Andrew's post of the Stan Pike that's for sale prompts me to offer this update on Stan Pike the builder. Some of you will remember that a couple of months ago, Dale received a rather gruff email from someone identifying himself as Stan Pike's son, complaining about the Stan Pike information posted on the CR web site (which accompanies pictures of my Stan Pike). Some may also recall that there was some speculation that the whole thing might be a hoax. Well, I'm happy to report that, not only was there no hoax, but Steve Pike (yes, Stan Pike's son) has turned out to be a gracious gentleman and valuable resource. Steve's initial concern was that there was incorrect and misleading information posted about his father, and he also didn't quite understand what the CR site was all about. Now that I have been communicating with him, and have reassured him that all we were trying to do was to provide accurate information about his father and the frames he built, and to have him recognized as the premier frame builder that he was, Steve has been most cordial and very helpful. I have now learned a great deal about Stan Pike and his short run as a frame builder. Steve has kept all of his father's records and only wants to make sure Stan Pike's history is accurate. The following information was provided by Steve (and he also noted that his father's early frames were not built in the corner of a helicopter factory as previously reported):
"Dad died at his home in Misterton, near Crewkerne, on November 8th 1983
aged just 46.
"The early frames were built in the garage of our home in Crewkerne then
later at our home in Misterton, a small village outside Crewkerne. In
the seventies Dad purchased the cycle shop in Crewkerne (formerly Bob
White cycles) and re-named it Stan Pike Cycles, here he set up workshops
in the back where he built the frames until his death in 1983. He was
assisted for most of the time by my brother Philip. Dad taught Phil how
to build the frames, hence Philips frames carried the ''Pike of
Crewkerne'' transfers and not the ''Stan Pike'' transfers which were
only applied to Dads own frames. During the time Dad was in business he
also built for other UK businesses such as Don Farrell cycles, Ken Ryall
cycles, Fred Baker cycles, to name just a few, these frames carried
their respective dealers transfers. After Dad's death Philip carried on
the business single handedly until the mid eighties when it was decided
to call it a day and the shop was sold.
"Painting of the frames was sub contracted to another company, I believe
it was C and G enamels......"
Obviously, my primary interest has been my frame. Steve was kind enough
to send me a "certified" copy of his father's original build sheet and
copies of the pages of Stan's build-log notes relevant to my frame.
This documentation not only identifies the exact date the frame was
built (February 1983, just nine months before Stan's death), but also
provides interesting details that are only available from the builder's
notes. Of interest is the fact that, even though my frame and fork
prominently sport Reynolds "red" SL decals, the build sheet indicates
that the TT, ST and HT are Reynolds, the fork Columbus, and the DT,
seat-stays and chain-stays SV (Super Vitus, I presume). Just goes to
show you can't always believe all those decals! Another interesting
note (and one that might stir memories of another CR discussion) is that
the cut-outs in the lugs are referred to as "Hand cut Shamrocks".
Steve was also kind enough to send me, unsolicited, a complete set of
Stan Pike frame transfers and a nice "SP" cloth patch. As I said, he's
been most gracious.
In keeping with the British theme of the upcoming Cirque, my Stan Pike
will be on display. Pictures can also be seen on the CR site:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/