Vintage Humber Bike Restoration! Full 1950’s Rebuild Service!

In todays episode we fully restore this 70 year old Humber town bike. We rebuild the entire bicycle showing you tips and tricks along the service...
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[@csttd1126]

Finally,my night movie is ready! Thank you

[@markvanmaanen5152]

The part you're referring to around 3:44 is a mount for a small child's saddle. Little footpegs were available for the lower frame tube. Used to see loads of these in the Netherlands :)

[@Bikespeeds]

Awesome!🧡⚙️

[@scotttravis86]

New subscriber here 🙂. As a cyclist / self servicer, I'm loving watching your videos.... the attention to detail and committment to perfection is very satisfying. Thank you!!

[@finnnation]

You need to do some T-shirt’s that say “ little bit of copper slip”.

[@wellingtonduggan7416]

Brilliant sympathetic restoration! I love it. I live in Swindon I remember thousands of these bikes on the roads years ago. With the most of the employees choosing to ride these bikes to the great western railway works. A healthy low cost option for many people back then. How times have changed. Excellent video 👍

[@Anthony-vm1jc]

The bars are completely correct had the same bike Humber clipper in orange 👍✌️

[@zickmcdougall4960]

My Favourite bike channel!!! 😊🇨🇦

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Zick🧡⚙️

[@Screenwriting]

Magic!

[@Bikespeeds]

Thank you!🧡

[@ellipticalsoul]

Amazing to see the difference here! I'm really glad it didn't end up on the scrapheap. That chainring is beautiful.

[@gijsvanhirtum3447]

Thanks for showing the products you use! great restoration, absolutely love the notification when there is a new video!

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for watching! The comment is always appreciated

[@thesaintdiscjockeyentertai5741]

Amazing work! Great video. This is what a restoration is all about. It's only original once. Thanks for posting.

[@Bikespeeds]

That’s exactly our philosophy 🧡

[@ivandraga2212]

fantastic job

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks!

[@jakubwierzbicki6219]

Sipping a coffee and watching this is wonderfully relaxing. Proper magic here, fantastic work.

[@tonybradley9909]

What transformation. Saddle looked as though it needed renewing. Many thanks.

[@johndee2077]

It would be cool to see the bikes being ridden at the end.

[@Doctor-yr3uy]

This one was very amusing to watch. Thank you

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for watching!🧡⚙️

[@carlpentney290]

These videos are becoming my weekly fix now! I love these restorations where there is so much originality retained. Great job.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Carl.🧡

[@jf4913]

Agreed. I love the fact that they try and keep as many original parts as possible.

[@neilhamilton2621]

Old Restoration bikes allways best

[@neilhamilton2621]

It's grear tension ring

[@deasun78]

Absolutely brilliant as always lads. Really inspiring me to do a job on my 30 year old Concord racing bike.

[@Bikespeeds]

Enjoy it!

[@Cyclinginc]

I love a bike shop that doesn’t limit how old a bike must be when entering! I took a 1951 Legnano to a bike shop near where I live and no one knew how to work on it… I leaned how to work on bikes myself 😂

[@sprocketandwheel]

I love old Italian Legnano and Frejus bikes..I have a few in my collection including a cool 1960 's city commuter with a narrow handlebar and a 4 speed derailleur drive.. as well as a couple of track bikes one with block chain..sounds like a bulldozer track..

[@zackabilly33]

I would love to see more of these !!! Great job!

[@MonkeyShred]

Nice looking Humber! To me, the ‘west wick’ rims, steel mudguards and the pedals suggest it was once a townie. The drops are pretty accurate though! And the position of the SA pulley at the top of the downtube is spot on. It’s a similar age to a 54 Raleigh Trent Sport I owned. That was more of a club bike so it had celluloid mudguards, quill pedals and drops. Tip for the drive side cup (if you haven’t found a solution that is) is to bolt the spanner down to the cup. It ‘shouldn’t’ slip then and most of the time I’ve been able to tap the spanner with a hammer to free the cup. Love the Humber crankset.

[@Bikespeeds]

Wow! I had to check your channel because I thought I recognised the name to only realise yes I am subscribed and have enjoyed many of your videos 🧡

[@jonnyhawes4410]

Absolutely brilliant as always.

[@chriscross5689]

Oily rag resto .. stunning end result .

[@mrskeats2780]

That's a Terry's stove clip for attaching a Primus stove to the top tube for transport. And it may well have been the riders preference to have drop handlebars upon purchase. Cheaper than a Club bike but just as reliable.

