[CR]The landing of FALCON 46796

(Example: Framebuilders:Norman Taylor)

From: <CBKNYC@aol.com>
To: jimmycue@att.net
Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]The landing of FALCON 46796
Date: Sat, 9 Nov 2002 11:22:37 EST

So I got it -- the NOS Falcon.

It's a mix of fancy and sloppy.

The dropouts are campy, but one of 'em looks a little squished, as though it might have to be pulled a bit before a wheel will drop naturally into it.

There is no chrome, no shifter bosses, and the head-badge is just a decal. The seat stay does *not* wrap around in the style of earlier Falcon's and other English bikes. The decals in general look flimsy -- yes, there's a "guranteed 531 label" but it's cracked (obviously broken when it was 1st applied and the two pieces slid imperfectly together). There are a few tiny spots on which the paint is chipped.

And those tiny tubes -- the one that runs across the seat stays (the part the rear brake hangs from) and the similar small tube that runs across the chain stays near the bb are.... tiny tubes: not tubes with their own lugs, and not little wing shape bits of solid metal as on truly snotty frames of the man-is-better-than machine era.

But there's good news too: the lugs have long points and heart-shape cut-outs. I find the fork especially beautiful --- no chrome or fancy painting there either, but with lug points on the inside (wheel-facing) surface long and with little cut-out circles. There's braze-ons for a waterbottle, and the rear dropout is drilled for a rear derailer. And while I don't have the expertise of the members of this list, the frame and fork FEEL solid -- wacked (respectfully, of course) it makes quite a nice dull ring with the vibration no doubt unique to 531; the finest magnesium steel of 70 years ago....

The dropouts (holes for front and rear racks) suggest it is intended to be set up as a tourer. Knocked around for a year or two this bike will probably look 50 years old: I can't wait until half the paint falls off (soon, is my guess) so I can clear coat it to preserve it in functional ruin... The coolest bikes where I live all look like they were dragged under ferryboats, mostly paintless and with the handlebars at funny angles: Junk, until you look close and see the flipflop hubs and careful eccentric thoughtful combinations of fancy components.

so what to do with this thing?

Is it, as many have suggested here, a scam -- a poor man's imitation of a real classics bike -- junk really -- with mass-stamped lugs imitating an earlier era, something for a low-brow to roll around on pretending to be sitting on Claude Butler himself? Keep in mind, though, I didn't buy this thing to impress my aging contempories at show-and-tell, secretly embarrassed that THEY have have chromed tips and I do not. My plan is to ride this thing, possibly to Mexico City or Easton Pennsylvannia or at least over the remaining cobblestones in the deepest post-industrial vestiges of Bush Terminal, Brooklyn. It's lugged, 531 and solid: could you really tell, riding blindfolded, that this thing is not from the hand of Faliero himself?

The rear fork is clearly 126m --- is it sacralige or dangerous to get it spread for 130m 8 speed? Is the bike I plan to canabalize -- a perfectly functional light lovely Specialized Epic 58cm with 8sp indexed downtube DA -- a better bike I should leave well enough alone? And the FALCON may need long reach brakes -- were english frames even in the 80's still set for 27" wheels (I plan to use modern 700c)? How old is it, anyway? The only old looking thing on it is a yellowed label attached by rope on which someone carefully printed "SHELDON" next to FRAME SET 46796 (which is infact the number stamped on the BB) and the words Astral Blue and another number, this one faded, 17624.

- Charles ===================== Charles Kramer, NY, NY My other bike is an Alberto Masi Prestige
   & a ridiculous carbon-forked dressed for halloween Viscount not counting the modern bikes