1982 Wester Ross

Hi there,

I bought this frameset off a friend in September. He had it custom made for him back in 1982. When I bought it, it had non-original red paint and was showing many signs of wear (surface rust and scratching.) It is #239 out of 477 Wester Ross frames ever made. Knowing its rarity and quality, I decided to keep it, not knowing exactly what I'd do with it.

After a month of pondering, I decided to make it into a Retro/Modern build. I took it down to Paul Hewitts to see what they could do with it. They told me, because it was 531 tubing, they could widen the rear end to accept modern 130mm axles very easily. They did this, then it was off to get painted!!

When I was younger, I had a Holdsworth resprayed in a metallic dark green colour which I loved. It was very eye catching in a subtle way! After looking at the samples, I found the closest match and made my decision! I had tracked down original Wester Ross decals and period correct 531 frame and fork stickers. These were going to be lacquered on in the paint shop.

A month later, the frame arrived back in my hands! It was beautiful! The colour was much better than I remembered! Now all I had to do was find the right parts!

I had a brand new pair of Shimano wheels and various other bits and pieces around the garage to get the build started. The groupset and cables were the only things I had to buy. I spotted an Ultegra SL groupset on ebay, for the right price and had to buy it! The grey components match the green really well I find! I stumbled apon the chrome cables by accident really, but they looked as though they would complement the frame colour very nicely.

I pieced it all together, and I am very pleased with the result! I have kept the beautifully crafted frame, but get to use bang up to date components! The best of both worlds I think!

Frame: 1982 Wester Ross 531.

Fork: Original 1982 Wester Ross 531.

Headset: Campagnolo 1" Threaded
Stem: Specialized 1 1/8" Ahead with Deda Quill Adapter.
Handlebar: Easton EA50.
Bar Tape: Deda Black Carbon effect.

Brake Calipers: Shimano 6600 Ultegra SL.
Brake Pads: Shimano.
Brake Cables: BBB Stopline Chrome.

Shifters: Shimano 6600 Ultegra SL.
Front Derailleur: Shimano 6600 Ultegra SL.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano 6600 Ultegra SL.
Derailleur Cables: BBB Shiftline Chrome.
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 6600 12-23.
Chain: Shimano 105 10 speed.
Cranks: Shimano 6600 Ultegra SL.
Chainrings: Shimano 6600 Ultegra SL.
Bottom Bracket: Shimano 7800 Dura Ace.
Pedals: Shimano 5700 105.

Wheels: Shimano RS20.
Tyres: Continental GP Triathlon 700x23c.

Saddle: Selle San Marco Rolls 06
Seatpost: Easton EA70.[/img]

Photos don't really do it justice. Enjoy!

More pictures:

I'm liking that indeed!

Nice looking bike ... Like the green offset with black components.
Angles look good, like the fork sweep

will be embarking on my own retro modern shortly

Nice shade of Green, I like it.

Didn't the guy who built them live on a farm somewhere near Whitby?

Thank you for the admiring comments.

There was two frame builders at Wester Ross, John Connell and Fergus Forsyth. John's frames were stamped JSC and Fergus' frames were stamped FGF on the bottom bracket. My frame was made by Fergus.

There is lots of interesting information regarding the frames here: http://www.bikebrothers.co.uk/wrcycles.htm

This website creator wants to try and build a register of all the Wester Ross frames still around!

Regards!

very nice , glorious colour

That looks like a very very nice bike indeed

I just love the pant finish/colour.