Saturday, December 31, 2016

7.9 Kg Roy Thame Campionissimo TT


The Roy Thame Campionissimo TT is finally finished.
As I explained here, I have been collecting period aftermarket 
O.M.A.S. and Cobra performance and lightening parts for this 
super light TT project bike for several years.

 I didn't actually have the right bike frame to attach the parts to
when I started the project, but when a 1979 Roy Thame TT 
frame set came along, 
I knew it was the one I had been looking for.
Thame as Holdsworth Team manager 1974

Roy Thame is mostly remembered today for being the driving
force behind the iconic British Holdsworth Professional team 
from it's inception in 1962  in sponsoring Bob Addy 
through to it's disbandment in 1978.
However Roy was also I very good TT man himself during
the 1950's and was Hemel Hempstead Cycling Club 
champion in 1952.
In 1976 the Holdsworth shops at Putney, Penge and Welling
started selling frames bearing the Roy Thame name.
Apparently many of the custom made frames where 
built by master frame builder Reg Collard at the Putney shop.

I brought my Roy Thame from it's original owner,
(unfortunately I have lost his name), he ordered the frame from
Roy at the Putney shop in 1979, it is a Campionissimo model
made in Reynolds DB 531 specifically for TT work.
I am extremely pleased with the build, sometimes you get it just
right, and I think this is one of those times.
The Blue is pretty similar to the original colour.
I couldn't find any decals that I thought where right, 
so I made my own set, which I am also very happy with.
The lugs where hand cut, filed and drilled to the club pattern
by Holdsworth employee Bob Donington, himself a top
25 mile time trailer.
Bob Donington in action on a Holdsworth.
Classic 1960's English TT style
This build really is about the sum of the parts 
being brought together to make something unique.
Cinelli bars and stem both have full O.M.A.S.
alloy kits.
CLB professional brakes, my only deviation from modified
components on this build, I did have a full OMAS lightening kit
for Campagnolo brake calipers, but the CLB are so pretty...
...although I have used alloy retaining bolts.
CLB  professional drawing by Rebour, above OMAS brake kit I didn't use.
  Huret (CLB) Sulky levers, a bit lighter than the original
CLB Pro levers, helped along with a bit of extra work 
on the factory drillings
OMAS 28 hole hubs with titanium axles and alloy ends.,
laced to Mavic Monthlery Legere rims.

 Decals I made for the build, came out quite nice I thought.
Swiss Assos saddle, actually made by Soffatti in Spain.
(but don't tell anyone) still my favorite saddle after
the Brooks Professional.
Campagnolo Pista crank set, Super Record pedals
Fides extra light toe clips.
Cobra alloy chain wheel bolts, Cobra alloy B/B nuts.
OMAS Alloy/Titanium B/B
Regin Extra SL Superleggera hollow pin chain.
Campagnolo Nuvo Record modified with full OMAS kit.
Regina Alloy freewheel.
Campagnolo chromed dropouts, drilled. 
 All up 7.9 Kg ready to ride, I was hoping to get under 8kg's
so am very pleased.
 Could I get under 7kg's?, I think I can, I have decided to slowly
keep on working on this bike to see if it is possible for me to
trim weight where ever I can over time, and achieve the
impossible dream, not quite in the Martin Luther King
league of dreams for the future...
...but a dream none the less
What it is all about for me, recreating as close as
I can those amazing TT bikes from what I consider the last 
classic period of English hand built lightweights.




Sunday, December 11, 2016

1965 Cecil Walker track bike.

This very pretty Australian built Cecil Walker track bike 
was made for Kiwi rider Hugh Grace in 1964.
Hugh (Hugie) Grace was along with his brother
Max, quite prominent in the New Zealand road/track racing 
scene during the 1960's, although because Hugh moved to 
Australia in 1964, locals are probably 
more familiar with his brother.
 Hugh Grace 
N.Z. Cycling magazine Oct. 1971

Hugh, annoyed at not been given an opportunity to be part
of the 1964 NZ Olympic squad, decided to take a trip across
the ditch to Australia to 'cool off'' for a couple of months.
He ended up there for 5 years.
 Living in Melbourne, Huge quickly became involved in the
local cycle racing scene, and as his local shop was 
Cecil Walkers, he had Cecil built him a new track frame.
Hugh told me that Cecil was an extremely likable man, and as
you can see, also a fine frame builder.
Cecil Walker add
Australian Cyclist December 1962.

Before starting his bike business, Cecil Walker was
an international road and track racing star, especially in the USA.
Apparently he is regarded by some to be Australia's
finest track rider, which is really saying something, 
considering the stiff competition for that title.
I especially like the story that he was still riding off
scratch at the age of forty.
Cecil Walker 1920's-30's racing legend.

