[CR]Frame identification (old, British)

(Example: Framebuilders:Chris Pauley)

Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:36:44 +0100
From: "Roger" <dabs@peeble.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Frame identification (old, British)

Hello everyone, first post.

This is the frame I bought last week to run with a Sturmey 3-speed gear.

It's probably British, of unknown age (guess 1930s or 1940s) and unknown tubing, concealed under a really bad powdercoat job at the moment. A lot of care has gone into the construction, with perfectly mitred tubes inside the BB and pinned joints. It has a 21.5" seat tube and a really long top tube - about 23.5", so needs a short stem to fit me (very average-sized). This makes me think it may have been a custom job for someone with a long torso.

It is very light - the bare frame is only 4lb 2ozs on accurate scales. However, it takes a 26.8mm seatpost, which would seem to rule out 531DB. Maybe it has a p/g seat tube and uses 531DB elsewhere - I don't think anything else was so light until 753 came along.

The lugs are spearpoint, with a very odd double-lugged BB, and the frame number on the BB is just a 3-digit number (855).

Any ideas?

http://www.peeble.com/fram1.jpg http://www.peeble.com/fram2.jpg http://www.peeble.com/fram3.jpg http://www.peeble.com/fram4.jpg http://www.peeble.com/fram5.jpg

It deserves some decent paint and it would be nice to get the right transfers for it, if it can be identified.

Roger Cantwell, Swindon, UK