Well, my new lady came home today. She is a BSA Camille and she is beautiful in royal blue, even under the decay.
I'm not entirely sure of her line as even google is finding her, short of eBay. I know BSA sold out to Raleigh in the 50's but I don't think she's that old. She does have BSA frame labels and the triple rifle badge on the head-tube!
It looks like someone has added "after market" gearing on at some point. The gearing set-up seems awkward and out of place on her, so I'm not sure if she was a single speed or if she originally had gears that we're swapped at a later date.
She is a little rusted (she says modestly) in places but shows no signs of damage. I am rather tempted to strip her down and give her a fresh coat but reluctant really. Mainly the cost involved. As you'll see from the pictures some of the brightwork has pitted and I'm going to need to look into cleaning that up. I fear her rear calipers have bought the farm! The rear pannier rack has certainly seen better days too. I have a spare but worry it'll look out of place on Camille. Definitely going to need new tyres and saddle in the near future. The wheels have seen better days but they'll hold up until I can find her a new set.
So why this post. Well, I'll have questions!! Oh, so many questions! Questions like:
- How easy is it to restore brightwork?
- How much, in London, would a respray of a bike frame cost?
- Camille's History?
- Can you buy old fashioned dynamos to power modern LED lights
More as I tinker! She won't be like my other bike projects. I aim to ride her and work on her between times. I don't want to see Camille become a pile of parts in the shed! Hey, I've even managed to persuade my Mum to let me keep it in my kitchen! Yeah, I know. It's my flat but Mother still knows best!