Thanet Silverlight

The troll has been bellowing and thumping his chest all week. Not because he has accomplished anything of significance (the very concept would be alien to a troll) but because he has gone out and bought something. As is often the case, he was out of his depth and (well) outside his budget.

Rather than sniffing out a bargain in the murky waters of ebay the troll wandered out into the bright lights of the open market. And when the troll sticks his head out in the real world it is usually to reflect on a significant event or opportunity that has passed him by. Such is the burden of a life of routine: the troll rarely catches the fleeting wind of opportunity.

Very occasionally, the wind of opportunity blows twice from the same direction.

Hilary Stone’s (http://hilarystone.com/index.html) mid 1950‘s Thanet Silverlight:

THANET SILVERLIGHT Reynolds 531 double butted

Seat Tube (ctt): 22.5in (57cm)

Frame tubing: Reynolds 531 double butted

Frame number: SL1945

Sold originally: 23/1/53 built by Eddie Oliver, nephew of Les Cassell, owner and founder of Thanet Cycles

This is one of the very best Thanet Silverlights I have seen. It has a period respray, I should think done in the mid 1950s, when the frame was updated to take a Simplex 543 gear. Its fitted with the very best in equipment from the 1950s:

- Simplex 543 rear gear

- Duprat hollow cranks

- Hobbs Lytalloy pedals

- Chater-Lea large flange hubs built onto Constrictor Asp rims

- Brooks B17 Swallow saddle on a Reynolds aluminium seatpost

- Brooks Hiduminium brakes

All the parts are in excellent lightly used condition. The frame is in excellent condition with only a few small marks to the paint and no dents or dings.

This is a very rare bicycle in exceptional condition. Its up for sale again as the previous buyer did not come up with the money.

Plenty of triangulation help accommodate/ ie resist bending and twisting loads on the small diameter tubeset. Also note "proper" treatment of hellenic stays with the seat stays parallel to the downtube.

The best of British (with a bit of French).