Looking for WW2 BSA Folding Bike Parts

[ritchie4]

Hi,

Does anyone have any connections or know anyone who has BSA folding bike parts for sale real or repro?

I am looking for pedals, grips and a seat.

Thanks,

Ritchie.

[juoneen]

I suppose you are talking about the bike they dropped by parachute to the battlefields? May be cheaper to buy a whole bike than the parts sometimes....(a parts bike) I have seen some rather cheap complete ones for sale through the years, but not recently. I am sure there must be a bunch in the uSA scattered about in barns and garages. Maybe try advertising on a bicycle or motorcycle forum.

[Military Antiques Toronto]

I have a whole bike that needs some parts if you are interested in taking a make work project on. Theoretically it is sold but the deal is not complete yet. Get in touch with me if this is up your alley. If the other customer blinks for some reason we can come to some sort of deal

Dave

[Seaforth72]

BSA airborne bicycle - Parts?

I have four (4) BSA airborne bicycles in my collection - two first models and two second models. I have owned about 3 other second models over the years. I plan to send my best early and late model BSA examples and my two Welbikes Mk. II (one Series 1 and one Series 2) with a friend to the Military Vehicle Preservation Association Convention in Portland, Oregon later this month (July 2013).

By the way, these bicycles are NOT properly called "parabikes" That is a post-war name used by BSA to market a similar looking CIVILIAN bicycle - trying to cash in on the wartime connection. The term "parabike" is in common but incorrect use.

http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net/bsa_airbo..._parabike).htm my web site with lots of photos etc. of BSA airbrore bicycles.

Parts for BSA airborne bicycles are a REAL problem. Buying a parts bike - especially one with push in predals is the usual solution. So many people converted the push-in pegs to regular pedals post-war so they are RARE, thus the needs for a junker parts bike that has them. Many restorers have to resort to some civilian parts to rebuilt their bikes.

Many of these bikes were sold in Canada and the USA post-war for prices reported to be $3.99 to $9.99. Today they can turn up ANYWHERE. Over 70,000 were made based upon anaylysis of serial numbers in my BSA Airborne Bicycle Register. A lady in BC found a first model at the dump on the Sunshine Coast, missing wheels which she hung up in her cabin to allow plants to grow on and through! She refused to sell or trade for another bike frame, even a second model BSA! :-(

Saddle (seat) - Originls are unobtainable. There is a modern leather seat which sells for about $265 (BROOKS Model B17) Instead of the BSA MODEL 40 oval stamp it has Brooks. Best solution if you plan to ride it. Originals WILL break - about 1" behind the nose as I found out the hard way years ago. The real metal plate reads Brooks and some wartime BSA airborne bicycle saddles had B.S.A. metal plates on the rear. There was a chap in the UK making replica BSA Model 40 saddles years ago but he has stopped making them.

Brake cables - Repros have been on eBay

Grips - Repros have been available but I do not have a source.

Pumps - A chap in Greece was selling surplus British black plastic bike pums that appear to be correct. Varuious maker names but no BSA marked pumps as far as I know )at least not in the batch I bought)

Tires/Tyres and tubes - The original pattern WAR GRADE marked on sidewalls (various makers are NOT available. Modern, same size, black with similar tread.
Tires - DURO 37-590 26x1-3/8 inch. Nylon. $14.95 at a Capp's Cycle store in Richmond, BC (I bought the last they had).
Tubes - 26x1-1/4 to 1-3/8 e.g. AXIOM # 160230

Lamp - DO NOT BUY THE LAMPS MANY SELLERS LIST AS FOR THE AIRBORNE BICYCLE! These are the belt lamps and have a vertical tang attached at the top (fits over a belt but will NOT attached to upward facing tang of the BSA airborne bicycle! Also those belt lamps have a drop down hood - think about it ... you are riding along with this lamp on the front of your BSA at night and hit a bump. First the hood falls down so so cannot see the wall in front of you and then the lapmp falls off sideways! Having said that there IS a proper lamp and I have only ever seen one (which I have NOS in the box which has NO hinged hood and has a female sleeve on the back to fit the male fitting of the bicycle. There are photos of Polish airborne troops with the belt lamps ON THEIR BELTS.

Bell - Don't bother. One shows up on a D-Day beach with a bell but it was likely used as a runabout back in the UK and someone added a bell.

Tool bag - Black, reactagular when viewed from the rear. Two straps. Civilian bags will likely look the same. The British military bike tool bags that had one side angled and have a side strap are actually for the rigid frame bikes. At least one was used on a BSA airbrone bike in 1944, mounted fore and aft.

Tools - Only the two BSA piled rifles sybol marked wrenches. My friend David Gordon shows other types of bike tools in one of his books but these are carryovers from ohter bikes or are civilian and not the standard for the BSA Airborne Bicycle.

Colin Stevens
Richmond, BC

Hi,

Does anyone have any connections or know anyone who has BSA folding bike parts for sale real or repro?

I am looking for pedals, grips and a seat.

Thanks,

Ritchie.

[Casemaker]

BSA Saddle

I am tooling up to make a replacement leather saddle for a customer.
If anyone else needs the leather, please let me know.

[Casemaker]

BSA Model 40 Restored Leather Saddle

I am tooling up to make a replacement leather saddle for a customer.
If anyone else needs the leather, please let me know.

There is an ebay listing of the restored saddle that I just finished for a customer.
The offering is to put new leather on your saddle frame only, not for the complete saddle.

Item Id: 151346082061