I am grateful to Peter Jourdain for bringing this to my notice, off-List and to Crumpy for putting on the List.
I know this frame well, and have just been a little circumspect about what is going on with this it. It came up for auction earlier this year, when the seller, who was the cyclist I built the frame for, some where in the early 90s, decided that he no longer needs a "lively and fast" touring frame, as gets longer in the teeth. The new seller lives in South Yorkshire about 120 miles from where the original guy still lives, BUT..I had seen the same frame advertised, only a few weeks ago, for sale on a CTC (Cyclist Touring Club) web-site at an address in Bristol some 150/180 miles to the south west. I had begun to wonder whether there was some form of a scam going on.
I have tried to correspond with the seller vis my elder son..but he has appeared to be very reluctant to say anything. he will not provide a telephone number and will not reply on my phone. He refuses to send the frame to the States, although it has been pointed out that the process is just the same as for selling in the UK except the shipper I use actually coollects the parcel from my home.
He has just told me that he bought the frame fairly recently from someone who says that he was the original owner...therefore its possible that he bought it via the ebay auction earlier this year. He is selling it to finance the restoration of a Pennine tandem, a process that would not be cheap.
The story of the frame when new is that a keen club cyclist from the Blackburn CTC, about 30 miles from Settle, ordered a touring frame. Once delivered and built up he decided that he did not like it because it was not lively enough..just a bit too much like..a touring bike. So I agreed to build him a fast ie light touring frame..and then sold the original frame to a girl who wanted just such a frame.
The New frame is based on the very British style of having a multi-purpose frame...one this is lively for smooth and fast day rides around the countryside without luggage, but which has the facility to have a lightweight pannier rack bolted on the back when needs be...or, with the mudguards removed, it will serve well as a time-trial bike to contest the monthly Club 10 and 25 mile interclub races. Such frames rely on a wheelbase of around 40 to 41 inches..perhaps 39 on a smaller frame. Angles will, on average be 73//, although the seat tube might be slightly steeper on smaller frames Fork rakes will be shallower than for a specialist touring frame..and with a different curve for the rake itself.
The frame on ebay is just such a frame. To keep the frame relatively light with its Reynolds 531DB all-purpose tubing tubing, the lugs are very light short-point specials I bought in from Prugnat- ones that formed the basis of their Victory range..the fork-crown is a special light Haden one, I think. Both the fork crown and the short-fluted top-eyes are engraved with the Bespoke crest. The fact that the forks have the Aces internal reinforcement tangs indicates the buyer's wish to have something more sporty than touristy. I would guess that the rear drop-outs are Campagnolo verticals or perhaps some other such as Tecnociclo or Shimano or possibly even Gipiemme.. I suppose that it could be described as a sportif or audax type frame certainly not a randonneur.
The original owner told me just as he was selling it that he had just had it re-enamelled to match the original finish...so the £100 starting price seems to be a bargain, as it's less than the cost of the spray-job. If there is anyone on the List who is genuinely interested in the frame and buys it, I would be willing to have it sent up to me, so that I could check it over, tracking. alignment etc to ensure that there are no problems..ie it does not look to have had a bump etc...then I would send it on at trade cost..beteween £50 and £70 I reckon.
The odd thing that the customers who bought this type of bike off me had in common was they did not want anything in any way ostentatious..ie no panels, lug-lining etc. I have just checked over my file of photos and found quite a lot of frames of this type...all single-spray job colours. One or two, particlarly those who selected Rosso for the enamel..might just splash out on a little chrome her and there...a chainstay or drop-outs or perhaps the fork crown. But there again the vast majority of these frames went to customers living within a 100 mile radius of my workshop..and most were typical northern folk, according to whose families' mores it does not bode well to " be seen flashing the cash..and acting above your station in life." Many of them too would never ride their bikes wearing any form of Pro team cycle clothing, nor would their clubs accept any form of trade sponsorship - true amateurs to the core.
Norris Lockley
Settle UK