Good Evening everyone from Luton, England,
Glad to join you all. I have been checking the CR site for a couple of years now but this is the first time I have subscribed to the mailing list.
I have been a racing cyclist (on and off - mostly on) since 1968 when in the the UK Armed Forces as a boy Soldier (16 years) and joined the regiments cycling club simply to avoid other duties! The bug bit - and here I am 36 years on - and still a rubbish rider.
Anyway, the first bike I every raced was a Ellis-Briggs (one of the regiments stock of loan bikes) and more of E-Bs later, and read my name at the bottom to understand why I have always had a hankering to "own my own" - as it were.
I later purchased my first pukka lightweight, a S/H 23" straight stay 'Tottenham' Hetchins. In those days Hetchins were just another lightweight, and having found that I was quite good at cyclo-cross, I had canti-bosses brazed on it and used it for mud-plugging - later selling on for a joke price to some fellow in Oxford who used it to commute to and from college. I cringe to think of it now when I see the prices even bog-standard Hetchins now fetch...
Anyway, during my "career" I have got through a variety of hardware, Carlton, Dawes, Woodrup, Freddie Grubb, Holdsworth, Claud Butler (Holdsworth) etc., etc., - all of which have now been sold on and hopefully still being enjoyed by others.
I now routinely race on Far Eastern alloy-frame badge-engineered bikes, competent but ultimately rather soul-less bikes, but why do anything else for 'Cross? - and by way of penance, or to relive my squaundered youth (!) I have recently been buying old classic frames and bits.
Stuff that would be of interest to this forum that I currently have stashed in the garages / spare rooms (much to my wife's disgust):-
Late '70s 25" Ellis-Briggs 531 road / touring frame awaiting more bits to complete. Original Gulf Blue / White panels paint with white lug-lining in almost perfect condition. Lovely...
70s (?) "Holdworth"-made 23.5" Claud Butler 531 Track Bike with chrome ends Zeus / Fiamme wheels, grotty Stronglight Cranks, no-name seat-pin and Cinelli alloy bars and stem. Nice but I am carefully restoring the badly abused and gashed flam paintwork bit by bit so that I can use it for time trials next year.
late 40s or 50s (?) 23" Tommy Godwin Touring Frame. Black respray by Major Nichols. Unknown tube-set taking a 26.2 mm seatpin (Accles & Pollack?), stamped rear drop outs, chrome "gas-pipe" 1970s replacement forks and most interestingly a unthreaded bottom bracket shell with an removable threaded sleeve to take a cup and ball BB axle - very weird and home-made looking. I have to assume (this and the stamped drop outs) due to war-time shortages of decent continental lugs etc.,
The Godwin and the next item (which I have question for the forum about) were acquired from a very nice elderly gent in Birmingham who had retired from cycling due to his advanced years...
23.5" J.A.Holland Road Frame. 27.2 seat pin fitting so it must be 531 (?) Pretty long wheelbase, pencil stays and big clearances. Likely then to be a 50s / 60s dating. Refinished by Red by Industrial Powder Coatings in Birmingham - but no decals or badges - and it is this I need help with. I want to fit this frame up as a retro road / time trial bike and have the Mafac C/pulls, TA cranks etc., etc., - but I do need the decals.
I have asked Lloyds in Cumbria but no joy - does anyone out there know any more about this frame or builder or where I can obtain some authentic decals?
I know that "Jack" Holland made his frames in West Bromwich near Birmingham in UK, but only found this out because a track frame by the same man was listed on e-bay last week... (went for over £100 pounds). I saved the pix so I know now what the downtube script looks like...
Any help would be much appreciated.
Ian Briggs (no relation to the Briggs of Ellis Briggs!) Didcot Phoenix Cycling Club