Some thoughts on cleaning heavily rusted steel parts using electrolysis

The one problem that anyone who undertakes to restore any kind of old machine or tools is rust. The problem, if there is a lot of corrosion, is how to get the thing disassembled without doing any damage. A penetrant is usually the first option such as WD40, or my preferred choice Brunox, then Plusgas. On the scale of escalation, according to the severity of the problem, is heat, using the gas axe. But what happens if that doesn't work? How do you get things apart without destroying it completely or partially to get the part required?

I have to say that YouTube for me has been an education, in mostly how not to do things. There is the odd pearl amidst swine, but the majority is mostly how not to go about doing things.  The go to tool seems to be the wire wheel in the bench grinder to clean anything rusty, the vlogger's confidently grind away any patina and finish in their quest to 'restore'.  I am not a fan and it is not an approach I advocate or use. That is not to say a bench grinder with a wire wheel does not have a place in the workshop, as it most certainly does, but it should not be the tool of first resort.

One of the methods I use to get heavily rusted parts cleaned or to get apart is to use electrolysis. It is the best method I have found to clean back to bare metal, where you are not trying to preserve the original finish. It is a simple, inexpensive and non destructive method to clean corrosion off steel and cast iron. It doesn't work on aluminium. You will need a tank for holding the electrolyte solution. I use a plastic hot water header tank sold in plumber's merchants for use with a central heating system.  It is big enough for most bicycle parts. It will hold the warmed electrolyte without reacting to it - IMPORTANT. The power supply is an old car battery charger, the non-smart type, which doesn't know a battery is not connected to it. If you only have the smart type, connect it to a battery, but take your power feed from the battery.

The type of electrolyte you use is important for two main reasons. The electrolyte allows the electric current to flow through the solution which facilitates a chemical reaction to take place. A by product of that chemical reaction is the release of gas, which is why electrolysis needs to be carried out in a well ventilated area. The electrolyte consists of a liquid and an additive. Most hot plating processes use an acid as the liquid. You can use acetic acid (vinegar) with table salt. It will work, however, two caveats. Firstly, if the metal is pitted by rust before you start, using an acid electrolyte will make the pitting worse, because, although the method is quick, and will do the job, it is aggressive. Secondly, table salt is Sodium Chloride. If you use salt in the electrolyte, the process releases Chlorine gas. Yes, that's right, the stuff that was used to gas troops in the First World War, so it is damaging to your health. A very good reason not to use it in my opinion, as there are other and in my opinion, better methods to achieve the goal.

The electrolyte I use is washing soda crystals, an alkali  These are much superior chemically to baking soda, which is much less effective.  Washing Soda is an alkali salt which does not appear to corrode the metal aggressively during electrolysis. Using this method also releases gases, which are oxygen and hydrogen. An explosive mixture! So you have to do it in a well ventilated area.


I suspend the part to be cleaned in the electrolyte solution. I use steel wire, NOT copper. I found that the flexible plastic coated wire sold in garden centres is ideal. The plastic has to be stripped off the wire wrapped around the part to make a good electrical contact. A portion of the wire at the other end has to be bare metal for the battery charger to connect to. I use a piece of scrap wood (a non conductor) which is wider than the tank to suspend the part from.

You will also need a piece of sacrificial steel in your tank. This is needed as it will attract all the rust particles.  I would recommend that it has a flat surface and secondly that you use as big a surface area as you safely can. DO NOT allow the sacrificial steel to contact the part you are trying to clean.  I welded up a frame which fits around the sides of my tank, which is removable for cleaning. (You can use one or more sacrificial pieces, wiring them in series if you prefer.) Cleaning the sacrificial electrode is an important point, as heavily corroded parts will need a longer time in the tank.

You connect the black lead to the part to be cleaned and the red lead to the sacrificial electrode. Once you turn the battery charger on, you will see bubbles coming off the part. I usually set the charger to work on trickle charge. If the charger has an Amp meter you will see the needle move up the scale. As the sacrificial electrode becomes contaminated with rust off the part, the amperage will fall. Turn the power off before removing the part from the tank to check progress. If the part still has surface rust, remove the sacrificial electrode and clean off the accumulated crud.  The wire wheel on the bench grinder is good for cleaning the metal after the crud has been scraped off, before you put it back into the tank. The surface of the part will go black as the rust is removed. This is an inert chemical coating replacing the rust, which will clean off.

