Dear List,
Here's some info on the Cotton/ Hurlow connection when I was selling one of mine about a year ago:
These frames were built at the shop of famous English builder W.B Hurlow. How much was Hurlow directly involved in each frame is not definitive. The completed painted and decaled frames were imported by Mr.Sam Cotten of Greenwich Village, New york City starting in the late 1960's as "S.W.Cotten" frames.
Cotton further said the disparity of the dollar / pound exchange rate between the order being placed and the frame being delivered often ate up much of the potential profits.
Sam Cotten would sometimes further embellish his customer's bicycles by cutting out and drilling the Campagnolo chainrings of the crankset.
After speaking to Mr.Cotten two years ago, I learned that after he began importing frames into The United States, he ventured to England and learned the frame building craft directly from William "Bill" Hurlow. Sam's lips to my ears.
Mr.Cotten relocated to California in the late 1970's and set up his own frame building operation where he built bespoke frames until the late 1980's. As of our last conversation, as previously mentioned, Mr.Cotten was planning on reentering the frame building business.
Please refer to:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
for photographs of my great yet sold S.W.Cotten bicycle when shown at the 2004 Velo Rendezvous in Pasadena, California in a 5 speed configuration.
John T.Pergolizzi
La Jolla, Ca.