Star bicycle.......and then a year ago I stumbled across this old mid 60's (probably 1965) Malvern Star 2 Star bicycle.

I've always loved the 2 Star....a bit better that the 'single' star, a little bit rare, a little bit special, although not as sought after as the Malvern Star 5 Star. And in particular I've always liked the two star configuration on the head tube, not as busy as the head tube on the Malvern Star 5 Star......and all linked to a bit of Australian cycling heritage that was worth restoring!!



The 5 Star head tube......beautiful but busy.

In the 1940's and 1950's the head tube of the 2 star looked great....two large stars for all to see (as below), and when painted up they do look stunning. Here's an image of a restored 2 Star with new decals courtesy of Greg Softley from Cyclomondo (decal reproduction) - have a look at his Flickr photo stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclomondo/................ absolutely stunning.

Malvern Star 2 Star on gts753's photostream.



Then in the 1960's the 2 Star head tube took on a slightly different look as you'll see. The stars were a bit smaller, slightly more refined.....and so my endeavours began to transform the old girl pictured below.



The 2 Star as I found her.



The 1960's 2 Star head tube....with a more refined star design.

I initially stripped the bike down and took her apart carefully, taking photos along the way for later reference. Unfortunately the headset had split and was beyond repair, however everything else was OK.

The original red paint wasn't too bad although I discovered that rust had started bubbling underneath the paint in places, so it really needed to be removed. I initially considered gently rubbing the frame back and clear coating it in an attempt to restore the original colour and decals, but it was too far gone!

The frame was my main focus in terms of restoration....so I had it sandblasted and primed as below.

2 Star frame and forks.

 

1960's 2 Star head tube with primer.


After sandblasting and priming the frame I had it stored in the back room for the following 6 months.....due to family and work a committments finding time to do any further work was difficult. Then last month I finally had a chance and took the frame out for some further attention.

Firstly I obtained the reproduced Malvern Star 2 Star decals from Greg Softley at Cyclomondo (an eBay store). These decals are fantastic, perfect decal reproductions that are easy to apply - and inexpensive too!

After a considerable amount of contemplation and planning I went to my local paint store and grabbed a color card (swatch) of the colour I wanted to paint the frame and took the swatch and my primed frame to my local auto panel beaters for painting. After much discussion with the auto paint man it was decided that the paint should be two pack - a strong durable clearcoated auto finish that will last for years.

After the initial coat of paint I was given the frame back so I could apply the decals and paint up the features on the frame myself. After making sure it was painted up nicely I returned the completed frame to the auto shop for a final clearcoat......and here is the result. 

Before fitting the headset.......

My preferred colour combination

 ....and after fitting the headset.

2 Star head tube



Malvern Star 2 Star frame



Before and after comparison:

Malvern Star 2 Star

I don't have much room in my house and was initially going to hang the finished frame on the wall, but after coming this far I really would like to build her up and ride off into the sunset......and when I do build her up I'll post some images in a 'Part 2' sequel.

Please see the related posts:

Part 2: http://perthvintagecycles.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-1965-malvern-star-2-star-bicycle.html

Part 3: http://perthvintagecycles.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

Ride safely,

James