The electrolyte can be left in the tank for re-use. The plastic hot water header tank has the option of a lid, which is useful for covering it after use. I remove the sacrificial plates before covering up the tank after use. You will have to periodically replace the sacrificial steel electrodes, but you should get a lot of use from them before that happens. Cleaning them after use is also important as the process works better when the sacrificial electrode is clean.

Once you are happy that your part is thoroughly clean of rust, it will need washing in warm soapy water. Brush the part using a brass brush and then clean it with WD40 or Brunox. Electrolysis will take off any plating or paint as well as rust, so electrolysis will get your part back to bare metal.  If you use it to clean any cast iron such as old tools, once you have the part cleaned with WD40/Brunox, wipe the cast iron part over with boiled linseed oil on a bit of kitchen roll. Make sure it is evenly coated and put it near a radiator or other heat source to dry. It will seal the cast iron ready for painting and should ensure the porous cast iron doesn't start to rust under the paint. I was told this by an old man who maintained machinery in the workshop during his apprenticeship nearly 70 years ago. I have found that cast iron I had media blasted and immediately primed, then painted has all rusted from below the paint over time. Boiled linseed oil was a component in both old paints, varnishes and of course Japanning laquered finish.

I have used the boiled linseed method on cast iron and found it to work very well. If cleaning old cast iron, any paint residue will likely be lead based paint. Not something you want to inhale as dust through sanding or using a wire brush in an electric hand tool or bench grinder. Once the boiled linseed oil has dried, it will take paint no problem, I generally give the item two coats of boiled linseed oil allowing each to dry before the next application. The item should not rust once coated and will stay stable if there is any delay in painting it.

' Cycles de France ' Book review

I saw a post earlier this year on social media about a new book published called
' Cycles de France '. The book is obviously written in French and only available from the co-author Patrick Munoz. The front cover image whetted my appetite as the quality of the images were comparable to the book ' The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles ' by Jan Heine.

Firstly, the book and dust jacket are beautifully printed. My copy came wrapped in clear plastic inside the cardboard packaging. The book is hardback with an attractive dust wrapper. The end papers in the book are of heavier paper and the book itself has 194 pages. Philippe Montagne is responsible for the text and Patrick Munoz for the superb photographs.

The book is an illustration of high quality hand made French bicycles. The book starts with bicycles from the early 20th century and then progresses to the work of the artisan builders. The book is roughly divided equally between the Paris constructeurs and those from the regions. Of those, the constructeurs from the Lyon region form the largest group outside Paris. The book is interesting because of the number of aluminium frame bikes which are illustrated. However, probably the best known early brand of aluminium bike to the english speaking world - Caminargent, doesn't feature. Instead the authors chose to have an earlier steel frame Caminade illustrated (pages 20-21). I found that very interesting and shows the author's approach to avoid cliche.

So, the authors illustrate the aluminium frames of Nicola Barra, Paris and the work of regional constructeurs Andre Sabliere, Andre Marcadier, and Raymond Clerc. The book features three lady's bikes. Two 'mixte' frames, a Hugonnier-Routens in steel (pages 58 - 59) and a Velo Barra in aluminum (pages 82-83). The third bicycle is a 'Dame Anglais' by the Paris constructeur Cycles Innovation (pages 56-57). I know this style of frame is unusual, as the Springhill Cycle Collection holds a very rare Andre Bertin 'Dame Anglais'.

By far the biggest number of bikes illustrated are those of Rene Herse, followed by those of Nicola Barra and Alex Singer in third place. What did surprise me was, only one example of the work of Louis Moire - Goeland and nothing of Oscar Egg's work. Surprising given his cycling history that the work of this Parisien constructeur is absent. Perhaps the authors have been constrained by space?

The racing scene has not been ignored. Two track bikes and three road bikes used by professionals feature. The bike used by an amateur J Anquetil built around a Barra frame is also featured. Of the professional bikes, the one I remember the best is the Gitane Profil. I recollect Bernard Hinault riding it in the Tour de France. The frame was made from specially drawn Reynolds 531 tubing which was not available to the great unwashed. Given the involvement of Peugeot, Helyett, LeJeune and Liberia in the professional peloton, no examples feature. The Mercier ridden by Joop Zoetemelk was actually built by Bernard Carre, confirming many of the stories from my youth.

