BSA Gold Vase project update

All parts to finish off the Beesa Gold Vase are now assembled. Having a spot of bother with a couple of components - the ebay buy chainset is warped and needs straightening, but it was cheap and came with a pair of pedals so I will forgive it. The Cyclo gear set appears to be largely knackered but hopefully there is nothing I can't overcome. The gear lever is well and truly seized up and the jockey wheels are very very wobbly.

There's definitely stuff needs tweaking and sorting, the mudguard line is pretty awful and cables need making up. Getting there though, hopefully back on the road in the next few weeks.  

BSA Ladies All Weather project

At first look it might seem to be in a bit of a state but this mid twenties BSA All Weather Ladies model is in reality rather nice. The Beesa came my way just recently and the original intention was to break it down for parts as it has a rather desirable Sturmey Tri-Coaster hub and bar mounted barrel type changer. Now it is in my hands I realise that it would be rather criminal to bust it up for spares and the cycle shall be sympathetically restored.

The All Weather ladies and gents cycles were the top of the BSA range for a number of years. They were available with an Eadie coaster single speed hub or BSA three speed with rod rear brake. This machine has no rear brake lever fitted so would have been originally fitted with a coaster hub, the Tri-Coaster it now sports is a later addition but is quite complimentary. 

I cannot work out if the olive green colour is original paint or not. On a couple of components there is a trace of black underneath. I wonder if the colour was an option and if components weren't available in stock in bare metal or green then they would be over painted at the factory?

The BSA is a lovely quality mount with deeply valanced mudguards and steering lock. I have the original rims and it came with new spokes to rebuild. Once back together and with a new string skirt guard it will look lovely. The only part missing is the saddle.

BSA Ladies All Weather model. Looks a bit forlorn but all
there barring the saddle and ripe for a sypathetic resurrection.

Supplied with a coaster brake so just the one brake lever.

The reflector is a nice period accessory. The skirt guard needs
re-stringing!

Olive green in colour, the original finish? Note steering lock.

B55163. BSA cycles of the era are notoriously troublesome to
date by number. This one is mid twenties. The All Weather
models had a very long production run.

BSA Gold Vase project update

Progress to date on the BSA Gold Vase. It's been a case of trying to use parts that I've got lying around and matching up the patina to the frame. The bars and stem I had bought simply because I liked the shape and that they had the original John Bull grips. They're alloy bars with a nice moustache bend. The wheels are tandem type with British Hub hubs, they fit and are with a three speed block to match the Cyclo gear hanger. I might just fit the end product with a auxiliary cyclemotor engine so the extra braking power will be useful. A pair of Bluemels Airweight alloy mudguards picked up on the bay of E look right as does the Dorset Saddle I bought a short while back.

Just a chainset to find and then renovate the whole lot and we'll be rolling.

Just about everything collected to build up a cycle now. Just
lacking a chainset.

The Cyclo derailleur I had lying around has turned
out to be a little bit less functional than hoped for.
Twisted and rusted but it should free up and bend
back in to shape. 

Original BSA Gold Vase transfer.

Sweet badge on the Bluemels Air Weight
mudguards.

Original period John Bull handlebar grips.

New old stock Lucas bell from the jet age was lying around
unused and looks a treat on the Beesa.

Handlebars, a stylish moustache bend. Cyclo changer is seized
up so may need new cables making.

Miller headlight with a Terry's clamp on bracket.
Need a rear light to go with it plus maybe a dynamo
or battery pack.

BSA Gold Vase

Maybe I shouldn't admit this in public but I bought this BSA (it was cheap) because I had a Cyclo derallieur on the shelf and the frame has the right braze on to suit it. I concede that most folks might have parted with the gearset and lived happily ever after but I wanted to fit one and see how well it works. Plus this is quite a nice pre-war frame even if it is slightly small for me...

BSA Gold Vase frameset.

Cyclo gear braze on.

Original BSA Gold Vase transfer.