Any clues about my Bates restoration project?

[tchickdp]

I've just started learning about the history of an amazing little Bates bike i've recently, and there's so much I don't know about it.


I've found out that there was a Rubert Bates and his son Leo Bates who bike shops in Melbourne in the 50s and 60s that custom made bikes. There's a thread here about it: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4211&hilit=Bates" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I've found a fantastic ad for Bates bikes: http://smg.photobucket.com/user/abone/m ... s.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

I've started a blog about the restoration project that i'm about to attempt which has a fair few other pics on it: http://meoldbike.blogspot.com.au/2015/0 ... ew=sidebar" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm just wondering if anyone here has ever seen anything like it? Would the J D have been the initials of the original rider? would it have been a girls bike? how old would it be? so many questions! i'd love any ideas you have

[Torana68]

I'm just wondering if anyone here has ever seen anything like it? Would the J D have been the initials of the original rider? would it have been a girls bike? how old would it be? so many questions! i'd love any ideas you have

have I seen a ladies bike by Bates before?, yes many , cant see much from the photos but I assume a ladies frame, its use depends on wheel size, which is?

[rkelsen]

Their shop/factory was in Coburg. They made bikes in the days before mass production, including runs for
Malvern Star and Repco.

[tchickdp]

Thanks Torana68, here's the entire bike.

It has 27 1/4" wheels but i'm not sure if they're original. They have aluminimum Joyou quick release hubs. It looks to me like the brakes, brake levers and handlebar tape has been added maybe in the eighties to "modernise" the bike? Maybe new wheels were added then?

I'm actually having a huge dilemma about whether to replace or restore the wheels, i'd appreciate anyone's input. The rims have pretty bad rust:



The hubs are OK, and I think the quick release factor is neat, but I suspect they might just be cheap and nasty and not original. (front quick release is missing a lever)



I'm not sure whether to
1) replace with brand new quick release wheels
2) replace with brand new non-quick release wheels (because QR would not have been around back then)
3) restore these wheels by adding new spokes and maybe rims
4) find secondhand wheels from a similar vintage and restore them

which brings me back to the problem of how old this bike actually is. Does anyone have a hint on how to find out?

[tchickdp]

rkelson, you say they made bikes "in the days before mass production" I don't even know what decade that would have been. I'm trying to work out how old this bike is.

Would this be a clue:


Would the 20173 mean it was 1973? or am i WAY off track? I can see 60 and 61 too, I think!

[rkelsen]

Looks like a 1960's bike to me.

[Torana68]

Prob mid 60's most of it has been updated (NB not upgraded) hard to tell what the original wheel size was but most were still 28 x 1 3/8

[tchickdp]

Thanks rkelsen and Torana68. I've managed to date the derailleur to 1984, so i'm guessing that's when she got her makeover. What makes you think it's mid sixties? the paintwork? Anyone have any idea if it's possible to narrow it down any closer? What are the implications of putting 27 1/4" wheels on a bike that used to take 28 x 1 3/8?

[Torana68]

its the vibe.... wheel size wont change much except maybe the mudguards will look wonky if they don't suit the wheel size.