The book cost 60 euros plus postage. I was given the option of regular postal delivery or having my parcel tracked at extra cost. I chose to have the parcel tracked to ensure delivery.

Do I think the book is worth the purchase price? A resounding YES. I have highlighted a few omissions I was surprised at, but, in fairness the authors have a very rich vein to tap and that wealth of material out of necessity has be constrained by the limitations of size and cost of their book. A further question would be, are there any bikes featured, which do not deserve to be in the book? The answer would have to be, NO. So the authors have done a good job. I would love to see a second volume, by these same authors, featuring more constructeurs not covered in this beautiful book. The French have an amazing cycling history and their passion for both the bicycle and the sport covers many disciplines. That variety is accurately reflected in this volume. It is a tribute to both authors that this book is a jewel for anyone interested in French bicycles. I can heartily recommend this book.

If you wish to order a copy of this book, email Patrick Munoz at:- cyclesdefrance@outlook.fr

Springhill Cycle Collection - Cleaning rust from plated parts

As I get older, I often wonder about whether there is a smarter way of doing things.  I look back on the way I have done things in the past and cringe.  The old saying that 'a man who never made mistakes, never made a thing' is certainly true.  We all make mistakes and the on the workbench is no different. There is nothing that beats learning by experience.

What is the best method for cleaning rust from plated bicycle parts? Anyone who has tried to restore an old steel bicycle will have come across this problem. I have to say from the out set, or get go, (US English), I am not a fan, or advocate, of the wire wheel in the bench grinder as a first resort. I cringe at the 'experts' on Youtube who confidently reach for the bench grinder first.

My approach to dealing with rusty parts has changed over time. Years ago I used a knife blade to scrape across the rust to remove the surface crust before treating the part with aluminium foil and Autosol or something similar. The problem is that the rust was never completely removed and always came back, so the option always seemed to be the most permanent was the expensive one of re-plating. Is there any method of tackling the rust which will not damage the plated finish or painted finish of the part?

Well I have to say, I have found a method that works. The problem of any restoration is balance. Do you destroy the original finish or do you have to refinish the part to preserve it? Is it financially viable to re-plate?

I have found a product that will clean rust from parts. It is bio-degradeable and non toxic. It was developed for NASA and is called Evaporust.  I had a problem trying to get my hands on some, because the UK supplier didn't supply the whole of the UK. My order was cancelled on ebay. So I had to get my initial order from Ireland. Slightly more expensive but delivery was not a problem and Kevin couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. The chemical is not cheap, but it is very effective.

I have used it to clean various parts, in various states of decay, to see how it coped. It works very well on plated parts and japanned parts. I can see how it can be used to restore a complete bicycle preserving the original finish. It does not prevent the part starting to rust again. Evaporust does have a product which will prevent rust again for up to 12 months, but I haven't seen this for sale outside the US. I have just wiped the parts over with WD40 after washing in soapy water, once they came out of the chemical. The cleaned parts are stored in airtight containers.

The one caveat that I would say is, I tried it to clean parts off an old Claud Butler bike which had been stored in damp and less than ideal conditions prior to purchase. There was a heavily corroded lamp bracket on the front fork. I put that in Evapo-rust and it cleaned a lot of the rust off, however there were several areas of pitting in the surface which still had rust. I attacked this with a brass brush and then put the part back into the solution. 24 hours is usually sufficient to clean parts, but the lamp bracket took a week and repeated use of the brass brush to dissolve the rust. I treated it with several coats of Kurust once clean. It should prevent further deterioration. I would not use Evaporust for heavily rusted parts again. It is no criticism of the product, I just find it is expecting too much of it. I would use another method to clean heavily rusted parts which I will detail in another blog post. The photos show some before and after shots and other parts that have been cleaned.

I have no connection to the manufacturers of Evaporust or their agents, other than as a satisfied customer. Any of the product I have used, I have purchased myself.

Absence explained

Where does time go to?  It is a question I pose more frequently these days with the passing of too many years.  It is now nearly 3 years ago since I lasted posted on my blog. Hard to believe.

Life took a turn in 2014 and having to deal with all that has been difficult to say the least. On top of that my health took a bit of a nose dive which has taken time to settle down and for me to come to terms with that. After over 2 years of hospital appointments I should be able to start cycling again within the next few months, weather permitting.  The lay off has not been welcome, but life is a journey and it doesn't always take you places you really want to go.