He open his Cecil Walker Cycles in Elizabeth St,
Melbourne during the 1930's and ran the shop until
he passed away in 1969.
The Shop still operates today.
 It seems all Cecil Walkers (as did many Australian) bikes
had hand painted signwriting, and always beautifully rendered.
  Hugh's name on the top tube, such a nice touch.

Even though I have only closely inspected
about a dozen vintage Australian racing bikes, I will go out
on a limb and say from what I have seen, their best are 
up there with the best in the world.
 
Tom Harrison winning Gold in the 1962 Empire games
on a Cecil walker track frame.
Frame number W1233

Looking 'just right' a real Aussie classic.







Sunday, December 4, 2016

Ron Kitching Crono Express

  Ron Kitching, a name well known in
the UK during the sixties through to the eighties, 
as being one of the biggest importers of cycle 
racing components and in the country.
Ron was also known as a generous and enthusiastic 
sponsor of top riders in Cyclo Cross, Time Trialing,
and even had his own sponsored teams .
Barry Davie, Ron Kit Cyclo Cross team

 Ron Kitching (R) with Andre' Bertin and Eileen Sheridan
 photo courtesy of Bertin classic cycles, who have a great piece
on Ron Kitching here. 
Ron Kitching also had a range of bikes built under his
name on the market in the early seventies.
Of course every item in the bikes manufacture was 
gleaned from the Ron Kit inventory.
This could make for quite an interesting array of
tubes, lugs and components on the one Ron Kit
machine..witness the Crono Express.
 The Crono Express as it arrived, tatty, but as far as I can tell
mostly original.
according the original add for the Crono Express, the frame
was constructed from the following components;
Tubes Vitus 971
Bocama 'sport' head lugs
Milremo 'Trident' bottom bracket shell
Milremo' Super Corsa Fork crown
Zeus 'Gran Sport'drop outs
Milremo 'Classic de Luxe' head set
TA Professional bracket set.
  Crono Express add International Cycle Sport
May 1974.
Notice that they have the rear wheel set at the very
front of the rear drop out, to make the wheel base of this TT
bike look a bit shorter I assume.

My Crono Express seems to have been brought as a
frame set, and built up independently from the suggestions
made in the Ron Kit add, which is a bit of a shame.
I think I will build this up (one day) as it is in the add.

Quite an unusual seat cluster, I am sure that I have read
elsewhere that this was also a Milremo part.
Note the Ron Kit badged seat bolt.
Bocama lug and decal, bot the prettiest lug profile I have seen. 
Mafac Tiger brake caliper, with Milremo fork crown, plenty of 
light between the tyre and bottom of the crown.
 Early version Campagnolo Record R/D.
Zeus drop out.
Vitus 971 decal, very unusual to see on a English bike.
 Cinelli steel stem/bars, non original brake levers.

Even though Ron Kitching bikes where heavily 
advertised at the time, often with full page colour adds.
I could only find a bare few examples on the internet, 
whether this means that they didn't sell well, 
or just that not many have survived I don't know. 
However after talking to my pommy pals, 
I have the feeling they were not that
highly regarded by most serious riders.

Still Beryl Burton was sponsored by Kitching for quite a while,
so they couldn't have been all that bad.
Although that being said, Burton would have probably still
kicked everyone's arse riding a Raleigh MK 1 Chopper.























Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Raul Mesa Columbian road bike.

A couple of days ago a chap walked into
the Bookshop and asked if I buy bikes..
sometimes, I answered, what have you got?
Dunno, he replied, they are on the back of
the car, come and have a look.
Both bikes were covered in years of dust 
and grime, so difficult to assess.
 However I sort of liked the look of one of the bikes.
 and I could just make out the name Raul Mesa 
on the down tube which I had never heard of, 
and as I love a bit of bike detective work I 
couldn't resist.
Raul Mesa early in his career steering the Freskola team
motorcycle.
It turns out the Raul Mesa is the name of one of Columbia's
greatest Directeur sportif, who, after a brief career in the 
saddle found his gift for leading cycling teams 
and guided both the Cafe De Colombia and later the 
Manzana Postobón teams
to considerable success during the 1980's-90's.
Mesa with the Postobon squad.
It also turns out Raul has his own bike shop, and built bikes
under his own name and maybe at some point for the
RDM team.
All the information I have here is from the incredible
Alps and Andes Colombian cycling blog.
Here is the Raul Mesa after several hours of cleaning and
re-greasing.
A very nicely built frameset,with a almost full 
Shimano 600 RD-6207 EX group set, which dates the frame 
from around 1984-'86ish.
I am not sure what it is made of, but with the Columbus 
drop outs, and weight, probably Columbus SL.
Quite an unusual fork crown, not a profile I have seen before.
The seat stay caps also have a subtle difference of their own.
All in all a very nice machine,with a good back story
 and equipped with one of the nicest 600 group sets 
Shimano ever made in my opinion.
I will take it out for a couple of rides 
then pass it on and get back to my current vintage
English TT obsession
 Raul Mesa still active in Colombian cycling.