Good Evans

 

 Another minor victory in finishing off projects. This 1930s F.W. Evans was one of those late night 'damn I didn't expect to win that' eBay purchases. The temptation was that it was very cheap, the right frame size and it came with a nice Chater Lea headset - worth the price of the whole frame alone.

When I first got the Evans I was just going to rob it of the headset for another project and then pass it on but in a weak moment I realised that I had loads of suitable parts lying around and that I should build it up as a vintage bike to ride.

Evans were the first British builder of specialist touring cycles and their pre-war cycles are of satisfyingly high quality with a number of unique features and be-fitting their touring function are designed for longevity. Evans himself passed away in 1944 and his business was sold on, it grew to become one of the largest chains of bicycle stores in the UK but was recently in financial difficulty and absorbed by the Sports Direct group. Happily though Evans have retained their identity and continue on. For more on the history of Evans take a look at the Classic Lightweights site.

I'm not totally sure of the year of this particular example, the frame number is 4430 (could it be the fourty fourth bike built in 1930? - it is very unlikely that >4000 Evans were built by the end of the thirties).

Initially I had considered selling the Evans once complete but now built up it is a very pleasant bike to ride and has become the weapon of choice for gentle pottering.

Distinctive wrap around lugs on the Evans.
Note the grease nipples on the top and bottom
headset races, another Evans feature.

I've got a strange fetish for the various
oddball designs of centre pull brakes that
were in vogue in the thirties. These particular
ones are by Hercules and work incredibly
well for pre-war brakes.

That deal clincher - the Chater Lea headset.

The handlebars are a very satisfying shape - they are
Reynolds Hiduminium North Road pattern.

Bluemels Airweight aluminium mudguards.

Sturmey Archer K type three speed. Originally the
Evans had very neat chain tension adjusters on the
drop outs but irritatingly they've been chopped off
sometime in the past.

The arse view!

Lucas 'Comet' bell tops it off. Later I know and a
fifties 'space age' design but I like it so fitted it!