Nic,
You've misunderstood me ;
you wrote ;
> BTW, John Connell made no 'mistake' in trying sell his frames as
> 'better'
> because of this supposed 0.020" accuracy (this accuracy is
> attainable with
> the machines he used, although obviously not necessary) wouldn't
> anyone
> advertise that fact if they were trying to make money in a highly
> competitive business? John Connell's 'mistake' was having a stroke,
> which
> left him disabled and having to give up framebuilding.
The difference was that John Connel appeared to be the only one at
the time touting this accuracy figure round the small end of the
trade - perhaps it's to be commended even, but because (and this is
an opinion mind) it implied that others were in some way "less
accurate" he seems to have suffered from numerous letters, in the CTC
gazette. I presume that the machine you quote were the milling
machines or somesuch that he used to cut the tubes etc.
>
> Dodgy dealings in Scotland? That is often said about people who
> receive
> subsidiaries from local government agencies, jealousy I presume.
I'm sure it was more than just that however I'll offer an apology to the list (and of course to John) in advance, if this was not the case.
Sadly the trade was awash with problems for small builders at the end
of the 70s. For example Rattrays went belly up owing 000's to Raleigh
and Puch amongst others as a result of mismanagement by the
accountant (who was subsequently struck off). Nothing short of murder
would have stopped this even If they had produced he best frames in
the world and it all ended in court and at public auction. Stories
around the demise of Falcon are equally legendary - though please
don't ask me to give factual quotes - these have only been recounted
to me secondhand through the trade.
>
> John Connell is a lovely, gentle chap but still with a bit of that
> Yorkshire
> grit....and he still cycles.
>
> Nic Henderson
>
> Newport
>
> S.Wales.
>
> U.K
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Reid"
> <robertrreid@tiscali.co.uk>
> To: "Classic Cycling List" <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 2:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Wester Ross frames
>
>
>
>>
>> On 20 Aug 2005, at 09:51, Norris Lockley wrote:
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I suspect that you could respray a Wester Ross and add Flying Scot
>>> decals...and no one could tell the difference. Some of his frames
>>> owe
>>> something to the lugged frames of Jack Taylor..that sort of British
>>> tradition. The company did not last long but its reputation
>>> still stands
>>> proud; the production was small, as I gather, but of lasting
>>> quality.
>>>
>>
>> John McConnel arrived on the scene as Rattrays production in
>> Scotland was
>> running down after more than 50 years of framebuilding. He
>> produced in
>> penny numbers in comparison of course and to all accounts that
>> I've heard
>> they were reasonably well made frames, but nothing of the 'Scot'
>> calibre
>> prior to say 1973 when the last working partner of David Rattray,
>> Jack
>> Smith, died. Scot's produced beyond that time can be a mixed
>> bag. The
>> one remaining framebuilder still in the trade, appears to have
>> built some
>> quite exemplary frames during this period (and continues to by all
>> accounts). Rattrays sales and popularity are a good measure of
>> their
>> quality given that it was a small company and not a larger
>> concern like
>> Claud Butler or Holdsworth. They employed at the peak in the 50s
>> only
>> five framebuilders, and though rarely if ever, felt the need to
>> advertise
>> beyond the Scottish club scene, they were still spread round the
>> globe.
>> Contrast this with the Wester Ross adverts and appearances at
>> York on an
>> annual basis. Of course he couldn't have picked a place much
>> further away
>> from civilisation to br producing frames, whereas Rattray's were
>> at the
>> (Scottish) heart of it.
>>
>> If you can't spot the difference between a Scot and a Wester
>> Ross, you
>> can't be looking hard enough... I'd reckon Connel's biggest
>> mistake was
>> to try and sell his frames as "better" because of this supposed
>> 0.020"
>> accuracy figure he touted in the CTC gazettes. There were some
>> stories
>> about his time in Aultbea in the far north of Scotland and in
>> respect of
>> some dodgy dealings with subsidies he received in return for local
>> employment, but the exact detail if any escapes me right now.
>>
>> Of course you would expect me to say all this...:-)
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Bob Reid
>> Stonehaven
>> Scotland
>>
>> http://www.fying-scot.co.uk