The number 83 is almost certainly a frame enameller's number - numbers like these are very common on many British bikes of the period. This frame I would have dated earlier than 1950/1, more because of the open 2-plate fork crown than anything else. However 1950/1 is perfectly possible. I wrote about Macleans in Cycling Plus 150: "Macleans were one of the first to build in good numbers to the new design. Don Maclean together with Harry Bailey it is thought opened a small shop at 39 Landseer Road, North Holloway in 1918 or 1919. Many years ago I interviewed an old employee of Saxons (we looked at the Saxon Twin-tube in C+120), Don Salmon, who had started off by working for Don Maclean right at the beginning. Maclean started off by reconditioning bicycles he bought fro m Brick Lane market in the East End. But soon, almost certainly, by 1920 Macleans began to build lightweight racing frames in the new style. In 1922 the shop and works moved to Jackson Road, Holloway. The head transfer from this time reads D Maclean, 2 Jackson Road, Holloway, London N7. They opened a second shop at 366 Upper Street, Islington in 1928 which in 1929 became their only premises. The final move came in 1934 where they moved just down the road to 362/363 Upper Street. The Macleans frames from the 1920s and 1930s shared one of the unusual characteristics of Bastides they used 3/4in diameter chainstays with a liner in a bottom bracket shell with 15/16in diameter chainstay ports. Don Maclean himself died in the 1940s; Harry Bailey continued the business, first of all, with A E Morgan and later A Wolffe who apparently owned the shop next door to Macleans at 364 Upper Street, a cleaners. In the 50s Wolffe took the business over completely. Pat Hanlon worked at Macleans fro m 1939 to 1957 building wheels and working in the shop before starting her ow n cycle business near to Palmers Green."
Most of the information for this article in Cycling Plus came from ewither Murray Maclean (the V-CC's Maclean's Marque Enthusiast or Colin Moore who had amassed a large quantity of information on the marque.
Hilary Stone, Bristol, England
> From: "David Peace." <david.peace@dsl.pipex.com>
> Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:10:00 +0100
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Subject: [CR]New member and Macleans!
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm new to the group and have been 'lurking' for the past week or so to
> get the feel of things.
>
> Suddenly in my dotage, so to speak, I have become interested in bikes
> again, and find that (after a gap of many decades) the fascination I had
> with classic bikes at grammar school in the fifties has awoken again.
> Then, the make of 'racer' ,as we called them then, was a measure of your
> 'street cred' as they say now. I had a Claud so was higher in the
> pecking order than a Dawes owner. The guy with the Ellis Briggs was
> higher than me and the lads with a Hetchins or a Bates were 'higher'
> still.
> Curiously, the king of the bunch was the owner of a Jack Taylor - many a
> stunning girl was passed un-noticed as one of the lads went over to
> examine the Jack Taylor yet again!
> Now that I've bored you all with 'introductions' as requested when
> joined the group I'll get on with the thread.
>
> Hilary Stone might remember that he sold a green Macleans frame to me a
> month or so ago. Consequently I have been very interested in the
> discussion on Macleans numbering and went into the hut to check the
> numbers on the frame. This is what I found. KB 685 is stamped on the
> forks in the usual place. KB 685 is stamped on the left rear dropout and
> the number 83 is stamped dead centre on the underside of the bottom
> bracket shell! Hope I haven't confused matters but it seems to be a new
> angle on the discussion.
>
> Best wishes to all group members. I hope I will soon be calling on the
> mass of expertise here!
>
> Dave Peace
> Scarborough, Yorkshire U.K