[CR] Holdsworth Frame?

(Example: Racing:Roger de Vlaeminck)

Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 14:34:24 -0700
From: "Paul Bailey" <live1poem@gmail.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR] Holdsworth Frame?


Hi listers, This is my first entry on this list. I hope I make my entry without too many faux pas. I have read many posts to the list and I am look forward to many entertaining and informative interactions with you listers. Please pardon the lengthy post. Maybe I try to do too much at once.

Rules and courtesy suggest I introduce myself. My name is Paul. I am a 53 yr old craftsman from Northern California who likes to build bikes. So far my activities have included mostly building mtn bikes. Naturally, these have tended to be younger bikes by standards set here. But, in the interest of obscurity, they have been unusual in one way or many, ie: magnesium tubing, early attempts at suspension or use of new materials and designs. Many of these industry efforts will unlikely become classic designs that will be looked back upon 20-40 years hence and remembered as warmly as, say, chromed sloping fork crowns. More like, "it was an interesting idea, but was soon eclipsed by monocoque lay-up techniques or by hydro-forming". Oh, well...that's why I could afford to build them - the market doesn't recognize all our values, does it?

Several years ago, I rebuilt one road bike of the very early 80's, a handsome Bertoni. Pretty much a dis-assembly - clean - lube - re-assembly job with new cables, bar wrap and saddle. Nothing too demanding or fundamental, but fun and very satisfying.

*Now*, however, I'm in another kettle of fish and am held up by a rather big question. My next project has been waiting for me to decide what it is, exactly, that I have.

I bought a frame & fork on ebay two years ago. Sold as a Holdsworth, it had a nasty silver rattle can finish. I wanted to build a single speed out of a classic road bike and "Holdsworth" sounded suitably "Brittish". What did I know? Diddly. I think I am lucky that the frame appears straight, the fork too, and it's original as the SNs match frame to fork.

After 2 years of speculation and research, I have tentatively resolved that this frame is most likely an 81 Holdsworth Professional.

Here are pics of the frame details I thought would be definitive:

http://s563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/live1poen/Holdsworth%20Professional%20Frame%20Details/

Why I believe it's a Holdsworth pro:
> It had braze-ons appropriate to this general era, to wit, no lever bosses, but, a wedge on the dt for clamp-on shifter levers, 3 brake cable guides on the top tube, derailleur cable guides on either side of the bb and a chainstay housing stop. These last, I rashly ground off. Eventually, I came to appreciate the classic origins of this frame and have reversed my decision to ss it and wish to do a lite restoration to more or less original. I'll have these bits brazed on again.
> Prugnat "long point" type S lugs, un-modified, chromed, or cut-out
> Reynolds 531 stamped on the steerer
> Campy 1010B drop outs - chromed but flaking
> Chromed drive side chainstay
> OLD = 100 / 120mm
> Non-sloping fork crown
> Keyed seat pin clamp bolt Details that seem to contradict my i.d.: < The seat stays are not the older traditional Holdsworth wrap-around type. < Fork appears to have been entirely chromed ? X I can't speak to the geometry, not sure how to measure...

*****Most of the information below, I have gathered from Norman Kilgariff's voluminous pages and I am indebted to him and other contributors to his pages.
> While traditionally, Holdsworth used cut-out lugs on the Professional models, in 81, Holdsworth reserved the cut out lugs for the Pro SL and Classic models. The standard Professional seemed to have the standard long point lugs - like mine.
> According to the catalogs, few Holdsworth frames came with the 1010B drop-outs. The Pro, Pro SL, Classic, and Competition (others?).
> Competition was 83 and later and had lever bosses on the dt.

As I said, I have "tentatively resolved" the year and model, but I am far from categorically convinced. Please, if anyone knows about Holdsworths, especially of this era, any feedback would be much appreciated. Maybe there's a Brit, or other "Worthy" aficionado who could weigh in on this question.

As a matter of curiosity; Is there a name for this style seat stay detail at the post clamp? Is the fork crown a Prugnat bit?

I will paint this frame appropriately once I am certain of it's model and year. Frankly, I am rather partial to pearl white - it just so happens that it's the only color choice for an 81 Pro. Lucky, then, if that's what I have. If it aint what I have, I'm going to have to change my design ideas....

Thanks in advance for any help.

Paul E Bailey
Richmond, CA, USA