Here are some photos of my 1950 RO Harrison, which I have just retrieved from my loft. I bought the frame in 1965, with scuffed and scratched paintwork, but otherwise very sound. It was built with Reynolds 531 double butted throughout, and has a 73 degree head angle and 72 seat angle – it is a 23 inch frame (BB centre to seat tube top). The angles indicate that it could be a Meteor time trial frame, although a 1949 brochure and 1955 advert lists the Meteor as being built for fixed wheel. Mine, however has braze-on cable stops on the drive side chain stay, and at the bottom of the down tube, for a rear derailleur. Also, it has a 120mm rear drop-out spacing and, as the chain stays and seat stays are perfectly straight it is clear the rear drop outs hadn’t been widened before I got the frame. Given the nature of RO Harrison’s bespoke business it could be a Meteor frame built for use with a derailleur at the customer’s request. The lugs are very similar to those on a 1950 ROH track frame seen on the Hilary Stone website, and the fork crown is identical. Also, I have noticed a flat on the bottom bracket shell for the drilling and fitting of an oiler or grease nipple. If anyone could more positively identify the lugs, or give any other info, I would be very grateful.
It is interesting comparing my frame’s number with other ROHs found online:
1949 Shortwin 1192578 Nov 1949 2578
1951 Lyta 113266 Jan 1951 3266
1951 Madison 213337 Feb 1951 3337
Mine: 502964 May 1950 2964
The original colour was red, and the RO Harrison lettering on the down tube was in block capitals. Just after I bought the frame, my dad and I set about repainting the frame with ICI Brushing Belco cellulose. My dad showed me how to rub down, prepare and prime the Harrison, with my dad applying the top coat. In the 1970s the frame was repainted with Duplicolor ‘rattle cans’, after stripping to bare metal and priming, with Austin-Morris Rivierra Blue.
In1983 the frame was again refinished, this time in British Leyland British Racing Green ‘rattle can’. It was the nearest colour I could find to Great Western Railway locomotive green. I even went as far as applying seat tube rings of black and orange to the same dimensions as the lining on GWR locomotives! This is the colour that the frame is in at present, with the accumulated grime of 20 years in the loft! I always used plenty of grease in the bottom bracket, headset, seat tube and head tube, and this has kept water, and rust at bay. So there is no rust inside the tubes, just loads of congealed grease!
I found the badge in a drawer – I had started to restore the badge years ago as most of the original paint had come off. Fortunately, I had made a note of the colours at the time – ROH is infilled with Navy Blue, and there is red detailing.
I shall probably follow tradition by renovating the frame myself with ‘rattle cans’. As a 17 year old I wasn’t keen on red paintwork, although 50 years later it is a favourite colour for a bike, and I may well match the original (some remains inside the head tube) to the nearest RAL colour. In my loft I have quite a bit of bike equipment gathered from over the years, and will probably re-build the bike similar to as it was in the 1970s
This frame has lots of great memories for me, having raced on it in the 60s and early 70s, ridden on youth hosteling tours it with (together with a Karrimor Dalesman black duck saddlebag, which I still have), and ridden many a pleasant leisure ride on it. The bike took me on many railway photography trips, too.
The next post shows a picture of the ROH being used by me in a time trial on the Bath Road in 1971.
It is interesting comparing my frame’s number with other ROHs found online:
1949 Shortwin 1192578 Nov 1949 2578
1951 Lyta 113266 Jan 1951 3266
1951 Madison 213337 Feb 1951 3337
Mine: 502964 May 1950 2964
The original colour was red, and the RO Harrison lettering on the down tube was in block capitals. Just after I bought the frame, my dad and I set about repainting the frame with ICI Brushing Belco cellulose. My dad showed me how to rub down, prepare and prime the Harrison, with my dad applying the top coat. In the 1970s the frame was repainted with Duplicolor ‘rattle cans’, after stripping to bare metal and priming, with Austin-Morris Rivierra Blue.
In1983 the frame was again refinished, this time in British Leyland British Racing Green ‘rattle can’. It was the nearest colour I could find to Great Western Railway locomotive green. I even went as far as applying seat tube rings of black and orange to the same dimensions as the lining on GWR locomotives! This is the colour that the frame is in at present, with the accumulated grime of 20 years in the loft! I always used plenty of grease in the bottom bracket, headset, seat tube and head tube, and this has kept water, and rust at bay. So there is no rust inside the tubes, just loads of congealed grease!
I found the badge in a drawer – I had started to restore the badge years ago as most of the original paint had come off. Fortunately, I had made a note of the colours at the time – ROH is infilled with Navy Blue, and there is red detailing.
I shall probably follow tradition by renovating the frame myself with ‘rattle cans’. As a 17 year old I wasn’t keen on red paintwork, although 50 years later it is a favourite colour for a bike, and I may well match the original (some remains inside the head tube) to the nearest RAL colour. In my loft I have quite a bit of bike equipment gathered from over the years, and will probably re-build the bike similar to as it was in the 1970s
This frame has lots of great memories for me, having raced on it in the 60s and early 70s, ridden on youth hosteling tours it with (together with a Karrimor Dalesman black duck saddlebag, which I still have), and ridden many a pleasant leisure ride on it. The bike took me on many railway photography trips, too.
The next post shows a picture of the ROH being used by me in a time trial on the Bath Road in 1971.
