1953 Ellis Briggs Superbe

Well this lovely Hercules got moved on a few weeks ago

( viewtopic.php?f=23&t=358361&hilit=Hercules&start=10 )

So I've been looking another mini project and spotted an Ellis Briggs on eBay. It was too small for me and out at Southend, so I posted it in the eBay watch section on here but it went unsold. Next day out of the blue my wife suggested a trip to Southend...

So sucker that I am I now present:

Frame: 1953 Ellis Briggs Superbe 22" seat tube, 22" top tube; angles 72º x 72º. Frame #2672.

Wheels: Weinmann alloy 27” x 1 1/4 rims with F.B. (Fratelli Brivio) small-flange Hubs. Rear is 5 speed/fixed flip-flop. Rusty welded spokes.

Chainset: Williams double crankset with 46/49 double rings (dated code=1954)

BB: Bayliss Wiley

Pedals: rusty Lyotard Marcel Bertel

Gears: Simplex Tour de France rear, Simplex rod-changer front . Simplex braze-on shifter. All working surprisingly well.

Brakes: GB Hiduminium calipers / GB Super Hood levers with adjusters.

Stem/Bars: GB stem . Unknown alloy bars

Saddle: Brooks Champion Swallow (older version?)

Headset: Brampton Alatat

Mudguards: Bluemels Club Special


I emailed Ellis Briggs the frame number and they kindly sent me a scan of the original order. It turns out it was ordered for/via a Southend bike shop J Browning and Daughter which amazingly is still at the same address. The eBay seller had bought of someone locally who ridden it for "40-odd years and the hung it in the garage about 10 years ago."

There's a fair amount of surface rust on the frame but hopefully nothing horrific is lurking under the gold. Oh, and the stem is stuck...


...more pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Pq7XOXDJj6kVInP52

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Good news: the nice people at Ellis Briggs sent me a scan of the original order form.

Bad news: rust under the flaking respray...not sure what to do about that...

I think the frame deserves a rub down and respray, pain that it is, it would do this great old bike justice.

Very nice indeed

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What a wonderful find.

If the paint's not original, I would definitely have a good respray done.

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Paint is a fairly well done rattle can number. The frame was originally gun metal grey with red head tube, seat band, lugs lining and double box lining. Must've looked stunning. Unfortunately my budget will only stretch to one colour. E.B. have quoted around 160 for paint and decals fitted. I've emailed Mario vaz and a couple of others too.

I'd love to go all out but the frame is too small for me so I can't really spend money I won't be able to recoup.

I also plan to put the current parts back on so I'll need to think of a colour that will look good with some of the more patina-heavy/rusty bits...

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That's a good price including decals.

£160 is a very acceptable price for the work to be carried out. In my view.

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Yeah, seems a fair price. They've been very good to deal with so far - friendly and prompt.

I'll have plenty of time to mull over colour options whilst trying to get the stem to budge and the seatpost out! Not sure what going on with the seatpost it shifted fine for the first cm and now just twists send worrying steel filings out by the clamp without coming out any further...

This is lovely.