An Ernie Clements, could it be?

It was my late stepfather-in-Law's, from way back in the '50s and is pretty much all original but I don't know what it is. I'm sure he told me once it was built by Ernie Clements but I just can't quite remember. Anyone fancy a guess?

Seat stays wrap around the top of the seat tube.


The lug at the head tube:

Well, I've been diddling on with this over the winter and it's beginning to reveal its secrets....
We have a frame number - 2264


Under the silver topcoat and the red primer it seems this bike was originally purple with some yellow or gold Rennie MacIntosh - inspired lining...





Unfortunately, for all that, no maker's name has come to light. Any ideas?

Digging a little deeper, some nice details are revealed...






More posts to follow, for sure!
Any thoughts welcomed.

Can't help really with an ID, maybe as you say an Ernie Clements. Maybe an Ercal model but I don't think I have ever seen one with that top tube seat tube/stay join.
Whatever it may be it looks like a really nicely finished frame.
Will you redo it purple with the yellow box lining?

Jamie

Re:

Hi Jamie, I think I'd like to do that. Any tips on the lining?

Depends who you get to paint it but the usual shops still do it, Jacksons, Mercian and I have seen a couple of really lovely frames box lined by Ellis Briggs.
On this site you could do a lot worse than talk to James at No Quarter paintshop. He does some great paintwork and the lug liner he has working for him is very good judging purely by his work. No Quarter is on here somewhere. I have no affiliation with any of the above either, purely names based on what I have seen. Sure there are others out there and I have also seen some lug work from highly recommended painters that I would prefer not to have seen.
There is a great video of Jack Taylor box lining a frame on youtube. Its a section of the film Bicycle Brothers if I remember right.

Jamie

Looks early Carlton to me with that seat stay arrangement ..... Looks like an early 60's frame..,

Damn fine frame whoever made it

If you want it box lining then maybe Ellis Briggs might have someone who can step back in time...

Lovely

There is a great video of Jack Taylor box lining a frame on youtube

Click to expand...

Just had a watch of that, superb!
Pretty sure it isn't a Carlton btw. but from the frame number it's clearly a pretty small-scale producer.

Hi Neal,

A picture of the head lugs and fork crown would help.
I assume you looked here already... http://veterancycleclublibrary.org.uk/l ... brary).pdf

The fork ends are definitely a match, some frames in the catalogue show the same kind of box lining as well as yours. And the chainset matches as well.

It looks like a Ernie Clements to me, the only catalogue I can find is 1949.

On classic lightweights
An Ernie Clements Serial Number A596; built 1948
an Ercal: Ernie Clements,1953; Frame No. 6268

All the best with id-ing it, very nice to have a bike like that from your father!

A head tube lug - I'll get a front-on pic for you sometime...


And here's the fork crown lug....

Here's the head tube, sorry it isn't very sharp!


There is a capital P stamped on the BB nearside and an RGF logo on the top iof the BB shell, on the nearside.