KITTING A HETCHINS
I am often asked what kit would have been fitted to a vintage Hetchins. The simple answer is, the same kit which would have been fitted to any other bike frame of similar quality and vintage. But, I suppose, you'd really like more detail. While an extensive list of possible components for each decade is beyond the scope of this web site, I can at least offer some pointers.
The best sources of information for period-correct components are catalogs and periodicals (magazines), or, very occasionally, sales receipts from customers. I present a few samples farther below.
But first, a few photographs from the Hetchins archive showing (presumably) original kit mounted to frames in the period roughly 1935 - 1947 (dates are approximate). The kit featured below is merely representative, not exhaustive. Note that headset bearings were internal until about 1950-1.
Mouse-over for captions.
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Note that the rear Resilion cantilever brake (illustrated above) does not align correctly with the rim on a frame with curly stays (due to the different angle of the seat stay than on conventional-stays frames).
Not surprisingly, there is considerably more information available from about 1950 onwards. Below, a receipt dated 17th Aug. 1950, from a bike shop in Newcastle, for a new Bates frame with complete kit: Conloy Asp rims, Blumfield low-flange hubs, high-pressure clincher tires (manufacturer not specified), South of France handle bar, Brooks B17 saddle, and so on. See below:
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By good fortune, Trevor Jarvis kept a record of what he mounted on his 1951-2 Hetchins, purchased in Coventry.
Being an engineer by trade and natural disposition, Trevor also made a drawing of his new bike, and showed it to Alf, who signed it.
The bike was presented in fresh livery at the Hetchins event near Banbury, Oxfordshire, Sept 2023.
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Frame specs:
Experto Crede lug (curly stays) build frame with
Magnum Bonum fork stiffeners
size 23", angles 72 72 degrees, 10 1/2 BBH (bottom bracket height) with 26"s (wheels)
brazed on brake cable eye, gear eye, lever boss
lamp bracket boss on front forks
green with chrome fork crown and hd lugs
Components:
hubs Paladieny (sp?)*
Rims Dunlop
Spokes ?
tyres Dunlop
gears Cyclo
chain Brampton
freewheel 5 sp Regina
chain wheel 46-52 illegible
handle bar stem Reynolds
brakes GB
dual chainwheel changer Huret
pedals Constrictor
toe clips ?
straps Constrictor
(mud) guards Blumels
bell illegible
seat Brooks
bag & support Carradice
* The hubs were designed with a quick-release skewer which went straight through the hollow axle. The trick was, when the skewer was released, the wheel dropped out, but the cogs stayed in the frame. Would someone kindly correct my spelling of the manufacturer's name, above?
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Len Ingram offered the following information:
Equipment suitable for Hetchins, 1950-1965.
The following list is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all the bits and pieces that could be hung on a Hetchins frame. I have used magazine advertisements and dealer's catalogues to compile a short guide to help enthusiasts who wish to assemble a cycle to period condition. Old components can always be put on later frames and earlier frames can be assembled using more modern equipment. It is usually a choice between authenticity, availability, safety and, of course, ridability.
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HUBS |
British Hub.Co. Airlite Continental large and small flange. Solite, Racelite, Bayliss Wiley. Continental Fratelli Brivio (F.B.), large and small flange. Harden, large and small flange; undrilled large flange hubs are known as 'Bacon Slicers'. Blumfield, large and small flange. Campagnolo, large and small flange.
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CRANKSETS |
Williams. C34, C45, C1000, C1200, B100. Chater-Lea. Gnutti. T.A.
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BRAKES |
GB. Hindiminium. Courier Plus. Sport Mk. II. Mafac Racer/Competition.
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PEDALS |
Chater-Lea, Sprint and Standard. Allez. Lyotard N0.23, Faucheax Road, No. 15S, No.45 Piste. Campagnolo. Constrictor, Boa, Viper, Asp, Cobra. Webb. Phillips, Credalux, Apollo.
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TOE CLIPS & STRAPS |
G.B. Professional. Christophe. Constrictor. Catos.
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HANDLEBARS & STEMS |
Cinelli. G.B. Dawes. Allez. Il Primo. Titan Stems.
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SADDLES |
Brooks B17, B15, Swallow. Ideale (French). Mansfield. Leatheries, L.99, L.20, L.710.
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SEATPINS |
Campagnolo (1956 on).
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RIMS |
Fiamme. Weinmann Alesa. Constrictor Asp, Boalloy, Cobra, Supalitti.
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MECHS |
Campagnolo Gran Sport. Simplex, JUY543, TOUR-DE-FRANCE, 303 TOURISTE, JUY51. Huret, Bobet Model, TOUR-DE-FRANCE. Cyclo Benelux, Mark 12, Mark 7. Sturmey Archer Hub Gears (many variations).
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CHAINS |
Perry. Reynold. Brampton. Sedis.
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Below are photographs from the Hetchins archive featuring typical 1950s kit.
Mouse-over for captions.
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Below, a page from the Simplex catalog no.51, dated 1968.
Click here for the complete 1968 Simplex catalog (74 MB !).
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See also the Gallery section which features many bikes with original equipment.
See also the pages of historic Hetchins catalogs; the catalogs give detailed information what equipment was offered on complete bikes for many years, particularly in the 1930s and 40s. Click here for the catalogs page.
Please also visit Classic Lightweights for further information on parts appropriate to classic racing bicycles.
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From the 50s to the 90s, two French cranksets were much favored, especially by tourists: Stronglight and Specialities TA.
Click here for more about Specialities TA.
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Below, two pages from the catalog of a cycle stockist in Southern California, Bikecology, dated 1978.
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In the 1970s, for those with thicker wallets, and especially racers (both pro and amateur) the Campagnolo Nuovo Record series marked a watershed in component functionality. Below are images of the legendary NR brake and rear mech, which out-performed everything else on the market for a decade.
Farther below, three pages from the Campagnolo catalog no. 18, early 1980s, featuring the successor Super Record series.
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Click here for velo retro, a site with links to more vintage catalogs.
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