Hoofddorp Barn, BSA folding Bicycle

[Alex van de Wetering]

Guys,

Last weekend I was on a short holiday in France, but I wanted to test the bike before we left. After assembling the wheels, steering wheel, cranks and chain I finally did a little test-run in the dark without lighting or brakes...
The first run didn't take me further than 10meters, when the crank broke...

I thought it was my welding and put the bike in the garage and turned of the lights. The next day I realised it wasn't my welding; the crank broke about 3 centimeters further. I remembered that when sanding down the cranks for the rounded "BSA shape", there was an imperfection in one of the cranks. It seems this crank was just badly casted from new as the crack showed shearing on the edges and a hollow section with corrosion in the middle. Anyway, there was just enough time before we left, to weld it and make another testrun. This time everything went fine...slowly I am trying to increase the force on the bike when driving and all seems fine.
This is the current status.

Yesterday I realised that I will be leaving for Normandy in a week and not two weeks So, I am picking up the last repro brake parts from the laser cutter today and finally start on the brakes tonight!

Alex