paul milnes bikes??? Info *just arrived*

i've just won a racer on ebay. It's a Paul Milnes Litage frame. Can anybody tell me anything about this frame builder. Good quality? Its also an aluminum frame, never had one, are they any good?

They specialise in cyclocross bikes these days and, I think, in the past too. Paul Milnes is still a working shop in Bradford - google to find them. Decent quality I think, but not sure if they are handbuilt on site - maybe re-badged factory stuff, but are certainly decent 'cross bikes anyway.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0373690700

Litage frames were made in Japan and usually sold under the Sakae brand - whether or not Sakae actually made them or had them built by a subcontractor, I've no idea. Here's a shiny one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grbiking/s ... 259254635/

and another:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/heavymetal/3298785369/

and another:

http://si6.mtb-news.de/fotos/data/4179/4913ssr1.jpg

and from closer to home, here's a catalogue page about the off-road version:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=62554

I haven't ridden one, and I don't know how they compare to the similar Alans and Vituses of the same era.

Great price for a nice bike. Having to get to Barnstable obviously put people off.

yup thats the bike, it does look like a good deal eh? its a bout a 5 hour round trip for me to pick up but it looks worth it. I'll put more pics up when i pick it up.

that Sakae is stunning! very excited now.

I got this really good Argos renovated Koga Miyata from Clevedon, only a 4 hour round trip. Ok it was £200 but fantastic value.

That argos is a bargain, good find!

My crosser is an aluminum Pail Milne bike. The quality is superb - extremely nice welds, terrific balance of acceleration and comfort, first rate components - Campag Mirage powertrain! The guy I bought the bike from was an ultra hardcore roadie with a garage full of bikes and first rate wrench skills, so I expect they've earned a good reputation for road bikes too.

Paul was a pretty good 1st category road racer in the 70's and opened his shop in the early 80's if not before. He never built his own frames but had them made for him, a lot were sourced from the continent and were decent quality. He still brands frames with his own name and has carbon and alloy ones in his range. Good shop to visit and also has an e-bay shop.

I picked it up today!

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=512067#512067