While I was at it yesterday, I took some pics of the Ron Cooper built New B ates, which like the Caygill, I unboxed last weekend after three years in s torage.
http://www.flickr.com/
Ron Cooper produced this with classic Bates features - Cantiflex tubes, Dia drant forks, Volante fancy lugs.
The frame has a few inches chromed at the ends of forks and stays. The p ump holder is brazed behind the seattube. The dynamo mount is brazed t o the rear of the left fork blade, as I discussed in an earlier thread. This requires the Busch & Muller dynamo to be a "Right Hand" version, a s a "Left Hand" version would be used at the front of the left fork. I did not remember this, but the dynamo is in fact RH, which means either it was dumb luck, or I had a discussion I have since forgotten about this at the time. I may have bought this from Peter White, who would have probab ly made sure I got the correct one.
The racks were provided by Martin Coopland. I believe they were stoc k items made in UK, but were painted to match the frame by Ron Cooper or wh oever did the painting. Did Cooper usually paint his own frames? Th e racks are mounted to Weinmann stainless steel mudguards - these babies ar e pretty heavy but very strong.
Components include TA Cyclotourist triple with Phil Wood BB. TA road ped als, ALE gold anodized toeclips. Simplex SLJ triple FD, Huret Duopar Ti RD, Simplex Retrofriction DT shifters. Mafac gold anodized Competitions and levers with full hoods. GB "map of Britain" randonneur bars and GB B iba stem, Stronglight A9 HS. Matrix Titan rims on Bullseye hubs - the re d anodized hubs are a pretty good match for the frame. 32 x 700C Panarac er Paselas.
B&M Lumotec dynamo front light, but a battery light at the rear. The rea r racks current carry the beautiful Gilles Berthoud shopper panniers.
This bike was purchased from Martin Coopland, when he held the rights to th e Bates brand. I understand the rights have now passed back to Ray Ethert on, but I don't know if he has actually produced any since he regained the rights. I'm told Ron Cooper is now retired, so Ray would have to find an other framebuilder. Anyone know what Ray's plans are? It's been sugge sted to me offlist that very few of these new Bates were ever actually made , far fewer than I had believed, even combining those produced under Ethert on and Coopland. Anyone know the actual number?
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA