Peter, As you already know the the Kirk road frames and mountain bike frames are really quite light. Can't honestly beleive that someone would describe them as heavy as a dog. They were originally made by Kirk Precision Ltd. 6-10 Bancroft Road. South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford, Essex. They went t---s up! Some of the employees redundancy payments were paid out in frames and equipment. That's why there where loads around going cheap, they were selling them to get their redundo cash. Then Norsk Electric got hold of the firm, they actually used one and half cubic metre's of sea water to make the magnesium frames. They gave up and Dawes cycles finally got them. They had a British Pro team in 1990, Airmarshall Kirk Precision and Impsport, Medella and Bolle were also involved. The riders were Andy Johnson, Ian Saunders, Hilton McMurdo, Dave Mann and Steve Sefton. Airmarshall are just up the road from you in King Edward Street Grimsby. They were also ridden in the Tour De France by I think Buckler or TVM, I think probably the later. The early road frames had trouble with the rear ends breaking but they sorted this problem out quite early on in the production run. The bloke who knows quite a bit about Kirk is not allowed to subscribe to CR anymore. Lets just say he is no lightweight (15 stone) but he raced a Kirk Revolution in Cyclo Cross and MTB Races with quite a lot of sucess in his age related group. Anyone who has ridden alongside him on his Hetchins track iron will know how powerful a rider he is despite being nearly 60. So the Kirk's must be strong. He has now donated his Kirk to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I am afraid a lot of this is off topic but our American cousins can get Teledyne postings in so perhaps this might be allowed. They originally tried to make a magnesium tubed version without success. Also tried other cast frame patterns but it wasn't until the makers saw a Paris Galibier in Brentwood High Street that they met with luck. The Paris belonged to an old Brentwood Road Club member whose name escapes me but as you know the Brentwood were all conquering in the 1950's. Gibbons, Shaw and Spanton being the stars of this famous club. Well they used the Galibier design for the Kirk and it made up into a very light frame. You might want to post this as I dare not risk antagonising the list and finish up going the way of the rest of them. Found a picture of Airmarshall Kirk Team but not of the TdeF TVM boys. Best wishes Joe.
Croeso Cymru Joe King Nr. Maenaddwyn Ynys Mon Wales