The absence of blog entries hasn't meant that I have been idle. Bicycles have had to take a bit of a back seat as I have tried to renovate somewhere to live, but my interest has still been there.

I am in the process of building shelving for the store of bicycle parts. I am however at the mercy of the weather, as I do not have a dry shed to work in. The work has had to be done outside, hence the need for dry weather.  I also need to empty the storage container, to build the shelving units in. I have done some work at organising parts into clear plastic boxes, so I can at least see what's inside. Organising the parts also give a better idea of what is there and what's in need of conservation and repair.

There have been some additions to the Springhill Cycle Collection and some machines have been removed by my estranged wife. The collection has changed focus somewhat, with more attention being paid to locally made bikes and those with a local history.  There is still an interest in French bikes however, with three further acquisitions, another Lyon made bicycle, one from Paris, and one from Grenoble. The Collection has been asked to photograph the Lyon made bicycle for a French website. I will post about that, once it has been done.

The collection was also fortunate to acquire a Copenhagen Pedersen locally, in County Down. The owner is originally from a stone's throw from where the collection currently resides, and the bike was bought new in Germany. It came with her when she moved back and she sold the bike following a back injury.

So time and opportunity permitting I hope to start posting again on the blog. There are a number of projects in the pipeline, which includes a new 650B Randonneuse.  I have the frame already, but I have decided to change the fork. That is in hand as I type this.  I have some equipment, but not all to build the bike. I intend to develop some of the ideas I had for the 650A bike that I built a number of years back.  The Springhill Collection has a 650B Goeland which is a real joy to ride.  I would like something comparable that I can use without the worry of wearing out old parts which would destroy the authenticity and character of an old machine. I will write about the build in due course. 

1982 Peugeot PH12E Centenary Model

I was recently very kindly given a Peugeot frame – a PH12E Centenary model with some of the original parts still fitted. Unlike a lot of the similar survivors on the internet, this example has been used and obviously had an active life. Paintwork is tired and transfers are rubbed. The question arises, is it worth restoring? My answer is a resounding “Yes”, firstly because the bike rather than been put away, “because it is a centenary model and might be worth something”, was actually ridden as intended. It has a history of use and shows signs of that use. Secondly, Peugeot embraced the 'aerodynamic' culture of the time and fitted some now rare parts to the bike. The great French rider Bernard Hinault, 5 times winner of the Tour de France had ridden a specially built Reynolds tubed aerodynamic Gitane time trial bike in the late 1970s. Cycling Weekly (UK) coverage of the time featured riders in skinsuits riding time trials which was to lead to the development of low profile time trial bikes with smaller front wheels. These would see use in the professional peloton time trials, until banned by the UCI. Greg Lemond pioneered the use of Tri-bars to obtain a more rider aerodynamic position in the professional peloton. Shimano produced it's 'aero' AX600 and AX Dura Ace between 1981 and 1984 according to the Velobase website.

The frame I was given was missing the wheels, Simplex SLJ6600 rear mech and the top mounted down tube levers. The orginal parts fitted would obviously stay, but could I find the correct replacement parts? The most serious challenge would be the Simplex rear mech. I believe the SLJ6600 was introduced in 1982 and was the first mech to to have an angled parallogram like Suntour and Shimano. The original rear mech was branded 'aérodynamic'. Apart from the scarcity of the mechs, the other factor would be price and condition. According to to Disraeli Gears page entry for the Simplex SLJ6600, the springs lost tension very quickly rendering the mech less than effective. This probably explains why the original rear mech was missing. A search on French ebay over several weeks identified a few examples for sale. Some were the later 'SPIDEL' branded version and other examples looked to be in poor condition from the seller's photographs, but not reflected in their asking price. I eventually located what appeared to be a good example and managed to secure it by auction including delivery for a fraction of some of the asking prices on ebay in the UK. Probably one of the biggest hurdles in terms of sourcing original parts had been overcome. I was also gifted boxes of parts along with the Peugeot frame. During the sorting process, I came across a set of Maeda Suntour top mounting down tube levers carefully bagged up. A quick check proved these were off the Peugeot, so another major headache in terms of original parts, was thankfully overcome.

