[CR] Pictures Posted - 1978 Raleigh SB and 1951 Wolsit Corsa

(Example: Production Builders:LeJeune)

Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:01:36 +0000 (GMT)
From: "Hugh Thornton" <hughwthornton@yahoo.co.uk>
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR] Pictures Posted - 1978 Raleigh SB and 1951 Wolsit Corsa


I have just posted pictures of 2 of my bikes to my Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/debirkin/

The first is an Ilkeston-built Raleigh Team - SB3811.  It is a regular Reynolds 753 build with Campagnolo Super Record group, the most remarkable thing being that it has only been ridden a few hundred miles and has a near perfect original finish (it was even delivered with the scratch to the top tube decal according to the original owner).  The original owner bought it as a frame and built it up like this except that he fitted Shimano 600 brakes and seatpost - I think because he was short of funds and they were cheaper than the Campagnolo parts.  Replacing them is the only change I have made to the bike.

The other bike is a bit less common.  The Wolsit name was a compression of Wolseley Italiana, Wolseley being a British car manufacturer and Wolsit being an Italian joint venture sometime before 1910.  Somehow the name got attached to a bike and the brand became part of the Emilio Bozzi empire, alongside Legnano.  I believe that they had some racing success before WW2.  I presume Bozzi would not have wanted two of his brands competing against each other and all the racing effort seems to have been behind Legnano, successfully too.

The Wolsit has a brazed-on boss for the Simplex gear lever and internal routing of both gear and rear brake cables.  I bought the frame on ebay, believing the vendor's description that it was straight, which it wasn't.  I had it expertly restored by Atlantic Boulevard of Bury, England and it rides very nicely indeed and runs absolutely true.  I think all the components are appropriate for an Italian bike of this era, except for the horrid British wing nuts which I would like to replace.  It is quite possible that some of these bikes would have been fitted with "own brand" hubs and cranksets, but still made by FB and Magistroni respectively.

Hugh Thornton
Cheshire, England