The Century Competition of 1911

Hi Clubman.

You are setting the bar high as 'something to aspire to'.

I've a 1924 Sunbeam, 2 speed epi-cyclic(?) gears (in the chainwheel), oil bath chain case.

My first ride out was a 40 miler around some of the lanes of North Norfolk. At the end I felt equal as if I had ridden 40 on the Holdsworth.

Is there a typo here? It doesn't quite seem to make sense.

I do have a little bit of experience with Sunbeams, and I the one I've ridden was hard work. The chaincase is integral with the frame, forming the right hand chainstay. Even though there is an additional strut within the chaincase the frame was notably lacking in rigidity and any out of the saddle effort on a hill would cause audible flexing of the chaincase.

I have found that these old machines do take a bit of getting used to, so you should not expect to get the best out of your ancient bike on a first ride.