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Holdsworth Frame Numbers

Old 03-26-20, 07:41 AM
  #126  
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We'll have to wait until it comes back from the framebuilder 100 miles from me to answer some of your questions. It was actually ordered by a friend in England who sent me the 72 catalog and order form - all snail mail as international phone calls were expensive and no email. I don't know anything about how he did the ordering. It was likely ordered ~March 1973 after some back-and-forth correspondence with my friend and it arrived ~October because I immediately started riding it to school. It was probably made closer to March but sat awaiting parts because of the Campag strike.

My frameset is essentially a Professional with the fastback stays and custom paint. I believe the Super Mistral Fastback was Holdsworth's most expensive offering at the time. Professionals could be bought off the rack at the time. Unlike the Chrono as described above, it has no cutouts, horizontal rear dropouts, and came with a Record road headset.

The braze-ons (top tube brake cable, shifter bosses, and BB cable guides) shown in the above picture were added ~1990 before a repaint. It originally came with Campag clips. The TT and BB braze-ons have largely rusted away and are the primary reason for the current restoration.

Last edited by sced; 03-26-20 at 08:00 AM.
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Old 03-26-20, 07:57 AM
  #127  
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Thanks

PS: I had sent a PM that must have crossed path of your last message.

Last edited by allend; 03-26-20 at 08:53 AM.
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Old 08-04-20, 07:15 PM
  #128  
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I've been reading all the threads about holdsworths and related brands. I'm restoring a Roy Thame at the moment with serial number 31281. I think it's a late 70s or even as late as 1981, as it came as a bike with Campy NR cranks with 81 date code and NR brakes. Sure these could have been added after. I actually thought 1981 might be a bit late as the frame has 124mm rear spacing and for standard reach nutted brakes, and 1010A dropouts, but does have the later campy braze-ons e.g. shifter bosses and cable guides. Anyway I'm none the wiser on Putney shop numbering post 1975. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Old 08-04-20, 09:57 PM
  #129  
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My late '72 (SN 37417) Professional.

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Old 08-05-20, 08:07 AM
  #130  
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Originally Posted by allend
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Wonder re the serial number 69559 as there is another frame (Cronometro Ultralite) with same number on Holdsworth serial list I link to above. Is your number correct as I notice you do give the number as 69669 on your opening post of the "Show Your Holdsworth Here" thread from several years ago?
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...orth-here.html

Are the numbers on BB oriented as in pic? This position of numbers is characteristic of Reg Collard frames.

Bike back from repairs and paint with its original 1973 paint scheme which it hasn't worn since 1977. The paint and chrome were totally trashed after I toured a rainy Europe on it that year over summer break at university. I subsequently rattle-canned it 4 times in different colors over the years. This pic was taken as my lifelong friend and fellow cyclist Bob first set off from a friend's home in Burgess Hill near Brighton. He was riding a Proteus criterium bike which he had also modified for the trip.


Below are pics of the latest (professional redo) with serial numbers. I had the fellow that did the work (Nate Zukas in Augusta GA) spray shiny silver where the original chrome was.



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Old 08-05-20, 08:22 AM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by sced
Bike back from repairs and paint with its original 1973 paint scheme which it hasn't worn since 1977. The paint and chrome were totally trashed after I toured a rainy Europe on it that year over summer break at university. I subsequently rattle-canned it 4 times in different colors over the years. This pic was taken as my lifelong friend and fellow cyclist Bob first set off from a friend's home in Burgess Hill near Brighton. He was riding a Proteus criterium bike which he had also modified for the trip.


Below are pics of the latest (professional redo) with serial numbers. I had the fellow that did the work (Nate Zukas in Augusta GA) spray shiny silver where the original chrome was.



That looks like a Tommy Quick build.
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Old 08-05-20, 09:55 AM
  #132  
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sced,

I agree with Wileyone number along BB edge is typical of TJ Quick's work who was the Putney Shop "specials" builder by 1973 - the year you remember frame being ordered in approx. March. (dwscrimshaw's serial prediction also predicts to early 1973.) Quick had taken over from Reg Collard on his retirement estimated to be a year or two before.

