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John Benjamin bike on youtube
- This topic has 26 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 8 months ago by
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Note all the interesting features on this ‘bitza’, more than your average speedsix though… Note the following-
-Export / S Deluxe type frame, note revised cable routing with single hole on drive side
-Airlite/ stainless or chromed?! Dunlop rim?? looks too shiny for alloy…
-Chrome plated front and rear forks, note spoke lock…
-I can put money on it that the rear carrier is chrome under that black paint?
-Notice the transfers have been applied much more centrally on the main beam, note this is often seen on works bikes.. S Speeds, Ken, has your Peter Lea not got transfers further down? The Marathon shows this too, and from memory was there a photo of your Lauterwasser Mk3 showing decals further down many years ago?
-Standard speedsix chainset,
-is there a damper on each side, or just on one?!
-Balilla levers etc etc..
-Balilla brake caliper on front-and of course the front wheel looks straight from AM production… and of course the older gentleman he is talking about would have been the legendary JL himself.
Nice interesting bike, suspension looks smooth!
Tom
You nailed it Tom!
Not a production line speedsix, but an S unit/speedsix hybrid built at the works for an employee of Moulton bicycles with full provenance…it doesn’t get much better than that?
Did you mention the band-on gear lever typical of these works frames?
KenHi Ken,
Ah yeah, I did notice that, forgot to mention it! Didn’t Pat’s bike have this originally? Good to see more of these bikes coming out of the woodwork… I will have more pics for you very soon… The export style frame seems to have been a fave for these specials, perhaps seen as a stronger bet?
Tom
I just recalled that the sister bike to this (John Benjamin’s sons bike), now in Japan….had the band on lever originally, but a braze on was added by John Bradshaw during it’s first rebuild.
These export type frames are very similar to moulton major frames and I noticed that Ken’s ex Peter Lea bike still has the dynamo cable hole on the short top tube and as Ken pointed out, the remains of a braze on underneath the L shaped lower rack mounting bracket.
The “Export” frame is really like a stowaway without the cut ie. short rack, and plenty of strength around the seat tube due to those fixed supports…it has to be stronger…ken
The peter Lea bike is another of those delightful/quirky S unit/speedsix hybrids built around a Major frame….this was around 1970 and all the old speedsix frames had been used up?
Peter Lea wanted a swap for his S safari so the works had to adapt this frameset and paint it orange!Notice this Benjamin bike is a ‘series 1’ S type seat tube, whereas the other sister bike was an edge brazed ‘series 2 ‘ style seat tube? My S stowaway is edge brazed series two, these frames are pretty damn strong, (the weak spot obviously being those dodgy stowaway joints!) I assume this Benjamin bike was his, and his son wanted one to match? Hence urging JL to build the bike Pat used to own?
Seems strange that most of the S bikes you see from 65 / 66 are all the ‘series 1’ style main frames; I guess left over tubing and possibly jigs if there were differences on that side of things meant that the S unit could have their own designated set up, whereas the factory in the grounds used the more up to date series 2 type tubing and edge brazing? Perhaps jigs and tools were sent down in 65 for the S unit to keep there?? Would this perhaps suggest why my S Stowaway is edge brazed and has a 6 digit number, just like Ian Wrights? Perhaps neat frames taken from mainstream production at that time??
Maybe I am talking garbage… the last 67 S brochure shows transverse seat tubes for both S stowaway and S safari… ties in nicely with JB’s S safari too?? I seem to recall that didn’t have a frame number, John?
Tom
What ever happened to Peter’s red S safari? I read a story about Peter obtaining his record with that bike… actually, I think you wrote it Ken.
Tom, can you send me a link to this youtube video?
“The “Export” frame is really like a stowaway without the cut ie. short rack, and plenty of strength around the seat tube due to those fixed supports…it has to be stronger…ken” – This is exactly right Ken.
Wow, that is interesting. There are a lot of unique features about that bike. I cant tell if the color is pale blue or pale gray!
