Hilary Stone wrote:
Campagnolo ends were definitely available in the UK in 1953 - in the Thanet records a Silverlight is recorded as having been built with them that year - and I have a copy of the 1952 unnumbered Campy catalogue which has the Holdsworthy stamp on it. But the critical bit is the number 1929 - Ephgrave numbers were simple sequential ones and this number is without doubt from 1952/3 - there are enough recorded dates with numbers of Ephgraves to be very certain. However it would be interesting to know more about the Campy ends fitted to this Ephgrave - as I understand it, the early Campy ends used a smaller adjuster screw and I am not sure when this was dropped. But (and I think this is a big but) I think it unlikely (though possible) that somebody would have had Campy ends originally fitted to a frame with a Simplex double roller which was really rather specific in its use. I think it more likely that the Campy ends were a replacement when subsequently somebody wanted to use a Campy rear mech. Tom - does the frame have a lever braze-on? If so Simplex or Campy?
(snip)
I'm grateful that this has generated some interest and I for one am getting a lot out of it--hope some of the rest of you are, too.
The answer to Hilary's inquiry is that the frame has brazeons to fit Campagnolo shift levers--a pair of them. Wish there were some "before" photos to be had of the frame before respray. Don't forget to take some before undertaking your projects, it will help our heirs in coming decades . . . .
I wish I could give you a good view of the frame-ends, for the sake of speculation. The dropouts seem ever-so-slightly spindlier as compared with two circa 1970 frames here, with the top (especially) of the triangular cut-out being slightly more pointed--the other bikes have the inner corners a bit more rounded out, may be fractionally thicker. Filework could account for that, yet at the same time, the Ephgrave dropouts don't seem to have been filed much, as there is still a bit of a "seam" (line from the mold) on the inner edge of the base of the triangle (the "cut-out"). There is also a bit of a curve to the leading edge of the dropout, where the other two bikes (a Razesa with '71-ish NR parts, and a '68-ish Bottecchia) seem flatter in the same spot. The adjuster screws are 27mm long (overall), which is much shorter than those on my other bikes, which seem to be closer to 4cm--but any or all may have been replaced.I don't have the needed depth of experience with '50s Campagnolo components and dropouts in particular, but instinct tells me the dropouts on the Ephgrave may have come from minutely different castings, whereas the other two bikes have dropouts that more closely duplicate each other (aside from that rather raw Bottecchia joinery at the stays). I would not assert that too strongly, however, and will remain curious to hear further thoughts. Some of you have probably scrutinised a lot of dropouts from different eras and may know a distinguishing detail to look for.
Here's something I find odd: there are two chainstay brazeons--cable housing stops in line with each other. The weird one is 6.5cm rearward from the aforementioned double roller guide. One wouldn't think there be any cable housing involved in that spot, as any housing would be between the roller cable guides and the brazeon. Seems a little bizarre.
Seen that anywhere before, anyone?
Thanks,
Tom Ward
New York City