Thanet frames.

[Blodwyn Pig]

Last weekend we were in Bristol, in probably the worst weather imaginable.  So to keep out of it, we popped into M Shed, on the quay,  a Bristol life museum.  There was a small selection of bikes, even an early Raleigh Wisp.  Anyway I took a few snaps of this beauty.

IMG_1129 by mark tilley, on Flickr


IMG_1128 by mark tilley, on Flickr

what intrigued me was the bottom bracket arrangement, never seen one like that before, Oh, and its fixed wheel.


IMG_1130 by mark tilley, on Flickr


IMG_1131 by mark tilley, on Flickr


What would be , if any, the advantages of such a design?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The main advantage is that the manufacturer could be easily identified in photos despite Cycling magazine obscuring decals that were too visible.

The designer liked how aero engines were similarly cradled in aircraft.

[yoav]

Many of the ‘quirky’ frame designs of that era, Curly Hetchins, Bates Cantiflex, Baines Flying Gate, Paris Galibier and the Thanet were just that, quirky for the sake of being different and a selling point. None had any discernible performance advantages, though that didn’t stop their makers’ claims that they did.

[Paul]

IMG_1131 by mark tilley, on Flickr

What would be , if any, the advantages of such a design?

Would it make it easier to accommodate different standards of BB? If the BB is added after the frame is built, you could use different types on the same frame. Just a guess.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

No. http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/thanet.html

[Robh]

A pal of mine has had his Uncle's old Thanet exquisitely refurbed (by Argos) and is some way to rebuilding it using age-appropriate components, where possible. It's a beauty. The next time I see him, I'll try to get some pics.

[The French Tandem]

I might be wrong, but on the first photo, the cranks seem to be unusually long, especially for a fixed gear.  Maybe the idea was to allow the use of longer cranks without the risk of hitting the ground with the pedals?

A

[Blodwyn Pig]

I might be wrong, but on the first photo, the cranks seem to be unusually long, especially for a fixed gear.  Maybe the idea was to allow the use of longer cranks without the risk of hitting the ground with the pedals?

A

Don't now about the length, but  they are Chater Lea cranks,

[McWheels]

I rather like the addition of the grease nipple - an undervalued maintenance saver

[hatler]

I rather like the addition of the grease nipple - an undervalued maintenance saver

We included grease nipples on my final year mech eng project. To a man, the assessment panel commended us upon this choice.

My dad recounted that his father had a car with a line of grease nipples easily accessible under the bonnet - each was plumbed through to the relevant lube point on the chassis/running gear. This arrangement struck me at the time as eminently sensible, and at the time I was regularly to be found crawling around under my AH Sprite greasing a number of locations on each front suspension, the handbrake cable, and I'm sure there were more.