Bonavia 531 frame and forks 58cm (SOLD)

Hi All

Just testing the water again with this one, 531 wrap over stays, tight angles, cable guides under the top tube, Campagnolo dropouts on forks and pretty sure on frame too, 27.2 seatpost, English BB, quite fancy lugs, non recessed brake fitting, overall a very nice frame, I received this frame stripped of paint and have painted it my self, but it could do with a more permanent paint job.

Comes with a Tange falcon headset and Miche seat bolt, can add a nice Aero post for an extra £10

£100 posted UK only

Here is a picture of the full bike and a picture of the original paint job, more pictures on request.

Cheers for looking

Mark

Re: Bonavia 531 frame and forks 58cm (edited)

Now that's a classy looking frame Geometry looks like it will have a lively and snappy ride

Tempted

Shaun

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Please do Shaun you won't be disappointed it is a lovely frame

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Seems to be a little bit of interest in this, but I know money may be tight just after Christmas, so can offer swaps PX on..

Brooks Ti saddle
Brooks Cambium saddle
All sorts of mountain bike gear
Also I would be interested in a 22"ish lower end touring bike frame/bike 531 main tubes, 501, et al, would like cantilever mounts but center-pulls would do :?: :?: :?: :?:

Feel free to PM me with any offers or thoughts

Cheers

Mark

Re: Bonavia 531 frame and forks 58cm (edited)

The more I look the nicer it gets. I'll let the sale run and if its still available on Feb the 1st, when hopefully I will have completed my "dry" month, I will buy it as a treat to myself.

Shaun

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I will keep my fingers crossed that you complete your 'dry' month then, are you getting sponsored :?:

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Sold to Mr Midlife

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Hi Mark,

If it is still available! I would be interested and I am Clive Bonavia's birth son (adopted). I keep missing his frames/bikes. Just want one to ride for sentimental reasons really.

Did he make it for you or did you build it at one of his classes?

Pete

Hi Mark,

Where would you like me to begin! I met Clive in February 2011 when I was 48 and he was 69. I was adopted along with my twin brother at birth. He had not had any children and his wife had recently died.

Clive was from a well connected Noble Maltese family on his father's side and from London hoteliers on his Mother's side, so great things were expected of him and he duly took up a posting with the Civil Service in Whitehall. This wasn't for Clive and he left to work with his hands and started a bespoke joinery business in London. His frame making started in the 1970's as he was a keen cyclist and this escalated into making frames and kitting them for some serious amateur and semi-professional riders.

This continued throughout the 80's and 90's always from Reynolds 531 tubing. Precision was his mantra and he was approached by Raleigh to design their top spec frames. However, he declined and preferred to hand build himself. During the late 80's he would run a bike building night on Tuesdays from his house in Walton on Thames. Many people attended and many fell in love with cycling and some even went on to continue his frame building heritage.

His business, Bonavia Cycles, is now run by one of his students, Ross Allan and is now based I Vancouver.

I knew Clive for exactly 3 years visiting him regularly at his house and found him to be a fascinating, gentle man with an insatiable appetite for information. He had two bike at his house, but sadly he was too poorly to ride them. Were going to build me a bike when he go better, but that was never to happen, so he offered me one of his bikes so I could ride in L'eroica Britannia. However these seemed to get locked up in his estate when he died and it seems less likely that I will ever see one. Long story......

Hence the search on the internet, but I am just too late! During my searches I found an article that referred to his frames as "Bike Porn" He would just have loved that!

I have attached some photos of him in his prime, one with me when I first met him and one with one of his bikes with Ross Allan who carried on the business.

Hi. I think I'd have to be pretty heartless to turn my back on this, if Mark is hgappy to post it to you and you are happy to reimburse me then I don't see a problem with title.

Shaun