I think Percy thought bottles would be carried on handlebar cages in 1948
I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have had bar-end shifters and clipless pedals in 1948 either ...
... just sayin'
(in the unlikely event of me having a frame of that vintage, I'd have built it with an SA 3-speed or as a fixed gear)
I thought long and hard about what to do with this frame and forks - an eBay last minute gasp to see what the reserve was, and I was the only bidder. Mine for £50+ post.
It turns out to be in incredible condition given its age. 6¼ lbs inc steel headset. Wonderful aggressive shaped "Germanic" vibe like lugs - reminds me of Heavy Metal album covers of the late 70s. They appear to be Belgian 'Ekla' lugs. Not particularly well brazed it has to be said - or maybe that should be not all well finished?
I don't wanna be a slave to period specific bollox eBay hunting/collecting stuff - always getting niggly components a year out - I want to be riding an historic
heart of a frame and its period specific geometry.
So I figure, as long as I don't fuck the 'bones'/frame up (by drilling bottle cage bosses etc), then it will remain as it stands in history (of which more later).
That decision released me from so much pain.
The only modification I have made, is cold setting the back end to 130mm. This can easily be
UNdone.
All the components I whack on to it are temporary - and chosen for a nod to aesthetics - but hey
Historically, Percy was a bit of a one. "Up the league". Google P T Stallard - an important figure in British cycling.
My head and heart are in love with the joy this temporary custodianship/riding can bring