Hello all,
Just to roil the mud a bit more regarding Sid Barras' bikes....I worked with him extensively from his early days with his team TEESIDE CYCLONES,,,then he turned pro at a very early age.He had been called in as a reserve for the MILK RACE and got to ride...winning a stage. When he rode for BANTEL with Danny Horton, Reggie Smith and Hugh Porter, he asked me to make him a frame,,but I had to clear it with Porter as his name would be on it...Hugh's only concern was who would be paying for it...it was a gift.and so he rode on that frame for quite some time. When Sid went to RALEIGH on the Continent under Peter Post, he asked me again to make him a frame in the team colours,,,but I had to stamp Jan Le Grand in the bottom bracket to appease Post....Dave ( forgot his surname) and Phil Bayton had frames made by Harry Quinn. ( badged Raleigh). When Sid retired from serious racing ( he still wins at 62 years old by the way ) ,,he took over Wes Mason's shop in Harrogate Yorkshire and I produced quite a number of SID BARRAS frames for his retail shop. He inherited a farm with his wife Linda and they converted barns for bed and breakfast. I lost contact with Sid over the years since I emigrated to Arizona but see him at least once a year on the local Bash...he now rides a very nice Carbon rig. There were some good builders at Falcon and the frames the team rode were probably true to the name...but no-body knows these things,,,too much intrigue . In those days, there were many, many frame builders who were all about as good as each other and perhaps all could claim that this Pro or that Pro rode on one of their bikes but with different decals....I could probably list about 20 riders in Britain or on the Continent riding at that time on my bikes...Carbon...massed produced stuff has altered everything.....for the worst I think.
Colin Laing, enjoying being retired from bikes....Arizona..U.S.A