The Peugeot PH12 model was usually made from steel Carbolite tubing, the frame having the appearance of being lugless, but in fact the lugs are internal. Whilst a carbolite tubed frame is not as light as one built with Reynolds or Columbus tubing, fitted with a decent set of wheels, these Peugeot bikes ride very well indeed. Probably a lot to do with the French frame geometry. The 1982 Carbolite tubed Centenary PH12E has an 'aero' seat tube and down tube. The gear cables are routed internally through the down tube from the top mounted friction levers. The other significant thing is, the down tube friction levers and chainset are Japanese, not French. The chainset is an alloy SR Custom model with detachable alloy chainrings, a change from the usual Stronglight alloy crank with swaged steel chainrings.

The 'aero' style seat tube means the seatpin, from necessity, is very short. The top of the seat tube is round to accept the seatpin, but as the seat tube quickly changes profile, the seatpin has to be much shorter than would be found on a bicycle with a full round seat tube. Again, Peugeot use a much smaller diameter seatpin than found on other bicycles. The original seat post is a plain model, necked in at the top, the original saddle being retained by a steel seat clamp bolt arrangement. In amongst, the various store of parts within the Springhill Cycle Collection, there was an alloy one piece seatpin with an integral seat clamp. It has been in the store for a number of years and although not original to the Peugeot it will be used on the bike as a nice finishing touch. It is an unusual and certainly period correct part. The upshot of all this is, the 57cm frame will not suit a tall rider because of the short seatpin. 

It is my intention to restore the bike as close as I can using period correct parts. I still have to source the correct Mavic rims and a small flange Q/R rear hub with a 1982 date code to complete the wheels.  The fact some parts are missing may have more to do with their lack of durability/suitability as the bike was heavily used. I will probably fit a pre-owned Concor saddle and replace the Lyotard flat steel touring pedals that have been fitted in lieu of the 'aero' type pedals that were original to the bike. Although the Shimano PD-1050 105 are 5 years later than the bike, they will make a reasonable substitute. They are in keeping with the 'aero' theme and could represent a likely modification during the bike's working life. The Springhill Cycle Collection is happy to restore the bike in an as used condition. It means the collection now holds a 1982 Peugeot Centenary model along with a similar, used, 1987 Raleigh Centenary edition bike.

V-CC Rides 2016

As the summer slips past and cooler shorter days take hold it gives time to reflect on the years rides with the Veteran-Cycle Club. This is not a cycling club, although many members are cyclists. The club is for people interested in old cycles and encourages members to meet and ride these old machines. I was not able to attend all local section rides this year, but I did make the effort to attend as many as I could.  The summer in this part of the world has been wet and often windy.

Events take place across the province of Ulster, the last ride of the summer season was in County Donegal on the Fanad Peninsular. The route afforded some spectacular views of Lough Swilly on reasonably lightly trafficked roads starting and finishing on the quayside at Ramelton. There are buildings on the quayside with a date stone above the door 'L & L S R 1864'. The interesting thing is the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway never had a station at Ramelton!

The route went via Rathmullan on the shores of Lough Swilly. A short detour was made to Rathmullan House, now a country hotel. This 18^th Century house was bought by Robert Batt who was the youngest son of Narcissus Batt (1760 – 1840) , a founder of the Belfast Bank. The Batt family had property at Ozier Hill, in Co. Wexford and at Purdysburn, Co. Down. Rathmullan House was part of a 4,377 acre estate in 1876. Robert Batt purchased Rathmullan House in 1837 and it remained in family ownership through the generations until 1939. The associated land was bought by the tenant farmers under the various land acts passed by the Liberal Government between 1870 and 1906.

Rathmullan is also notable for seeing the end of the Gaelic Order with the 'flight of the Earls' to the continent of Europe. There is a statue on the foreshore below the Victorian Coastguard cottages at Rathmullan, to commemorate the event.

One of joys of taking part in the V-CC rides is to see a newly restored machine make it's debut back on the road.  Cycles which made an appearance this year are a Sunbeam roadster, Claud Butler Lady's bike and an early Leader of Croydon.

The weather was kind for the last summer run and the food bought in Rathmullan was excellent.  A pleasant ride back to the start followed as the clouds cleared. The tide had come in at Ramelton by the time of our return.  The run ended with a lovely sunset to round off a great day.

