Hello all,
Just joined the mailing list. First off I'd like to comply with (optional) rule 14 - and introduce myself. My name is Howard Mintz.
If you look under the British Isles / Tom Board page you'll see my unusual 'Cygnus' bike. Tom built it for me (based on the design of some bikes I'd seen in a Japanese bike mag) by drawing it out on a big piece of paper then assembling it - without the use of a jig. Apart from the design, my only other specification was that it should be built around the tiny Aero Gran Compe brakes. The seat tube is a piece of Reynolds tandem tubing from the 50s. The bent seat-stays were Tom's idea - they sort of reflect the symmetry of the forks. The PMP cranks sit on a Royce titanium bottom bracket. The wheels are Mavic rims on Record hubs (built them myself). The pedals are the first Look ones available in the UK. The wheelbase is, er, minimal. And the rear derailleur is one of the most beautiful pieces of functional equipment I have ever seen.
I also have a Tom Board track frame with hand-made lugs and top-of-the-range Campagnolo pista equipment. Is that Record or Super Record? I'm ashamed to admit I can't remember - ashamed because I used to run a bicycle shop in London's Covent Garden (late 70s to early 80s) and I ought to remember! Fixed wheel is the ultimate mode of transport, in my opinion, I guess I like the minimalism (again).
I can only describe Tom Board as a genius.
I used to have a TJ Cycles Flying Gate. Lovely bike, matt black paint with gold lug lining, gold chainset and rims, like an idiot I sold it.
I also used to have an Ellis (not Ellis Briggs) fixed wheel bike. I think they were based in Fulham, London, before WW2. It had Resilion cantilever on the front, Chater-Lea pedals and hubs, those funny sweeping-back, chrome dropped handlebars with rubber grips, Brooks leather saddle, all original parts (from the 1940s?). My commute into Central London took about 35 minutes riding like a loony on the Flying Gate; on the relaxed, fixed-wheel Ellis - only four or five minutes longer! Amazing bike - why did I ever sell it?
I also used to have a bike with an Alex Isles (spelling?) frame. Not heard of him before or since, the frame came to me via someone 'in the know' but without any badges. Lugless, immaculately assembled, looked like it had been drawn out of one piece of molten metal.
And not forgetting my Araya - unremarkable frame but the group set was Shimano 600 with cassette freewheel - first time in the UK - and cranks removed with just an allen key.
Finally a bit of personal info.
I live near Kingston upon Thames in the UK. I have a wife and two kids (8 and 12). I (currently) work in the Corporate Pensions business. I am fluent in Japanese. The other love of my life is motorcycles. Currently I have a 1990 Honda CBR100F.
Two wheels good!
Thanks for listening.