Restoring an original classic
Derek Athey
SUN WASP 'CHAMPION DU MONDE' 1955 MODEL
This cycle is virtually complete following a detailed refurbishment. All it requires now is a chain and toe-clips/straps.
This Sun Wasp came to me as a frame, via eBay, from a V-CC member and I had to have it due to it's 'time-warp' condition. Fortunately a lot of the components were listed separately and I had to 'fight' for those as well, in order to keep as much as possible of the original machine together. Regretfully, this didn't include the badged stem as this went into stratospheric price mode and went to Australia! This left me with a quest to find another.
Having secured the frame, headset, bottom bracket, original wheels and pedals,
I had to research what was original specification for the correct age of frame.
A quick cyberpsace call to Peter Cowan, V-CC Marque Enthusiast for Sun, confirmed the
date as December 1955 (although I would have sworn it was later -
probably 1959 due to double changer braze-ons etc) AND the only
Champion Du Monde on his register!. A copy of the correct catalogue
consequently confirmed the componentry, and that surprisingly a lot was
'to order' from the customer via the dealer network. Indeed braze-ons
for double changers was very rare for 1955!
The most signficant element to this story is the acquisition of
the Sun Wasp badged steel stem (Image of badge top right). After a few months of putting out the
'word' nothing was forthcoming, so a 'wanted' advert in News & Views
only this Summer, came up trumps. A member in Scotland, passed his copy
of N&V to an ex-member neighbour who rang me that night to enquire
as to my reason for a Sun stem. I explained the purpose and he said he
had one and would dig it out of his shed and send it to me....FREE so
long as it went on the cycle and not for re-sale!! How can you reward
such unselfish generosity. In this age of 'commercialism' that someone
should do such a thing 'warms the cockles', so it does! The stem was in
'as-new' condition to boot!
Anyhow, the result is what you see here. A 1955, unknown
heritage,
Sun Wasp that has been lovingly cared for for 50+ years - even down to
lacquering of the chrome work on the frame. It has all original
components OR suitable replacements, in the Williams double chainset,
Benelux Mk 7 5-speed front and rear mechs (I had to convert a
R H front lever to left by filing a caple slot on the other side of the
banjo), Brooks B15 saddle,
Stratalite Maes bars, GB Coureur brake set, Adie & Nephew rear
carrier, Britannia Sprint Veloce mudguards, Westfield lever hoods,
Velox bar-end stops etc etc. The chrome on the Dunlop SL rims are as
new, after 50+ years!
A credit to it's orignal owner...whoever he is!
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The close-up of the hubs which are branded SUN SUPERLITE but which were in fact British Hub Co RACELITES.
The branding continued to the Sun Wasp pedals, 'S' branded wheel nuts and seat bolt nut
The detail of the frame is exemplary as can be seen from the shots.
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This shot of the seat tube transfer reflects the post war international races in which Sun entered a team Tour of Britain/ Tour of Mexico and the 'Warsaw-Berlin-Prague' European race' |
A few days after the above page was displayed we had an email from Terry Kearns pointing out that he too had just restored a 1952/3 Sun Wasp Champion du Monde with the early Nervex Professional lugs (see image below). The frame had recently been repainted by Dave Yates. It was purchased from Sun in 1959/60 as a clearance sale, hence the Record hubs and Stronglight cranks. The specification is not identical to that in the Sun Catalogue and the frame number TL 390 points towards the Sun factory lightweight one-off workshop. 'T' = 1952/53 and 'L' indicates 'Lightweight Division'.