Thanks for pics clarifying that number is indeed 69559 as Dave has another shop frame with same number in his prediction data (no pic available of that serial). https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...UZYSTNKZkN4TmM

I believe typical of the "Cronometro" - a 5 speed TT Putney Shop model. Were under bracket cable guide(s) added later? A real beauty and great job on restoration!

Doug
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Old 08-05-20, 10:17 AM
  #133  
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PS: Interesting, come to think of it, I also spent 3 months of the 1973 University summer break cycle touring England, Wales and Europe. During the winter, I had corresponded with the owner of Robert's Rebuilds in London's Crouch End - who put together a touring bike built to my specs from a 2nd hand Holdsworth frame. It was nicely repainted and had state of the art touring kit for the time, but wasn't until several years later that I learned it was the Holdsworh factory's most "economical" frame - a 1965 "Typhoon". It likewise has gone through numerous itterations and has crossed the Atlantic 5 times. I love that bike.

Doug
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Old 08-05-20, 10:22 AM
  #134  
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Originally, the only braze-on was a RD cable guide atop the right chain stay, and the stop which you can still see on the bottom of the downtube for the single Campy RD lever clamp. All the clamps were Campag. which eventually got rusty and dug into the paint anyway. The restorer replaced the BB and toptube cable guides which a frame builder add ~1990 because they too had rotted. The frame also needed other repairs.
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Old 08-05-20, 10:24 AM
  #135  
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Originally Posted by allend
sced,

PS: Interesting, come to think of it, I also spent 3 months of the 1973 University summer break cycle touring England, Wales and Europe. During the winter, I had corresponded with the owner of Robert's Rebuilds in London's Crouch End - who put together a touring bike built to my specs from a 2nd hand Holdsworth frame. It was nicely repainted and had state of the art touring kit for the time, but wasn't until several years later that I learned it was the Holdsworh factory's most "economical" frame - a 1965 "Typhoon". It likewise has gone through numerous itterations and has crossed the Atlantic 5 times. I love that bike.

Doug
And we're still at it!
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Old 08-05-20, 10:31 AM
  #136  
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Originally Posted by allend
sced,

I agree with Wileyone number along BB edge is typical of TJ Quick's work who was the Putney Shop "specials" builder by 1973 - the year you remember frame being ordered in approx. March. (dwscrimshaw's serial prediction also predicts to early 1973.) Quick had taken over from Reg Collard on his retirement estimated to be a year or two before.

Thanks for pics clarifying that number is indeed 69559 as Dave has another shop frame with same number in his prediction data (no pic available of that serial). https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...UZYSTNKZkN4TmM

I believe typical of the "Cronometro" - a 5 speed TT Putney Shop model. Were under bracket cable guide(s) added later? A real beauty and great job on restoration!

Doug
Hi Doug, do you have any idea when Quick started at Holdsworth?
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Old 08-05-20, 08:32 PM
  #137  
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Wileyone,

Seems to be sparse details of Tommy Quick's frame buildng career and no doubt you have seen the following already:

There is an article on Classic Lightweights, a thread on Retrobike with some info and a letter by Kilgariff mentioning shop builders in early 60's. Piecing this info together TJQ would likely be in his nineties by now although I have no idea if he is still with us. From article discussion looks like he must have started his frame building career at Holdsworth sometime in 40's. "He built his first frame in the garden shed, took it to Holdsworths and asked them to check it over and they offered him a job as a frame builder so that was where he started."

There is evidence that he opened his own shop by at least early 50's. He is described as building frames "for the trade" as at Roy Thame's Putney WF Holdsworth shop becoming the shop "specials" builder by early 70's according to Kilgariff.

T J Quick cycles
Need some help/ info on TJ Quick frame, please | Retrobike
True Adventures of the Retro Grupetto: Holdsworth Italia

Last edited by allend; 08-05-20 at 08:35 PM.
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Old 09-14-20, 11:39 AM
  #138  
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#69559 now back on the road
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