Originally Posted by
Wildwood
I prefer my Falcon over an ‘84 Pinarello Super Record, Holdsworth Special and some others I own. I think having a complete 531 tubeset is the difference. Rides almost as nicely as an SLX Merckx CorsaExtra. Many of my bikes are parts bin builds, so impossible to determine Falcon’s relative value. But it is certainly a lesser value marquee.
Within my group of bikes - it is the Sleeper.
531c frameset, Campa ders/shifters, Nervar crank, Modolo brakes & levers, Campa hubs with GP4 rims wearing Veloflex 25s.
Those graphics were introduced in late 1987, when Falcon attempted a short lived return to the American (and Canadian) market. I vividly remember it for three reasons. First, they mounted what I thought was a very clever "The Empire Strikes Back" advertising campaign. Second, the canted head tube decals, in their original, larger version, often gave the illusion that the forks were bent. Third, a rider I coached that had the Sterling model with a 531C frame and Shimano Santé. There was also a Competitor model with Reynolds 501 and Shimano New 105. The new models only seemed to be available for a couple of years, with the marque again disappearing from the American market circa 1990.