Greenspeed GLR

Note: The GLR has been sold to a buyer in Florida.

Since the early 2000’s I’ve had my eye on the Greenspeed GLR (Greenspeed Low Racer). This is the racey Greenspeed that came before the SLR and the Aero. Very few GLRs exist. Recently, I was tipped off by a friend that there was a GLR for sale on Craig’s list in Portland. I managed to negotiate a reasonable price and had it shipped to Santa Barbara.

This GLR is an early version. Most GLRs were built with 349 front wheels. A handful were delivered with 406 front wheels. This example was originally delivered with 349 fronts. This is specified in the first 2 digits of the serial number (GLR16190504).  However, it was converted at some point in time to 406 fronts. It came with the old style Greenspeed decals. I’ve re-created the later Greenspeed decals shown in these photos. It currently has obsolete Sachs drum brakes instead of the Sturmey Archer (SA) drums. The Sachs backing plates are welded to the kingpins and are not compatible with SA drums. I’ve corresponded with Ian Sims and he is making me a replacement set of kingpins that will accept SA drums.

Since this trike was built in the early 2000’s, I had expected it to need a ground up restoration. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean it is. I put it together with all of the supplied, very old parts to evaluate what changes I wanted to do to it. These photos show the GLR in this state with the addition of a later crankset, chain an rear derailleur. I’ll spend some time with it and come up with a game plan. Expect to see some changes in the future.

 

 

While I was waiting for the parts to arrive to build new wheels, I played with covering the stock wheels with vinyl (auto vinyl wrap). It looks a little goofy but seems to improve the ability to maintain higher speeds.

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Here’s an update on the GLR from front to back:

  • Crankset is unlabeled (60-42-24) Shimano triple (take-off from a Greenspeed Aero)
  • Pedals not included
  • 9-speed Shimano 105 triple front derailleur
  • KMC gold pierced 9-speed chain
  • TOPCABIN CNC manufacture Aluminum Alloy brake levers
  • Front wheels are 28 hole, double-walled, Chinese 406 rims with Sapim spokes
  • Front tires – worn out Schwalbe Ones shown in photos. Will switch to decent pair of used 406-28 Continental Grand Prix tires,
  • Kingpins are brand new late style clamp on (as opposed to older threaded style)
  • 28 hole Sturmey Archer 70mm drum brakes – lightened, grooved and black anodized by Ginkgo.
  • Shimano bar end 9 speed Shifters
  • Seat cover in usable but not pristine shape. Currently experimenting with replacing shock cord with large zip ties. Can re-lace with white shock cord if needed.
  • Zefal Spin mirrors on ICE handle bar extensions
  • Rear wheel is a Ginkgo 32 hole rim with Velocity hub and Sapim spokes.
  • Rear tire is a 406-28 Schwalbe One.
  • Rear cassette is 11-26 Shimano (I think).
  • Rear derailleur is Shimano Deore XT 9 speed mid-cage.
  • Also included, but not shown: full set of stock Greenspeed fenders