[@neilhamilton2621]

Great video

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Neil!🧡

[@bird1lives]

The mount on the top tube would've been for a gear shifter I think; the sturmey archer torpedo? shifter on the bars is after market & definitey not from the early 50's. Fantastic video BTW & the Brompton service!

[@Bikespeeds]

Great info 👍🏻 thanks for watching

[@mtus647]

I love your content, even though I'm more of a modern gear type of guy. I would definitely enjoy watching you modernize one of these bikes

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for watching we appreciate the kind words🧡

[@mtus647]

@@Bikespeeds keep up the awesome work! Cheers from Perú

[@ToddChaddingtonEsq]

i come for the great restorations, i stay for the washing of a bike indoors with a fancy watch on

[@Bikespeeds]

Haha why not! Glad you’re enjoying the content 🧡

[@maxj2531]

So impressive !

[@gautam4697]

Awsome bike ,awsome restoration

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks very much🧡

[@johnnydwicked]

Kudos on the restoration.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Johnny 🧡

[@thediddly]

Loving your oysterquartz making a smooth appearance. Nice choice! Great videos you make, well appreciated

[@Bikespeeds]

A fellow watch man, good eye, thanks for watching!🧡

[@paulburns3016]

Nice 👍🏼

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Paul!🧡

[@stickmenkissarmy6907]

Crazy, amazing 👏

[@shakedydogshake]

Hopefully, that bike never sees the rain again…..too much of a gem!

[@markbattista6857]

Fantastic job

[@lesliekirk7036]

Wow what a great job well done buddy

[@Reedys_Digest]

Excellent thank you!

[@JavierGonzalez-oe1qq]

good stuff nigel

[@joeocchipinti1934]

lovely bike in it

[@bob-ny6kn]

I wish I could find more of these. I picked a 1957 J. C. Higgins (Sears & Roebuck) out of a dumpster. It had frame, fork, cranks and S.A. 3sp hub. It was originally red, but had total surface rust. I cleaned and clesr-coated the rust. A few good days later (2015) and it has been my commuter since.

[@Bikespeeds]

They’re always worth the work you put into them, and clear coat is the absolute answer to the rust

[@Kocorochan]

Have a look in the local canal, I think that's where they found this one.

[@joannelouiserodriguez5966]

Wow well done I actually love old bikes I aiming to get one of these type they are fantastic bikes in there own right you done such a great job keep em coming happy New year too!

[@philippejoseph8604]

At 2:26 You can eventually make a tool to take out the ball race on the right side ( that may be left hand threaded ). Just take a piece of steel 100 x 50 thk 15 minimum, drill a hole Ø 12 mm, have a grove depth 2.5 mm x width of the flat that you want to unscrew, place it on the ball race, place a bolt between the two firmly, secure the 100 x 50 plate into a vice and unscrew it. The video is very very nice...

[@AlistairLattimore]

I would have LOVED to see that bike taken for a spin to the local cafe. Maybe that'd be a fun follow up video if the owner lives in the area!

[@lonerbikes]

nice refresh, lots of work :)

[@andresilveira7158]

Amazing!

[@gregschramm8180]

Wow

[@auringerr1]

Amazing!! Happy new year

[@Bikespeeds]

Happy new year!🧡🚲

[@deanfuller1702]

Good work on this video.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Dean!🧡

[@Nicoya]

I would think the fitting on the top tube would be the remains of a friction shifter, since you wouldn't be able to fit one on the down tube without getting in the way of the frame pump.

[@andreyrozodominguez8050]

Exelente felicitaciones 🎉

[@paulsweeney5642]

Must have watched a dozen of your videos in the last few days. Very entertaining. Makes me want to clean my bike, but this time of year it’ll be as bad after 5 minutes on the wet roads of Dublin.

[@Bikespeeds]

Great to see you here Paul. 🧡

[@thefranconian6087]

Great video, I find all of your videos super helpful (even picked up some T-cut) and great to see this service as even I found at a garage sale last summer 2 bikes from same era (yes, in NYC) one is called THE FAMOUS JAMES and the other I'll go and check. Both in great shape considering their age though they'd been outfitted with headlamps and battery packs and cables that no longer worked, I am slowly working them into ride-able shape.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for watching Franco! Sounds like you’ve got some good projects on your hands, keep us updated🧡🚲

[@tonyd5111]

You do really great job on your projects and as I am a cyclist at an enthusiast level with unfortunately zero mechanical skill or knowhow I would imagine your job is immensely rewarding and enjoyable.

[@Bikespeeds]

It is! I absolutely live for it.

[@chriswilby7679]

Just recently subscribed to your channel and think I'm addicted. Iv got modern bikes but a bike I really like riding and tinkering with is an old 1960s bsa iv put cowhorns on it the same as I had in the 1970s.

