Dear all,
I've done a trawl of the CR archives etc., on this one, and Norman Kilgariff's Holdsworth website:-
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/
- but without much success so perhaps one of the listmembers can enlighten me...
I have recently acquired from ebay the following f&f.
_http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN %3AIT&viewitem=&item=230102622677&rd=1&rd=1_ (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=230102622677&rd= 1&rd=1)
I assumed before it was delivered that it was a late model frameset - probably dating back to the mid-70s, but I now find that it has a pre-1963 brass 'Cyclist' headbadge and from Norman's website the spec' seems to be one of the low-ish end Routier models...
The lugwork (not Nervex) is nice enough, but workmanlike rather than fancy - though the head lugs have large and elegant cutout spearpoints on the top and bottom of the front of the headstock. This is off-set by the very crude fork crown which is reminiscent of cheap clunker Raleighs and the modern-day generic 700c replacement forks you see around sometimes.
It has all the braze-ons described for the Routier in the 1963 catalogue on Norman's website, Agrati front drop outs / plate rears and no gear hanger, a grease nipple on the top of the B/B.
Having now eased the "squeezed" seat cluster ears apart, it seems to take a 26.8-ish seat pin (though I have to do some more work to clean up the inside of the seat-tube).
The last owner had the frame professionally resprayed in a nice red enamel (not powder coating as I first thought) and has affixed a 531DB sticker on the seat tube - which I thought was an error except the frame seems to be rather too light to be a bog-standard Holdsworth / Grubb 531 plain guage...
My real question is, given the frame number stamped on the underside of the B/B is 14726 (and there is a supplemental no 7612) can anyone date this frame with any degree of accuracy?
Any other info gratefully received - especially regarding the apparent 'lightweight' 531 plain guage anomaly. I think this one is going to be fitted out with a some near period Campag / TA / Mafac / Brooks equipment. Looks like a 'keeper' to me...
Ian Briggs
LUTON - UK