In a message dated 10/29/2002 11:50:04 AM Eastern Standard Time, themilford@yahoo.com writes:
<< I'm a Newbie. I'm thinking of getting one of these older frames. I want a project for the winter and a decent frame to get started on. I was told to ask you guys if you thought this was a good deal and if these are "quality" frames.
Here's what the store owner sent me about them:
(c) 1980 British Falcon Bicycle Frame NOS. " Guaranteed Built with Reynolds **531** fork blades, stays & butted frame tubes. Manufactured by Reynolds Limited Birmingham, England" Campagnolo drop outs, 21" -24" Available , Red, Blue, Silver, Green, Designed by Ernie Clements, San Remo model, touring, fender and water bottle braze-ons. $200.00 >>
David: Here is one nerd's opinion... Falcon is not a highly collected British bike because in the mid-to-late 1970s they started cranking them out so vigorously that quality control went out the window at times. Falcon (& Eddy Merckx licensed) was known to place a full 531 tubes sticker on bikes that were obviously not 531 throughout. Seams could be detected in the steerer tubes, for instance... The thought being, if they would sneak that into their bikes, where else in the construction were compromises and deceptions made? Workmanship was so-so, not awful but nothing to get excited about...... Nonetheless, they had a neat look, cool decals and a nice head badge and $200.00 is only sneeze money! A really collectible English bike, NOS, would fetch many times that amount.. Sounds like a good place to start your vintage bike "addiction"!
Dale Brown
Greensboro, North Carolina