[Closed] Bicycle design and manufacture - 1945

This video is absolutely wonderful.

It certainly is.

Not sure about the H&S of a bloke dipping his un-gloved hands into the enamel with the frame, or a few of the other frightening processes in there but I guess it was a different time 🙂

What a great film - I enjoyed that, Thanks.

A question; does anyone understand why the chainstays (on the bike they built) where a separate piece that bolted in to the finished frame?

I had always thought the chainstays were, and always had been, brazed into the frame. Everyday is a school day huh :o)

Incredible that they did all of that in-house. Although I wouldn't fancy being a wheel-installer day in day out tbh.

Anyone know how much a bike like that would have cost in 1945?

Really enjoyed that.

Not sure about the H&S of a bloke dipping his un-gloved hands into the enamel with the frame, or a few of the other frightening processes in there but I guess it was a different time

Yep first thing which came to my mind!

Also, the repetetiveness of some of those jobs, you'd automate so much of it if you were doing that now.

A question; does anyone understand why the chainstays (on the bike they built) where a separate piece that bolted in to the finished frame?

The chain guard was often a full enclosure all around the chain so the stays needed to be removable to get it on and off

Also, the repetetiveness of some of those jobs

I know. We like to romanticise these good honest manual jobs but those women putting on tyres for 8h a day? Stuff that.

That was a great wee film, thanks. I recognise the 2 adult actors doing the chatting but can't think where from, suspect they were probably famous for films and the like of that time as well.

Plenty there that was crying out to be automated but how much of bike building is now done all in-house? I'm guessing not a lot (unless you are a very small business making your own frame/forks - but pretty much everything else will be brought in from elsewhere)...

Looking at the factory it seemed to be huge, so clearly back then there was big business in bike manufacturing.

I recognise the 2 adult actors doing the chatting but can’t think where from

Is it Mr Grayson and Mr Cholmondley-Warner?

Brilliant film thanks for sharing.

So 50 seconds to fit a tyre and tube. You would be expected to do around 70 an hour or 500 a day.

Not bike related but another repetitive task example. I used to have to make up pendant light fittings when serving my time. That involved cutting the flexible cable stripping both ends. Connecting a lamp holder on one end and a ceiling rose on the other. We had to do 60 a day if I recall correctly. The repetitiveness was mind numbing. Luckily I only had to do it for two weeks or so.

I don’t think I could do 500 tyres a day for long.

Is that @brant in one of his very early roles?

Brilliant thanks for that 🙂