[CR]RE: Ken Ryall

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli:Laser)

From: <LeMansGTMAN@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:01:12 EST
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]RE: Ken Ryall

I'm glad we've finally got onto the topic of KR. Probably now one of the most under regarded London frame builders...*

*Along with Dave Russell of Slough (West-ish London) of whom more later perhaps.

I was a customer of Ken's in the early 1970s, and he made my first (and so far only) bespoke racing frame for me. This was stolen from garage in Golders Green two years later - so if you ever come across a Dark Metallic Blue 23.5", with spearpoint lugs, white block "Ken Ryall" lettering on the D/T and full chrome sloping crown forks - it's probably mine!

Anyway - Ken and his assistant (whose name I can't recall - sorry) were always v.helpful and friendly which to gauche young aspiring road racer / tester (later discovered to be useless) made the 50 mile cycle round trip to visit his shop all the more worthwhile...

Ken operated out of a small shop near the Bath Road in Hounslow and kept a large stock of "Raxar" clothing and also was one of the few places where you could get Barum tubs (sew ups) which were well priced compared to the alternatives and much better quality than most of the sew ups availble in the UK at that time.

I was particularly keen on the "silk" (actually shiny viscose or similar) Raxar track jerseys he stocked and which I use for Time Trialling and which I thought made me look like Alf Engers and Derek Cottington (US readers enquire - two greats of the British TT scene). I also remember Ken selling me such exotica as a gold plated dumbell spanner (!) a 100% wool brown & black"Faema" training top when such things were very rarely seen in the UK (it went down two sizes after the first wash!) numerous similarly 'easishrink' trade team caps - and various pieces of v.high quality Raxar clothing most of which carried "Ryall Weldwork" lettering - which had to be taped up if you wanted to use it to race in... (which I did)

I believe these branded items were remaining stocks from the time when Ken briefly sponsored a professional cyclo-cross rider called Keith Mernickle. As it happens Keith M was one of my early heroes - but that's another story...

I think Ken probably started outsourcing his build when he was getting older but still wanted to keep the business running. As you will gather the shop closed some time ago I'm afraid.

I believe that Ken Ryall is still with us and is one of the senior members of Twickenham CC over here. If the list would like I could try and see if I could touch base with him or the people who know him in the TCC to try and put together a entry for the CR public pages.

In that regard about two years ago I managed to acquire a 24" Ryall track frame on ebay which itself has an interesting history (another time) This is frame no. 'K59007R' which I think means the 7th frame Ken built in 1959. Buying this frame in some way softened the blow of the loss of my KR 25 years earlier. I now use it as a road fixed wheel (and it's currently drying out in my kitchen) and it could be the photographic start for such an entry.

I would love to bid for the KR on ebay at the moment, despite the fact that it is far too big for me and the shipping costs from the US very high. I'm also intrigued to know how it ended up in Vermont.

In closing if anyone else out there has a Ken Ryall in their possession (or just has recollections of him and his business) touch base with me please with a view to compiling the above listing - and I'm always in the market for any 23.5 - 25" Ken Ryalls that might be on the market.

Regards,

Ian Briggs
LUTON - UK