I am sure the Housekeepers just love me...

But you have to do what you have to do! Here is my "on the road" bike storage area and work area. Getting ready to install the new B&M Retro head light and B&M 4D Plus tail light on my Twenty. That big wad of wire on the bed is actually speaker wire, but it will have to suffice until I can source some proper generator wire and the correct slip connectors. More pictures to come when I get the install done. The Twenty has an AG hub installed on it so no batteries to mess with.

Aaron

There is a Bike in there...HONEST!

This is why I need a folding bike! You can just barely see the Twenty right at the tailgate of the pickup. When I went up to this job site we orignially had scheduled a truck to come and haul at least two loads of equipment and job related items back to the office. Somewhere along the way the first truck got canceled, the foreman wrecked his pickup and was driving a crew van instead, so lets load up my truck...

Aaron

Dutch Chic

Look what came to live with us ;-)

On a bike ride with a friend of mine (previous post) we ran across this at a local bike shop. Took my bride back to see it and for a test ride, the rest is history so to speak.

It is a 1966 or 1967 Columbia Commuter II. Not really a folder, but the handle bars rotate and drop down, the seat goes down, the pedals can be rotated inwards and the fork assembly comes off the frame for storage, it has a wheel driven generator, headlight, interesting fender mounted taillight and the Sturmey-Archer 3speed TCWIII hub(more pictures to come). The Dutch part comes from it being built in Weesp, Holland by the Magneet Company, no longer in business.

Not sure which markets it was available in. I have found one advertisement for it via Ebay where Mr. Donut was giving one away in a contest around 1969.

My bride loves it and wants a wicker basket for the rear rack.

Aaron

New Technology?

Met up with a buddy of mine today for a ride about town. He has a sharp looking little Trek F600 quite the contrast to my nearly 40 year old Raleigh Twenty. But both bikes serve their purpose and got us where we wanted to go in comfort and more importantly got us back!

The Twenty has been undergoing some upgrades, it has new rims and spokes, Koolstop brake pads and a Kalloy 400mm seat post. I am still riding on the original tires...they were new when Nixon was in office, but new Schwalbe Marathons are on the way. Along with lights and a Brooks B67.

This is a good example of how the Twenty is paying off for me, I am riding a bike with a friend in a town over 1000 miles from my home. I had wanted to bring one of my full sized bikes with me, but due to space constraints the Twenty was my only choice.

Aaron

Loaded and Locked

Here is one of the reasons I wanted a Twenty. It is locked down in the truck and I am headed out for a couple/three weeks at an out of town job site. It takes up a lot less space than a full sized bike and can be locked in the cab if necessary. So far all I have done to it is general cleaning. I have a new set of alloy rim wheels being built up for it. Plenty more pictures to follow.

Aaron

Another Part of the puzzle located!

A while back I posted a teaser photo of a Rescued Hercules. It has not been on high on the priority list for rebuild. My day job keeps getting in the way of my fun! I was meandering through ebay listings and came across a gently used Hercules saddle. They don't show up very often and it was the correct one for the bike, so a bid was placed and I am now the proud owner of a very nice OEM saddle for the Herc. Yet another piece of the puzzle, a large part of the fun of dealing with vintage bikes. And I am sure the readers will agree this saddle is an improvement over the one that came with the bike!

Aaron

Hat Trick

The alternate post title was a "Field of Green"...Raleighs. I just got the Twenty (the one in the middle) a couple of weeks ago. I have been trying to win one on ebay for quite some time, and finally did. Fun little bike and I have great plans for it. Sheldon Brown was a huge fan of the Raleigh Twenty. It lends itself very well to upgrades and is a very stable bike to ride. Not to ruin the hat trick, but I do have a ladies Raleigh Sports in the green also, but it is still in parts for the time being.

The bikes in order from smallest to largest are: 1968 Raleigh Compact RSW, 1971 Raleigh Twenty, and 1972 Raleigh Superbe. I will post more on the Twenty as it evolves.

Aaron