Hello Alfred:
I looked at those bikes on that web page, http://www.hetchins.org/
You must mean the white bike with the black head tube?(The only Hellenic th ere) This is an interesting situation, in that I think the reason Flash desc ribed that bike as a Scorpion Bonam, is that to my eye it is, just that! The Magnum Opus has a different lug style altogether.
It's even a bit more fundamental to Hetchins evolution, because these bikes as pictured use stamped lugs that started life as "normal" lugs, which were then cut and "shaved" as it were, and then elaborations (fancy tabs) brazed on. This exact approach wasn't started until the very late 1970s or early 1 980s IIRC. Some Hetchins expert could pin that down closer. Models called Ma gnum Bonam were also done via this later style and they were very different from the original versions. This white bike is neither.
In any case, I hope your friend gets all this sorted out before it gets up on eBay and everyone starts scrutinizing his offering for accuracy....! Dale Brown cycles de ORO, Inc. 1410 Mill Street Greensboro, North Carolina 27408 USA 336.274.5959 http://www.cyclesdeoro.com http://www.classicrendezvous.com -----Original Message----- From: alfredo.marcantonio@btinternet.com To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 2:49 PM Subject: [CR]Hetchins Helenic for sale
Dear all
A pal of mine (in London) is about to put a a 1972 HETCHINS \u2018Heleni c Magnum Opus\u2019 on Ebay, but asked me to inform the CR list before he did.
It should of course be Hellenic, but I guess Alf wasn't much of a lexicolog ist.
He is looking for around $1600 plus post and packing.
The size is 21½ inch or 54.5cm Centre to top. The frame No: H724 .
This will be the Ebay entry......
Here is a unique opportunity to acquire one of the scarcest frames made by Britain\u2019s renowned builders, Hetchins. It is an extremely rare frameset which appears on the Hetchins register as model Helenic Magnum Opus built in 1972. The lugs look like Opus 'phase one' but without some of the more elaborate long tangs and are reminiscent of later Swallow or Scorpion tangs. The bottom bracket lugs are plain. The original owner part exchanged it at the Hetchins shop in Southend some time in the mid 80\u2019s against a new machine. It was then refinished b y them and purchased by the current owner who aware of its rarity, added it to his collection. It was in fact too small for him and has been in storage for the last twenty years. Over the years the paintwork has received a couple of small blemishes due t o being moved around the storage unit, most noticeable is a 1\u201d scrat ch on the top of the right chain stay. There are no dents or dings in the fr ameset and the rest of the paintwork is outstanding. The chrome is as perfec t as the day it left the shop.
For photos of the bike as it was built up see http://www.hetchins.org/
A stem and seat post are included but no headset. He has loads of pics.
If anyone is seriously interested, send me a note off list and I will e-mai l them on to him.
Alfredo Marcantonio Twickenham, England
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