[CR]More on that Maclean ID, Norris's reminiscences, and 531 tubing weight

(Example: Framebuilders:Chris Pauley)

From: "Peter Brown" <peterg.brown@ntlworld.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 23:01:10 +0100
cc: norris@norrislockley.wanadoo.co.uk
Subject: [CR]More on that Maclean ID, Norris's reminiscences, and 531 tubing weight

I had an idea that it might be Norris who came up trumps with the information. I really appreciate people who stow information away for 50 years in case it is ever needed!

Norris wrote (2 postings combined):

Nice frame, Peter. That it is an early 50s frame just shouts at you from

the pictures!

The double-fluted top-eyes were a feature on so very many frames of that

era, including several thousand Hetchins!

Again in my wayword youth, when visiting London for events such as the

Festival of Britain - was it really 55 years ago - if I wasn't rooting

through the plise of S/H goodies at Jack Baguley's tiny cycle emporium,

or pressing my nose to the window of Harry Rensch's "Paris" showroom

just around the corner from Jack's, then the likeliohood wa sthat i

would be doing the pressing thing at the Islington premises of Maclean.

Maclean always seemed " a cut apart" from the rest of the London

builders..possibly there was an assumption that there frames were in

some way better..possibly it was the fact that the showroom/shop was in

a better part of London..possibly it was because unlike Hetchins, Bates,

Paris, Gillott, Holdsworth, the ubiquitous Claud Butler...Maclean frames

never seem to appear outside a small radius around London.. The northern

riders knew of them but never saw any.

Any way enough of reminiscence! Maclean did cut fany lugs but I think

that the real fretwork was restricted to the "Gothic arches" of the

Apollo model. After years of seraching fro one of these I have just

managed to get one on Ebay from a seller who underpriced it and sold it

as a"Claud Butler???". I've been fascinated by the lugwork for a long

number of years anfd am now trying to work out whehther the lugs were

fretted from a blank, or from a Davis "chopped" out lug, or

fly-pressed..with bits added on. Any body got any ideas?

Peter's frame is made from a selection of frame parts that were coming

available to builders at the time. The bracket appears to be a Gargatte,

the fork crown looks like a very nicely reworked Ekla..maybe Wagner (but

I dont recall Wagner being available then)..to take on the air of a

two-plate that were beginning to be difficult to find. The lugs are

almost definitely Oscar Egg Super Champion ones..not reworked Nervex.

There is a distinct difference between the shape of the cut-outs on the

pipes on the three main tubes bewteen Eggs and Nervex. Nervex did three

head-tube lug patterns that look vaguely like this Oscar Egg one - the

85ter, the 106ter, and the 110, but each of these had a "window" in the

bottom and upper corners.

As Peter remarks about the light weight of the frame, Maclean boasted

quite a lot about this feature. The 22.5" Apollo that I have, although

it has a heavy bracket shell, is remarkably light. Of course in those

days Reynolds 531

was available in different wall/butt thicknesses, and was chosen with

regard to the purpose for which the frame was built...but the transfer

was always the same..no "SL" or "Pro" suffixes.

I will try to sort out the model for you Peter..somewhere I have a

catalogue that I picked up at the Angel Islington shop all those 50+

years ago...knowing that at some time in my uncertain future..it would

come in useful.

..the memory still works fairly well., so I'ved found the maclean

catalogue I mentioned earlier.

The company's range was very small at that time..the Apollo isn't

mentioned.

There was the "Club" - with a choice of Reynolds 531 or "A&PKromo", then

the Track or Path - a very elegant frame..and then "..the Connoisseur's

Choice" - The Eclipse. This model could be either a stock one or made to

measure. Tubing was 531 or "Chrome-Molybdenum" (no brand specified)

"....best Continental lugs, maximum cut-away consistent with safety,

nicely filed and finished ( a very important point to look for)"

The drop-outs are specified as either Benelux or Simplex with integral

gear hanger. Seatr-stay tops are described as ".. with fluted ends

wrapped round lugs"

The catalogue has faded a little over the years but it is still possible

to make out the same model fork crown as Peter's and lugs wth a short

spearpoint and windows. The price was £16.0s0p..quite pricey for those

days

Referring to my mention of the choice of gauges of 531 in my original

contri. I'd just like to mention the Pat Skeates full early 50s bike

that was on Ebay about 8 weeks or so ago. I had to stop bidding as i was

due to leave for France..and think that the winner was from the States,

possibly on this LIst.

Skeates always built very light frames, selecting his tubes with

lightness in mind. If the buyer is on the list and is contemplating

renovating the frame..I have a contact for full sets of transfers.

Skeates was not a prolific builder..his machines were highly rated..and

so transfers can be difficult to find.

Norris’ reminiscences prompted me to get out the cycling diary for 1951 of Arthur Staff, the original owner of my Hetchins Nulli Secundus. Arthur went to London for the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, riding his Granby Taperlite, and visited the Festival of Britain, the Wembley 6 day race, and then went round the cycle shops, looking for a new frame. His diaries show a short list of the shops he visited, obviously looking for a quality frame, all in the space of not much more than half a day. They were, so far as I can see the faded pencil entry, Hobbs, Paris, Fonteyn, Holdsworth, Claud Butler, MacLean, Bertrand, Hetchins, and an entry which doesn’t make sense to me which looks like In.Tutto. He obviously chose the Hetchins, rode the 163 miles back home the next day (Wednesday). The frame arrived at his local railway station a week the following Thursday in a 10 shilling deposit returnable crate, and he built it up and had his first ride on it the following Monday.

Norris also writes of builders selecting their tubes with lightness in mind. Bill Hurlow told me the tubes he would have used for my 1959 Hurlow time trial frame, which were 21/24 gauge seat tube, 20/23 gauge down tube, and 22/24 gauge top tube. Does anyone know just how much difference there was in weight between these different gauges?

Peter Brown, Lincolnshire, England