Winter Bike

As the evenings draw down and the days shorten, thoughts turn to unearthing the winter bike. We have not had much of a summer here, generally very wet. The trees started losing their leaves at the end of July, to the point, a maple in the garden is nearly in winter mode apart from the seeds still on the tree.

I suppose it is a left over of my cycling apprenticeship of decades ago, where you had a heavier winter, or hack bike, equipped with mudguards, on which to maintain fitness, keeping your prize machine in good trim for the following racing season. The other reason was using your heavier hack bike would give you an advantage when you changed to your lighter race bike at the start of the new race season.

I started off my cycling career a Hi-Ten Raleigh sports bike and covered thousands of miles on this humble machine. My winter bike was purchased secondhand in the 1980s as a complete bike. Bike was stripped and frame painted by hand. It was a cheap sports bike, confirmed when I stripped the frame to reveal seamed frame tubes. It has had a number of repaints since and still going strong. The bike originally was fitted with a double chainset and Suntour derailleur gears. I had the frame professionally re-enamelled by Bob Jackson years ago, taking advantage of their £50 re-enamelling offer. I chose to have the frame painted black with a maroon headtube, reminiscent of the 1930s BSA Sports.

Around 2009 I rebuilt the bike as a fixed gear machine. It rode well enough in this trim except for the fact my arthritic knees protested at the fixed gear. I liked the fact there was no derailleur gears and freewheel block to attract road dirt and the workings affected by winter road salt. I needed a freewheel to ease the workload on my knees and would like a few gears, but keeping the simple drive train. The solution suggested itself when I rescued a 1960s Sturmey-Archer AW3 wheel dumped in a local bog. The challenge was, could I strip it down and get it going again? I managed to achieve the first and following a thorough clean achieved the second, however the left hand ball cup was badly worn. The hub was the Mk3 with the pressed in ball cup and the bottom gear would never work. I aimed to have a middle gear of around 60 inches, with a top gear under 80 inches. Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hubs tended to be fitted to bikes with too high a gear in my opinion. I ended up fitting a 22T sprocket to my hub gear.

I also took the opportunity when converting the bike to hub gear operation, to build a new front wheel too, incorporating a Novatec hub dynamo. These were getting long in the tooth when I bought mine and could be bought cheaply on ebay. The downside of the hub was the resistance in the dynamo when riding with lights off. It is not actually such a drawback riding with the lights permanently on as the short days and overcast weather mean you are more easily noticed by motor vehicles. Whether they actually make room for you on the road is another matter…..

I used Busch and Muller LED lights on the bike and routed the twin wire cables on the outside of the plastic mudguards. I used pieces of plastic tube glued to the mudguard with epoxy to retain the wires. The tubing came from used liquid soap bottles, being the bottom part of the soap dispenser assembly. Not very elegant, but it works and is in keeping with my bargain basement ethos for my winter bike. I still have the adapted Ever Ready plastic rear light fitted to my old 1970s Carradice Nelson longflap saddlebag. The light was fitted to a custom made aluminium bracket which fits into the offside side pocket of the saddlebag. I always found it useful to have a rear light on the offside of the bike as well as the central rear light. No excuse for a motor vehicle not to give you enough room when passing.

The parts fitted to my bike have all been cascaded down from other bikes over the years, except the wheels and mudguards. The seatpost is an old alloy SR Laprade fluted model. The headset is an old 'Red S' sold by Freewheel in their mail order catalogue. It was actually a Stronglight A9 needle bearing alloy and plastic copy. The cranks are odd cranks, the right being an SR Custom fitted with a single chain ring and the left a Stronglight. They are the same length though! Bars were a modern replacement 44cm for the old narrow SR bars. The stem is 3T. The saddle is an old Cinelli off my MKM racing bike and is now worth too much to leave it on my bike. I have an old Brooks B17 to replace it with. The Cinelli will be re-used in a restoration.

I always like the idea of the old Sturmey-Archer 3 speed quadrant lever mounted on the top tube of bikes in the 1930s. I couldn't get any modern lever to fit onto the top tube of my bike. Instead I used a lever designed for use on 22mm handlebars on the handlebar stem of my bike, with a cable stop on the top tube and the cable routed via a pulley wheel down the seat stay to the dropout. An old fashioned idea, which works well and looks neat on the bike. I will rebuild the back wheel with a new Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub gear in the next few weeks, so the bike will be ready for when BST ends.