Well here we have the finished bike. By shopping E-bay I was able to find parts from all over the world that matched my criteria. I was even able to find a brand new headbadge from Singapore.
Here I replaced the butterfly nuts which I found on E-bay. The original ones on the bike were all broken. I also found a cyclometer to attach to the front wheel and was able to use the original spoke spur to drive it. Another interesting aspect of these bikes are the exterior ports for oiling internal bearings. Each hub and the bottom bracket have ports that have a spring latch on them for adding oil to the bearings.
This photo shows the original tag on the bike, "1940 DET B-L 48880". You can also see the three metal pant leg clips that were still on the bike.
The Simplex 3 speed derailleur
The Dunlop Saddle with new seat bag.
The saddle on this bike is made by Dunlop. In 1923 Hercules Cycle and Motor Company moved to an ex-Dunlop factory in Rocky Lane, Aston which grew to 13 Acres. In 1928 it took over the Dunlop factory in Nechelles. Through these acquisitions Hercules was able to manufacture a lot of their own components such as this seat, not just tires and tubes. By the end of the thirties, Hercules had produced more than six million bicycles, up to a thousand a day, and had the claim of being the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.
In 1946 Hercules was sold to Tube Investments, the supplier of tubing for the manufacturing of the bikes frame. In 1955 new tariffs were brought by the US causing a sharp decline in the ability to export their product which had grown to over 40% of sales.
In 1958 Tube Investments bought the Nottingham-based Raleigh Cycle Company to form TI Raleigh Industries, this consisted of Hercules,Norman, Phillips and Sun and formed the British Cycle Corporation. In 1960 the company decided to cut the number of brands and focus on Raleigh designs and standards. The last Hercules bicycles were produced in the Nottingham factory and by 1963 there was little left of the Hercules brand.
The Hercules company name was finally wound up on December 2, 2003.
The new headbadge from Singapore arrived and what a difference it made
The cantilever brakes
The original transfer
