Re: [CR]British Manufacturers

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme)

From: "Mick Butler" <pariscyclesuk@hotmail.com>
To: joebz@optonline.net
Subject: Re: [CR]British Manufacturers
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 13:39:40 +0000
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Hello Joe, BSA was regarded as the best stuff here for many years much much better than Chater. Just grab hold of any lightweight frame builders catalogue and you will normally see three prices quoted for the same frame, the cheapest option will be with Brampton fittings, middle of the range Chater fittings and the most expensive BSA. Can probably sorry you out some various makers catalogues to verify this. BSA chainsets were still very popular on the track here in the early 60's. Ever seen their large flange BSA Continental hubs? These make the best tandem hubs ever. Those American 6 Day super stars of the track were bang on in using Beeza kit. The Schwinn stuff was marvellous but BSA had the history and reputation just like Campag. Best wishes Mick


>From where the wheels don't spin as fast as they use to. Be lucky Michael Butler Huntingdon UK.


>From: joebz@optonline.net
>To: vergrandis@tesco.net
>CC: Doug Smith <doug@kingsweir.plus.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: Re: [CR]British Manufacturers
>Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:12:52 -0400
>
>Frank Cohen said
>
> > No BSA kit was the norm on track bikes even the Yankee 6 day riders
> > had enough common sense to fit this stuff rather than Schwinn just
> > check the pictures.
>
>It was more than that. Among the old track riders and mechanics in the US,
>speaking the letters BSA was always preceded by a reverential "genuine".
>In its day, I think that the BSA relative prestige was higher than
>Campagnolo at its height. As Frank says, Schwinn made a very nice and
>certainly more elegant set of track components but many of the Paramounts
>had all the Schwinn stuff stripped off and BSA put on. Of course the
>Schwinn stuff was late in the game, but I'm sure the reverence for BSA went
>back to the 20's and 30's. One consequence is that you still find that
>stripped off Schwinn stuff, which there never must have been much of, at
>swap meets or showing up on bikes when people opportunisticaly grabbed it
>up to put it on another frame. I suppose in the UK Chater Lea had an equal
>or better reputation than BSA but not here. I gather the Australian regard
>for BSA was quite high also. I am always impressed with how hard the steel
>is and how well the bearings hold up
>although other stuff from the same era was lighter and more elegant.
>
>Joe Bender-Zanoni
>Great Notch, NJ