I wasn't very happy about the shallowness of my last contribution to this thread, so I have had another look at those photos..so here goes for the long shot.
There seems to be, in and amongst other colours on Kim's bike, quite a lot of orange enamel...it might even have been the original prime/main colour. So how many French bicyle manufacturers finished their frames in such a bland..some people would say..colour? Well there was that company based way over at the end of the Loire river..called Stella..they used a lot of orange.
Well then..Did anybody of any note ride their bikes..and if so, did any of them do any decent rides so to speak? Well there was a guy way back when,..around the early 50s who wasn't half bad..in fact quite good. (Are you following my drift here...?So far so good)..name of Bobet..Louison Bobet, I think..had a brother ..he wasn't too bad either..
Yes..OK but did he really DO anything that could merit the manufacturer claiming the right to put "Tour de France" stickers on the seat tube and wrapping the Worlds bands around the head tube ?
Well..if you put it like that , the guy did win the Tour three times..first one to do it in a row in fact..and he DID a good ride in the 1954 World's as well...actually won it..so I suppose that his bike sponsor would be able to claim some rights to the use those stickers !
Somewhere I have copies of the Miroir de Cyclisme. for 1953/54/55...the posh editions produced at the end of the race..summing the whole thing with a photo of the winner in glorious Technicolor on the cover page...but as Sod's law would have it, I can't put my hands on any of them. But I know for certain that Bobet's 1953 TdF bike was bright orange..and used the long point Prugnat type lugs.. similar to those on Kims frame while his 1955 one.. by which time he was riding "Bobet" frames painted yellow..carried the "World's" bands on the head-tube
INTERMISSION - during which I will serve myself a stiff gin and tonic, as the suspense is doing my blood pressure no good at all.
Just been back on the Wooljersey site to have another look in detail at Kim's frame. I.m not a betting man but I think I have JUST, but only just..by blowing up the shot of the seat-tube decal..uncovered another clue..If Kim gets a magnifying glass on that decal I think that he will find that in the white band between the red and the blue there is some writing..it appears to be in yellow..and that the figure is "55" - that being the last year of Bobet's treble Perhaps around the other side of the decal it will say "53"
I know that sometimes Stella used rivetted -on headbadges and sometimes the anodised self-adhesive aluminium foil ones. Now...I've read somewhere that Bobet was very keen on saving weight..hence the Weinmann 730 calipers on his 53 bike. my train of thought here is that the instruction to the frame-builder was to save as much weight as possible...hence the drillium lugs and possibly the stick-on head-badge.
Now all this is just so much surmise, make-belief, conjecture...guess work. Are there any drill holes on the head-tube, Kim? If so are they at 50mms centres vertically? That is the Stella standard.. the badge being 60mm x 40mm in a "portrait" setting.
The best comes last..and could explode the whole of " The Lockley Theory of Kim Klakow's Mystery TdF Frame. PtII" Kim said that the drop-outs are Campagnolo..or are they Campagnolo type? Could they be Huret, as Bobet always rode Huret gears? But what if Huret did not make their own drop-outs in the early 50s ..leaving Bobet to use the Italian jobs? Presumably a Huret TdeF-Louison Bobet Speciale rear mech would fit on a Campag drop-out..or would it? I used mine with its hanger on a standard Stallard drop-out in those days.
Finally...Kim. What sort of braze-ons does the frame have around the bottom bracket area? A double roller, a couple of cable stops side-by-side..and on the chainstay?
I've just about convinced myself that Kim's frame is an artisan/ craftsman-built Stella team bike..from 1956 onwards...or a very good replica..but have I convinced you, Kim? Might it have been a "Louison Bobet" frame from 1956 onwards. These used a small self - adhesive headbadge and there was a small portrait of Bobet on the seat-tube..
Whatever...it's the wrong size in any case for you Kim...you told me you were looking out for some good English stuff..around 24".Now then I just happen to have Jack Taylors, Gillott, Hill Special, Henry Burton, EA Boult, Hetchins, Bates...in 24"...
Heh!! ..but it's only so much conjecture, Kim...Don't take it too seriously
Norris Lockley..needing another G-and-T..Settle Uk