Interesting what you say about packing crates, because I’ve thought the same thing! This is true. If you have ever tried to ship a Moulton with the long tail beam you will know, it’s almost impossible to get it packed in a box that will meet standard shipping dimensions without requiring over sized packaging fees. Some carriers won’t even handle it. I don’t know if this was the reason for the design… but I cant help to wonder if it played a part in the decision to use that frame style for export bikes.
Interesting how the cable routing holes on this bike both exit on the right. Must have GB Coureur rear brake?
This is getting interesting chaps…I will need time to re read…Oh and the red Lea S safari is stored in AMs private collection and has probably never been displayed..ken
No Tom,
the blue S safari I had was sans frame number, comparing the frame with my blue continental frame they looked identical apart from the docked tail, they even had the front spoke lock……..perhaps I should start making replicas!
Since we are talking about speedsixes and S safari’s, there was a very, very small hand full of these sold through Huffy in the USA. I would LOVE to track one down, but I fear that there may only have been a couple ever made. From what I’ve seen, these appear to have the docked tail beam like we would expect to see on a S range bike, not the export or stowaway style frame. This makes the bike in the youtube video even more unique. To add a twist to this though, there was also a Huffy safari that DID appear to use the export frame design. What is unique about that it the bottom support brace is removable, just like the ones used on the standard long tail beam carrier system. I’m having a hard time verifying if the top support was permanent or removable though.
John, I like the pic of the blue S safari above. Was the Gloria spoke lock on the front or rear fork? Like it with the painted carrier and tail beam. Was this a repaint? Thought these were chromed on the S range.
Also, the guy in the video refers to the Moulton “M range”… was this just a misquote?
The M range was certainly a misquote… I always think of Moultons when I hear of the specialized (road bikes) S works… Their top end products.. I have photos of a late safari (65 I think) this features these same things, plug in rear carrier, series one type frame though..
I have at the back of everything a 64 BoA built stowaway… This has, brazed on fixed top strut and removable lower strut.. and plug in rear carrier, funnily enough I was looking at it the other day.
I recall before Paul B got his beautiful Kingfisher blue S Safari we didn’t know whether the carriers were chromed on painted S models, I guess we hadn’t seen any painted S Safaris with their carriers fitted? It seemed at the time that most of them were chrome plated throughout including frames, but the contrasting paint and chromed carriers look great.
Anyone seen an ‘Oyster Grey’ speedsix?! Info to come…I have some Norweigan cuttings that show the speedsix, not finished in the usual blue or yellow but what appears to be pale grey..
Tom
The S safari came without a carrier or front wheel, I made my own spar for the carrier. The spokelock was on the front
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83752362@N00/4601514908/in/photostream
Thanks for sharing John.
Tom, It’s my understandiong that the US export speedsix was oyster grey. I have seen a picture before and I love it. Great color and the red handlebar tape really looks good on them.
Ian have you seen the two chrome S safari pics from USA on my flickr ..one set mint and the other very rusted?
I have been thinking about what you said about standard and deluxe frames being used to make speedsixes in the period and I think that you might have solved the mystery.
Why did speedsixes have the K stamp?? because they came off the line as deluxe frames and were taken to BoA for frame mods and assembly as speedsixes, Perhaps BoA could not keep up with demand for the new racer and simply did some mods to cable guides and gear lever boss and added the rear forks and special alloy parts that were neve used by Kirkby?…..it could have been a short term solution, but it explains the K stamp?…kenKen, could be… maybe someone will surface who knows the answer. I did see those, but wasn’t sure if they were Huffys or not. I want one! 😉
You know what I really love about the John Benjamin bike? It’s got a great story. To me, that history is really exciting. That’s one of the things I am so proud of about my 4 speed. The fact that my grandfather owned it from new and it’s really nice original makes it very special to me. Any time there is a story attached, it make the object much more interesting.
The white embacher speedsix has a small hole on the headtube where the headbadge would be riveted on, but as it is a speedsix it has the stick on badge. The light blue ’65 speedsix also had this “spare” hole and a stick on badge.
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