Hello, I'm Simon. I've been lurking and meaning to post for a while now and today seemed like a good time. I'm a Londoner but I lived in the US for 4 years- i miss the cycling in Marin. I've always ridden old bicycles, starting off with a 28" wheel 1928 Humber roadster, but recently more lightweight machines :-) . As a sculptor I've always found the form of bicycles beautiful particularly an older machine where the mark of the hand that made it is more apparent. When form and function are ballanced its a glorious thing.
Yesterday I had to take a couple of forks in for some work, one pair from my unknown 60's 531 clubman needed some major re-tracking work after i had fallen -while walking the bike- onto the front wheel -*so embarrassing*. The other forks from my 1954 Gillott track/ time trial frame only needed the crown race seat facing off (would this have been a standard ISO 26.4?)). I've just recently aquired this frame and I've started building it up. I'm in love(!) I dropped them both with Barry Whitcomb in Deptford and picked them up about 3 hours later, all done. We got talking about old steel frames and how few frame builders are left, nodding at the Gillott forks he told me Ron Cooper only works a couple of days a week now, Whitcombs only make a frame a month. I mentioned I have a '48 Harry Rensch -he told me Tom Board had retired. We stood in the back of his shop while he recounted some glory days, shipping untold frames off to the states -bossing Richard Sachs around ;-) . He also told me about the fraternity that existed between the london makers and the close links between their shop and Gillotts. It seems a shame that there isn't a similar interest in the work of these craftsmen here in the UK to the one in the US, where there seems to be a small renaissance in handbuilt frames, ultimately I guess its all about market size. It's particularly poignant living where I do in Peckham, South London, a 3 minute walk from where the Gillotts were made, to see what was a flourishing local industry and a national obsession pass into history before my eyes.
The re-tracked forks look perfect and i re-built the bike last night, rituals of cleaning bearings, inspecting greasing adjusting. Very zen (HA HA)
Cheers, Simon. In a London trying to shake off winter blues.(greys)
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