[CR]Re: Was It a "BAINES VS37?"..No it's a "BESPOKE VS37.5"

(Example: History:Norris Lockley)

From: "Nic Henderson" <nic.henderson@ntlworld.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 09:42:17 -0000
Subject: [CR]Re: Was It a "BAINES VS37?"..No it's a "BESPOKE VS37.5"

Norris, that's a great story a beautiful bike. I sometimes wonder what will happen to my bikes, that I have loved and cherished, after my passing (not for many years yet - touch wood). Will they end up in a skip or go to loving homes? Ultimately, I suppose, it doesn't matter.

Please, no replies, it's too depressing!

Nic Henderson Newport UK

Norris Lockley wrote: It recall it was a very tall order coming from a very short man! Neve rtheless the short man was used to getting what he wanted..and more to the point what he wanted, he was usually very willing to pay very well for.

Jack Quayle, a legendary figure up in the submarine manufacturing town of B arrow-on-Furness, near the Lake District, was well on the wrong side of six ty when he manoeuvred the two steps down into my barrel-vaulted showroom. H e had to manoeuvre carefully because under his arm he was carrying an immac ulate "Bespoke" twin-tubed Saxon -replica frame that I had built for him a couple of years earlier.It was still resplendent in its Ferrari red enamel, Emerald green head and seat panels and acres of chrome-plate.

Pulling himself up to his full five-feet six inches he fixed me with an imp erious stare that rendered nul and void my superior height of five-feet eig ht and a half inches . "It's a superb frame this one..but I need to go even one better!"

He explained that the new frame would probably be his last and as he put it "..it will see me out!" "So...it will have to be the best one I have ever had..and the best one that you have ever built!" Jack was a difficult perso n to argue with.

He went on to reminisce about the 1930s when, as an impressionable teenager he had witnessed two of the UK racing giants Jack Fancourt and his mate Ho lmes (Harry H?) battling it out in a pre-Berlin Olympics selection race for the British team. He had been mesmerised by the bikes they road that day - a pair of Baines Model VS37 "Gates". On his way back to Barrow, he deviate d from his usual route to visit the Baines bike workshop in Eccleshill, Bra dford, to order his own VS37.

Long since sold on was the Baines..but Jack wanted another..and Jack intend ed, that day in my cellar, to order one. But I knew better..because around that time Trevor Jarvis had just bought out the rights to the "Gate" design ..so I would not infringe those rights. The VS37 follows the popular Baines design of a vertical tube supporting the top-tube, with a short piece of s eat tube protruding through the seat-lug, and two pairs of "seat-stays" run ning up from the rear drop-outs, one to the seat lug, the other to the T-ju nction of the vertical and the top-tube.

The lesser known V38 frame dispensed with the short length of seat tube and with the second pair of stays. It had a very "open" appearance. I stuck to my guns with Jack and told him that I would not, even for a persistent and wealthy customer like himself, copy either of Baines' designs.

And so it came to pass that the Bespoke VS37.5 was born! A variation on bot h of the Baines' designs, it had the short seat tube, but not the extra pai r of stays..but in order to fill up the void..and to stiffen up the rear pa rt of the frame main triangle, a strut was brazed in between the seat-tube and the vertical.

Sounds messy ! Jack was delighted with the finished frame..again resplenden t in its red and green and chrome. He declaired that it not only rode bette r than his VS37..but that it had turned out to be his best bike ever, As I said earlier..what Jack wanted, Jack always got...

Unfortunately Jack passed away just over a year ago, having cycled into his mid-80s..dying from an absolutely painless heart attack. His widow has bee n loathe to part with Jack's treasure..he was out on the VS37.5 only the da y before he died..and he had remembered to polish it before taking it up th e narrow stairs into the front bedroom of his cottage.."..the best deserves the best!"..another of Jack's irrefutable statements..just as "..ashes to ashes, dust to dust, Bespoke to Bespoke.." he had always promised me.

And so it has fallen to me to try to find it a new home. To this end some f riends have let me place a few photos of it on their new web-site for all t o examine.

The frame is built from that wonderful Ishiwata O19 tubing, with Reynolds 5 31 round track blades. Lugs are a fancy variation of Nervex Pro..to Jack's design. The bracket shell and the T-lug at the junction of the top and vert ical tubes are bilaminated, while the twin-plate fork crown has been frette d into a pleasant almost Gillott-like shape. The rear drop-outs are Super C hampion original "Osgear" ones but with a gear hanger brazed on to take the later model accessories that Jack wanted "..in order that an old sta ger can move with the times and keep up with the youngsters".

The frame is a 21" centre-to-top with a 21.5" top tube. Rear triangle is ju st under 15". (37.5cms).with the front end being just about 23". Mudguards are fitted with full toe-clip clearance. The paintwork and chrome are unbel ievably IMMACULATE.

The bike can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tag/wilkeemac/bespoke settle

No asking price has been given so offers are invited. If anyone would like more jpegs..or info, please contact me Off-List.

One last thing..the frame was built in 1982...so it fits the CR time-line