[@Bikespeeds]

Good to hear! Good luck with the bike, the old ones can be tough at times but bringing them back is definitely worth it! We’ve got a vintage bike restoration coming out this Wednesday actually🚲🧡

[@steppings5645]

Splendid work and no doubt the bike will go on for years now. Many would have tossed it in the canal sadly.

[@Babkyb]

perfect

[@lesleysmith5623]

You were quite lucky with the components. I rebuilt a similar bike. Took me days to remove seized cotter pins and handlebar stems. A good job.

[@Bikespeeds]

There is always a bit of what we call “movie magic” things never come off quite as easily as they look lol

[@richardcastle6169]

Good video.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Richard!

[@johndef5075]

I didnt realize how well the ultrasonic cleaner works! Really remarkable.

[@Bikespeeds]

We’re actually bringing out a specific ultrasonic video at 7pm tonight!

[@bikepackingadventure7913]

I think the frame would have looked loverly if it had had a paint strip and re spray.

[@brian_jake]

Original paint and patina is more desired and valuable

[@worldofameiso5491]

Nice work. i am currently restoring a 1947 Bates Vegrandis, just deciding whether to fit drop handlebars or flats.

[@Bikespeeds]

Enjoy! Go for comfort, bikes are meant to be ridden so ride it as much as you can🧡

[@tonystone3397]

Great work good job. Would have been grand if the owner had spent a little bit more cash and restored to the new condition. The white paint on the rear mud guard would have been there from new, and I think the rear wheel was original. These Humber bicycle are very rare now and worth a lot of money.

[@sprocketandwheel]

Enjoyed seeing a real mechanic working on a classic bike with intrinsic value..did you overhaul the internal geared Strurmey hub?..I find that getting period correct cottered spindles and cables a challenge..not to mention cones.. in the past I have had to re- grind cones with good sucess..bb cups and hub races are next on my to do list..Z

[@Bikespeeds]

No we didn’t do anything to the hub the wheel had already had previous work and felt & rotated really nicely.

[@sidmarx7276]

Common problem with old bikes is the drive side bearing cup jamming tight. This is bad if you want to fit a cassette crankset as it won't come out for love or money. Restoring an old Japanese folder i had the same problem, but welded about one foot of steel rebar to the outside of the cup to unscrew it either by levering with some pipe or by hammering. About to throw out the useless bearing cup, i cut a groove thru the screw thread instead. Now it's a tool to clean and rethread the drive side bottom bracket.

[@Bikespeeds]

Great work🧡

[@aimeenorwich]

Excellent and inspiring video. What rust removal agent do you use for this restoration? Thanks!

[@jonnyhawes4410]

The bracket on the top tube, I'd say that it was for a kids seat , perhaps there were foot rests on the down tube at some point.

[@Bikespeeds]

Yes, that would make some kind of sense. It didn’t “feel” original but it was nice to incorporate it into the work we did, it saves and repurposes part of the bikes history.

[@johncasey5817]

Hi new guy here; Love your channel. Can you tell me the names of the products you use to clean and polish your bikes please?

[@Bikespeeds]

Currently (always open to sponsors) we use a spray soap wash followed by T Cut & finished off with autoglym resin polish

[@martinwilliams3365]

Another great sympathetic rebuild. What cleaning products do you use on the frame?

[@Bikespeeds]

We use a mixture of things but these days almost exclusively auto glym products, though we’re not sponsored by them🧡⚙️

[@qili2780]

Great and very inspiring video. May I ask what lubrication you used to lose the screws and bolts? WD-40?

[@Bikespeeds]

WD-40, and a heat gun🧡

[@jenesButterbrot]

I would love to see how you ride it

[@Bikespeeds]

If you new me (Lee) you’d know at 5’2” I can’t ride much at all! 😂 if Simon (camera and edit) rode it I wouldn’t have a clue how to even switch his camera on!

[@46FreddieMercury91]

do you put oil into the sturmey archer gearbox? I've read motor oil is a good option as it contains detergents that keeps the mechanics clean. it's what i use on my 1981 Triumph

[@euanmaclean2633]

Love your chanel, The fitting on the cross bar looks to me as though it has become inverted and may have mounted a child saddle, It was a common way to carry a child before common car ownership. White paint on the lower rear part of the rear mudguard would be original finish. All bicycles during the war and into the 50s had by law to be so painted to aid visibility in the blackout. I am unsure about reflectors but they were obligatory by the 50s. The AG dynohub would have had a tiny tail lamp until after the war headlamp . That lamp had no reflector just a bulb . It was identical to the lamps fitted to life belts as used by the RN . I think it was about 1953 that they were phased out by the requirement to have a lamp of a larger size and a converter which screwed onto the bulb holder was marketed.

