It's a rather squashed Grubb cyclometer bracket, which has been modified so that it can be brazed onto the fork end, rather than clamped around it , whcih is what these brackets were designed to do. The bracket was made on chromed steel before the war, like the one on my Evans, and then in aluminium alloy afterwards. You can see photos of the alloy version, in cluding one in use on my W P Newton, at:
http://smg.photobucket.com/
Neil Foddering Weymouth, Dorset, England
> Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:40:31 -0500
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> From: johnb@oxford.net
> Subject: Re: [CR]Vintage cotton tents for cyclecamping
>
> What is this on the front fork end? http://tinyurl.com/
>
> At 10:36 PM 28/11/2008 +0000, Neil Foddering wrote:
> >
> >I've been invited by a couple of my pals to join them next June on a "co
ast
> > to coast" ride from Lowestoft on the east coast of England to the weste
rn
> >Welsh coast. The ride will be about 350 miles, and the intention is t
o d
> >o it on 1930's tourers over 7 days, camping at night. Each of us has
a 3
> >0's Evans (or will have - mine is away being enamelled), and the plan
is
> >to use natural fibre clothing, in line with the period, period bike
lug
> >gage and accessories, rain gear, camping equipment and tents. The l
ast
> > item is something of a problem, since Egyptian cotton tents no longer
ap
> >pear to be made over here in period patterns. The favoured type is the
one
> >-man, single-pole tent, which was known as the "Itisa". It was very
li
> >ght, weighing (I believe) around 2 pounds.
> >
> >The loony who came up with this idea (as opposed to the two loonies who
are
> > following like sheep, one of which is me) has obtained quotes to have
su
> >itable tents made, and the price quoted was eye-watering. Does anyone
kn
> >ow of a source of one-man vintage pattern cotton tents at a price which
won
> >'t require a mortgage?
> >
> >Pictures of my bike pre-restoration, and of a similar one, restored
by
> >a friend, can be seen on http://smg.photobucket.com/
> >/
> >
> >It's a sobering thought that the combined ages of the three of us and th
e b
> >ikes is nearly 400 years. I always wanted to be a boy when I grew up.
> >
> >Neil Foddering
> >Weymouth, Dorset, England
>
>
> John Betmanis
> Woodstock, Ontario
> Canada