1950 Elswick Hopper
Sold by Hans Ohrt
This is a 1950 Elswick Hopper that was sold by Hans Ohrt in Beverly Hills. When comparing it to the 1950 Hopper catalog at www.Oldbike.eu, it most closely resembles the Gents 531 Clubman. However, this bike lacks the braze-ons for fenders or a light that are shown in the catalog model. I believe Ohrt ordered the bike without these braze-ons, as club riders in Los Angeles rarely needed fenders. It could also have been a cost-saving decision, as the Gents 531 Clubman came with a 3-pin crankset, while this crankset has the non-replaceable Hopper chainwheel and fluted cranks as seen on the lower-end Gents Lightweight Tourer. One other difference between this bike and those seen in the catalog is that the decals appear to be different. I dated the bike to 1950 based on the frame serial number and the Sturmey Archer AW hub, though perhaps this bike is a 1951 model and the decals changed for that year.
It appears that in the 1970s, the original rims were replaced with 27″ Rigidas. The brakes were replaced with Weinmanns at the same time. The saddle was probably replaced in the early 1990s. According to the catalog, the original rims would have been EA-1 26 x 1ΒΌ”.
The pictures below show the bicycle in the condition it came to me. My immediate plans are to replace the saddle with a Brooks, overhaul all the bearings, and install new 27″ tires and brake pads. This will get the bike operating as it was when modified in the 1970s. At the same time, I will gather replacement rims and brakes to restore it to 1950 specifications.
