Hi,
I've been a bike nut for as long as I can remember. Until recently, my nicest bike has been my Colnago, made from recycled beer cans and which, though I race it most weekends in club crits is altogether too modern for a list such as this.
Whilst walking to the shops between Christmas and New Year (we don't own a car, so walk or ride everywhere) my fiancé and I came across an old bike that had been left on the kerb for council rubbish collection. I rescued it from this ungainly predicament, and took it home to be loved and nurtured.
In any case, it would appear that the bike is something of a rarity. My investigations so far (thanks heaps to Rolf Lunsmann) have revealed that it's a fillet brazed 1947 Malvern Star "Five Star". I'm still trying to find out more about the bike, and plan on showing photos of it to a few of the old racing types around Sydney to see if they recognise it.
I've got a few photos on the web, as well as lots of boring details, at:
http://www.atnf.csiro.au/
Being a track bike, there's not much in the way of components on it. The saddle is a narrow Brooks one (in reasonable condition). The stem and bars are chrome plated, and have no discernible makers marks. The cranks are chromed steel, labelled "Utility - British Made". Is Utility a brand, or a model within some brand? The pedals have "Prior" on the dustcaps, and are also chromed steel.
The wheels intrigue me. There were a number of spokes missing, and the remaining spokes were falling apart, so I'm endeavouring to clean them up and re-spoke them. I've been working on the rear one the last couple of days. The hubs are stamped "Bayliss Wiley made in England". The hubs are three piece, with aluminium flanges and a chromed steel barrel. The barrels are fairly rusty, so I'd like to have them re-chromed. Is there a trick involved in separating the flanges from the barrels?
Finally, the rims are 27x1.25" aluminium HPs, made by Dunlop. They're a simple U profile. After lots of cleaning and polishing, I've made the rear one gleam nicely. However, I'm flummoxed if I can work out how they were made, as there's no discernible seam. Does anyone have any info on this?
My plan of attack for the bike is first to rebuild the wheels so that it's rideable, then to strip the chrome from the cranks, stem, handlebars etc, and have them re-chromed. Are there any tips on removing the chrome, or simple elbow grease appropriate? Finally, after everything else is done, I'll repaint the frame. It has a really unique paint-job, with lots of pin-striping, that I fear is going to be very difficult to recreate. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Suzy