My 28 inch Hero...

Brief history...
This bicycle comes from the well known Hero Group and is the largest bicycle and related products manufacturing company of India. Company started making bicycles in 1956.
About this bicycle...
This is one of their earliest models which features a fully enclosed oil chain case which no longer features in their newer models.Upgrades on this bicycle..
1) I have changed the 2 rims to new ones.
2) Spokes are now Stainless Steel, new.
3) Rear hub changed to new ones and upgraded to sealed bearings. The hub is meant for trishaws, thus the spokes are much thicker than the originals. I purposely requested for this configuration because I wanted this bike to last as long as myself.
4) Brake pads are in good condition.
5) Block rubber pedals are NOS. It's a Raleigh KO version. Note the pointed ends on pedals, which are similar to Raleigh's.
6) All metal parts that are chrome, are in excellent condition except the lamp holder, which is slightly tarnished at the bottom.
7) All bearings are lubed and serviced by bicycle shop.

Raleigh styled 'Made-in-China' rubber block pedals.

Fork decals...

New rear hub with sealed bearings, rims and trishaw Stainless Steel spokes.

Hero Jet...

Nice head badge

Nice rear mud guard badge...

NOS bugle horn...

My 28 inch Hero on her maiden ride since restoration....
Currently, my Hero is being put on auction in Ebay.sg. If you have any enquires, feel free to drop me a line. Do check out my 'Vintage Accessories' link too. Some of the items are on sale.

I tried my best to provide the most accurate description. If you do need to see pics of certain parts, do leave down your email so I can send you pics for clarifications. Thank you.

SOLD!!!

Latest discovery up North!

Just came back recently from my 'hunting' trip up North and guess what I found? RobinHood and Elsewick Hopper! Yes! 2 super vintage brand not commonly foung in Singapore! The Robin hood was found abandoned in a old hut. I tried to gain access but wouldn't that be considered house breaking?? Or hut breaking for that matter....plus there's a pack of wild dogs roaming around. I wouldn't want to contact rabies you know...

This Elsewick Hopper belongs to my uncle. It's been left in the shed for many years. He used to ferry his chickens, pigs and what-nots to the nearby market. Looking at the condition of the bike, it pains me to see it rotting away...

A close up view of the head badge. Nice....

Recently purchsed accessories to add to my collection..

Some of these items are currently put up for sale. Do email to me for quotation. Thanks. NOS, tested working very good. Uses 2 D size battery.

Inside looks clean and free from rust, except some stains due to age.

Mounting bracket, written ' Made in Britain'

Every Ready battery operated bicycle lamp. Think early 70's?

Vintage Ever Ready bicycle lamp, battery operated. Think shld be early 60's.

Inside very clean and nice.

The cover say, 'Every Ready, Britain'

The switch is made of bakelite, a thermosetting plastic commonly used for making switches.

70's bicycle mirror

This cool looking 70's bicycle mirror is a must have for all vintage/classic bicycle collectors! The reflectors looks great and the chrome is CHROME! Bought it NOS.

Found this NOS dynamo generated front and rear lamps in an old bicycle shop in Muar.

This bugle horn is VERY loud! Good to have if you're cycling on the road because the typical 'ding-dong' bell can't be heard with drivers nowadays blasting the steroes in their sup-up cars. I used it to blast those pesky taxi drivers who's always driving way too close for comfort....

My vintage 'ring-a-ding' revolving bell. When presses, the bell will spin around giving it a 'ring-a-ding-ding-ding....' sound. ...

Classic kids bike

Found this cute looking kids bike in an old bicycle shop. NOS (New-Old-Stock). From the design, it looks like a Schwinn Stingray. Love the bananna seat and high back rest. Too bad it's for a 5 years old kid...damn...

After all this years in storage, the chrome is still good as new.

The decals on the down tube reads "Cherryping"....

The head tube has a sticker that shows that this bike is "Made in Taiwan". Guess it's a KO version of the popular Schwinn model Back in the 70s, there's alot of imitation stuff coming out of of ROC. This bike could be one of them.

Classic bicycle speedometer

Bought this classic looking bicycle speedometer during one of those weekends trips down the local flea mart. NOS.

Classic square battery operated lamp

My best friend, knowing that I'm now a new convert to all things vintage, gave me this 70s looking battery operated lamp. NOS and comes with the original box. Although there's some visible rust inside, alittle oiling and sanding is all it takes to make it good as new. Wait. It IS NEW...ehehe..

Finally, restoration work is completed!!

These are the items, which I bought from a dainty little bicycle shop in Johore Baru yesterday. Took them out and inspected it for rust and what-nots. To my surprise, the bearings rotated freely! After all these years in storage ( atleast 30 years ), the rubber block pedals spins like as if it just left the production line! That's the wonderful thing about vintage parts. They're built to last. Period.

This is a Made in China copy of the Raleigh pedals. Everythings the same except the heron is missing and in it's place, Weili. That's the brand of this pedal.

Love the look of those oversized spring! Will be reserving it for my next restoration work, if I do find another vintage bike for sale!

Vintage bicycle rack, NOS. Made in Shanghai.
Finally, after weeks of greasy fingers and frantic buying spree from Ebay, my Raleigh Sports restoration work is completed! Took her out for a spin for the 1st time. Wow! The feelings great. Runs smoothly and the SA shifter is working great!

Tried out the dynamo head lamp and it works. Phew.....

Isn't she lovely......

My latest 'catch'!

Today I happened to be rather free, so I decided to drive to JB to do some 'shopping'. Drove around and spotted a dainty old bicycle shop tucked in a corner of a role of shop houses. Went in and chatted with the boss, who happened to be chasing flies ( no biz ). Spoke to him about classic bicycles and I also enquire about whether he's keeping some old bikes in his shop. According to him, there's been a recent surge in demands for vintage/classic bicycles of late. As such, much of his 'old' stocks are nearly gone. Damn! I'm too late! But after much 'interagation, he relented and said he might have one or two NOS accesories somewhere in the store.
To cut the story short, I snapped up whatever he has to offer.
1) Made in China solid rubber pedals with similar designs as Raleigh (there's a pointed hook at the end )
2) Vintage hand pump
3) Vintage 1950s bicycle rack.
4) Solid spring seat, taken out from a Hercules. The previous owner wanted to change it into a cushion covered seat.
All NOS ( New-Old-Stock ) except the seat.
I drove away a happy man....

Sturmey archer 3 speed shifter!

Finally, after a week of anxious waiting, my 3 speed Sturmey Archer shifter has arrived!! I particularly chose the white cover (it's from a 1990s' Raleigh Caprice) because I wanted it to stand out and also blend with the white coloured cables.

Once the shifter is in, next comes the grips. I got this pair of NOS Raleigh grips from a friend. Knowing that I needed a true blue Raleigh item to complete the look, he decided to let me have it for a token fee. What's left for this bike project are the pedals. Still pondering whether to get a original NOS Raleigh pedal or some PRC copy.....

95 percent to completion!

Added decal to the top tube...

I had to use another set of SA front brake hub instead of the original ones because of the terrible rusty condition and thinking that I'll have to spend a 'bomb' in getting it done up, I might as well replace it. Found a used but in tip-top condition SA front brake hub during my regular trips to Sungei Road...

Since the viewing cover of the chain guard was already missing when I bought the bike, I decided to fabricate one myself.

Added the KOBA kick stand.