[CR]Headset for Bates - Unusual (integrated?) headset (Britihs, 1940s)

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

From: "Peter Brown" <peterg.brown@ntlworld.com>
To: <dima@rogers.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 20:26:50 +0100
Thread-Index: AcfxhQn47hdj0Di2TRe4mtBaVau7rA==
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Headset for Bates - Unusual (integrated?) headset (Britihs, 1940s)

Dmitry wrote:

On a whim I purchased a Bates frameset (with Cantiflex tubes and Diadrant forks). It arrived today, and I must say I am stumped by the head tube - specifically, by what appears to be headset races which at the same time seem to be parts of head tube lugs. Here are a few

pictures:

http://dima.softmaster.co.uk/bf/IMG_1508-p.jpg

http://dima.softmaster.co.uk/bf/IMG_1509-p.jpg

http://dima.softmaster.co.uk/bf/IMG_1510-p.jpg

http://dima.softmaster.co.uk/bf/IMG_1511-p.jpg

The frame was recently painted, and to me it looks like the paint in some places is as thick as the yellow on Van Gogh paintings. So at first I thought that whoever painted it left the head set races and painted them too, but on further inspection I saw that it wasn't so - that those "races" seem to be one with the lugs... and the insides of those "races" do not actually look much like ones, but of course they *were* pained over, and so it's hard to say for sure.

So please, could somebody enlighten me as to what the heck is this, and what kind of headset would fit this?

I suggest you look at the pics of my 1939 ladies Bates at http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/peter_brown/Ladies+Bates/ . What appears to you to be a race is actually where the loose race sits (one top and one bottom), though you might have to remove the paint first in order for it to sit snugly. The clip type headsets were made by Chater-Lea and Brampton among others.

Peter Brown, Lincolnshire, England