[@Bikespeeds]

Wow! That’s some knowledge there. I never new any of that! Thanks for the reply!

[@jorgechavira7729]

That was an amazing restoring job! What was the time lapse for it?

[@Bikespeeds]

we filmed this bike over 4 days & once finished we have hours of footage, we do all our videos this way to keep as much footage as possible in the most entertaining way, yet with pace for KZbin. thanks for watching!🧡

[@larrypresent7974]

really great video!. 1. It would've been nice though to see someone riding the bike, even if only for few seconds ... also -2. how much does that day of labor cost?

[@Bikespeeds]

I’m actually quite short so avoid riding customers bikes & this cost way more than we charged because both Simon & I were filming and then there is several days editing but once the channel gathers a bit more steam we will break it all even

[@MrLikerBiker]

I wonder if a product such as Evaporust would be worth trying. You will probably replace the cotter pins as they would have been damaged on removal. However, I remember my grandpa showing me a technique of holding a metal block alongside the cotter pin (for support) during extraction so that they could be used again.

[@Bikespeeds]

We reused the cotter pins in our recent Triumph video, but there had damaged threads.

[@petergledhill8994]

What model of microscopic cleaner would you recommend?

[@HBox1983]

What are the P handle hex spanners you use in this video (and in others)? Are they Park Tool? Which would you recommend?

[@Bikespeeds]

They are “torque” tool, most part tool items have blue handles. I’m not brand affiliated so just use what I buy along the way.

[@benjamina132]

Great video! Out of curiosity, roughly what would the cost be for you guys to do a restoration like this? Thanks!

[@Bikespeeds]

Hi Benjamina132 we never publish prices as they can vary so much from bike to bike. The cost of parts from the pandemic has also fluctuated, so no two bikes or jobs are the same.

[@kennybeam2008]

Some luck on Amazon or Ebay on some of the old parts.

[@Smarterthanyou-mthrfkr]

Tv destroyed the great outdoors adventures. The internet was its coup de grace😬

[@ormsk954]

Just needs a new Brooks saddle.

[@neilhamilton2621]

What did you use on the rims

[@jlbishop82]

Hi im from main and i found an old bike that looked just like it it had a headlight on the front the brake lever was in the middle of the top bar and on the chain cover said lamans it was an old bike and what i could see was the tires were. Really bad like tire rot

[@Bikespeeds]

Best of luck with it!

[@parthadas4026]

If you serch HERO cycle India you can still find this kind of bike still in sale in India .

[@Bikespeeds]

Wow!🧡

[@stevetaylor8698]

Coronated! I think you mean, "crowned".

[@joannepatti884]

How do I have you restore a vintage bike that I would like to restore for my husband's 50th birthday?

[@FlyingSpaghettiMonster2000]

Brilliant. Do you ever wax bikes after polishing? Good to see you using autoglym, I've got a full container, which I'll be using on an old enfield and bsa over summer

[@Bikespeeds]

Autoglym is a wax / resin polish?

[@FlyingSpaghettiMonster2000]

@@Bikespeeds in theory you'd polish then wax, if it was a car. I'll be trying your method though, certainly looks the business

[@Bikespeeds]

We’ve been interested in ceramic coating bikes for a while but it’s something we haven’t done yet, thanks for watching and commenting🧡

[@michaelheaton2604]

How much would it cost for a restoration like this cheers?

[@TimeHunter2305]

What is the purpose of the leather stripe on the back hub?

[@neilhamilton2621]

What grade wire wool

[@Bikespeeds]

We couldn’t tell you, we don’t know but anything will do⚙️

[@roncooke2188]

I didn’t notice on your website, are your for sale items Free Shipping? and have you an email address

[@grahamelliott6041]

Any reason you don't wear gloves when working on bikes ?

[@thomasmoran1799]

Shame the customer didn't opt for flat bars

[@roncooke2188]

Maybe left out in the Rain

[@FranciscoLopez-zj7ef]

Restauró algunos componentes, pero no fue una restauración total de la bicicleta, la verdad se sigue viendo vieja y maltratada.

[@dierockerlegende97]

Das ist nicht mal annähernd eine Restauration 😑

[@spinoza6987]

You could have done much better if you wouldn't rush it

[@joejones6968]

Learn how to speak in a manner that we can hear and understand you. You start off speaking clear and crisp, then lower your voice to wear all we hear is S's and T'z. Work on your speech presentation and do get a 2023 microphone, as that will make it so much easier for the listener to properly hear and understand your mumbles.

[@jimuelfernandez4104]

can i give me bike