Dear All,
This is the weirdest of co-incidences...
I haven't looked at the digest for a couple of days as I had to drive to Yorkshire / Cumbria?to collect a very off-topic Cyclo Cross bike from 3 Peaks winner Rob Jebb.
Anyways - out on my '82 Claud Butler (with muddies and lights) in the freezing fog around Luton today, as I rode around I started pondering the other 2 bikes I own that were 'previously loved' by notable Brit's...
One of them is this self same bike as used by Sean Yates during his last season as an amateur and which he used to win the UK National 25 mile Time Trial?- but back to that later...
Long story short - I bought the bike complete and as last used by Yatesy from Keith Lambert a few years ago - but as received the 'bars were loose in the Cinelli 1R stem because the hidden wedge inside and behind the expander bolt was cracked. Thus I have never used nor ridden this fine beast.
Q: Anyone know were I can obtain a?replacement 1R wedge please?
Back to the bike itself - I've anotated?Randy's?Qs:-
Q?- reversed front brake.? pretty common at the time, but what was the range of time this was fashionable?
A - Don't know but it's a Campag single pivot.
Q - rear cantilever brakes.? i suppose canti's are lighter than?sidepulls?
A - Ditto - but interestingly the canti springs are aradited into place!
Q?- black chainring bolts, black skewers - maybe omas??
A - Yes to the latter and Omas hubs too (clearly disassembled and rebuilt many times from all the spanner marking on them). ? Q - single front chainring and top-mount shifter, very british...?
A -Again yes Campag 56 tooth with a filed down?Campag friction lever (i.e. - no markings or knobbles)
Q?- double toe straps, black alloy clips.
A - As received the bike had clip-less Cinelli "Death Pedals" (which I'll never use!)
Q?- 'emperor sport' frame - anyone know about these?
A - Not sure but I believe they were built in South London / Croydon - but I recall this maker has been discussed here before so there will be more info on the Archive. This bike is 24" C-T lugless and was resprayed in metallalic Burgandy before I got it and the tubing is super-light and clearly super, super thin?(maker not known - I assume some form of special Columbus).
?Q - super-tiny freewheel - what is that, a 12-15??
A - No - 11/15 straight though?-?Regina silver steel.
Q?- internal cable routing - pretty early for this, right?
A - Yep - cable runs through the top tube and exits?under the seat seat having passed through slots machined through the shaft of the seatpost!
Q?- 'home-made' aero levers, minimal bar tape.
A - Again yes - and these are absolutley suicidal and appear to intended for 'one use' only (or probably 'no use at all'!)?in that they are campag levers?which have been drilled through the body to allow the cable to run out the back as all aero levers do now.
That's OK, but the problem is that the cinelli bars are?slotted on either side of the ferrule and the cable conduit runs inside to the lever but dosen't abutt to anything resembling a proper stop so basically once you pulled on the lever the brake stirrup springs aren't strong enough to pull the cable back properly so the blocks rub on the rims and the levers rattle!!!!
White cotton single layer bar tape - you might as well not bother!
This bike is currently in storage - but if the list desires, pix can be taken and posted in the fullness of time.
Ian Briggs
Luton, Befordshire UK