what have I bought? a Denton??

Hi all

I don't know that much about bikes, but do a 50m round trip commute 2 or 3 times week and an annual london-amsterdam or similar. I have a perfectly adequate modern Tifosi, but for some reason I couldn't get the idea of a steel frame out of my head.

This came up, with all bew Tiagra bits here and there - I love it! Haven't had the Tifosi out since, done 3 or 400 miles.

Just wondered if anyone knows anything about the frame - can't find much on denton other than sometimes they used mercian frames. This purports to be a 653 frame. Hurrah! Whatever that means. Also any idea of the age of the frame?

Thanks for reading

Will

Aaah, happy memoroes of the eighties and nineties. Denton Cycles was based at the bottom of Westgate Road, Newcastle. I think they were a bona fide bespoke frame builder rather than a franchised retail chain?

This was one of the many shop windows I used to daydream through.....

Nice bike by the way. Steel rules!!!

While Mercian is the name that comes up most often in conjunction with Denton's (partially wishful thinking perhaps?), I've also heard that Kevin Winter, Dave Yates and Paul Donohue all supplied frames for them at various stages too. Can't personally vouch as to whether that's all true or not though.

FWIW, both of my Dave Yates frames (one badged M.Steel, the other Joe Waugh) both have frame numbers "MS xxx".

Denton cycles

the guy who knows about Denton Cycles is the legend that is Willie Thompson in Newcastle

A reet proper frame lad!

Denton did relocate to the top of Scotswood Road in Newcastle after the dual carriageway into the toon was built at the end of the Redehugh Bridge.

Always thought most of their stuff was custom built locally as suggested in another reply- Dave Yates, Paul Donohue, Denton only ever used top men to build. Can't guarantee it, but the "MS" is possibly a reference to M Steel Cycles in Gosforth, which was Dave Yates (and Joe Waugh), so if it's a frame they built..... just look at the current price of a Dave Yates custombuilt frame from his base in Lincolnshire!

It looks a lovely machine

franglais":18kb97dd said:

Can't guarantee it, but the "MS" is possibly a reference to M Steel Cycles in Gosforth, which was Dave Yates (and Joe Waugh), so if it's a frame they built

Click to expand...

It certainly is, but I'm not the original poster - I just mentioned that on the off-chance it helps identify his Denton as a Yates build..

Thanks all - I'm no further to identifying it as I can't find a frame number/code! Does have a Cinelli bottom bracket shell.

I do know I'm loving it more and more - I used it in a sprint triathlon on Friday, very windy but I had the opportunity to stick 2 fingers up at several carbon frame, funny handlebarred riders as I went past them....some even had something that looked like a dustbin lid cable ties to their wheels.....comedy!

On another note, my RSX STI's arrived today - anyone have any downtube bosses I could buy, don;t fancy paying £18 from wiggle for a couple of funny little things!

Will

Ahhhhhhh Denton Cycles on Westmoreland Road. My best mate Steve Connor had a British Racing Green Denton bike with white tyres with a Reynolds ??531 frame, he could lift the whole bike with his little finger. He also had a Motobecane Mirage which was a beautiful blue metallic and so did his mate David Sutherland, who rode his, head down, into the back of a double decker bus stationery in Wideopen poor sod. Steve’s love of his Denton got me into cycling, and my dad paid £128 which was quite a bit in 1979 for my beautiful metallic turquoise Peugeot Routier from Geoff at M Steele’s of Salter’s Road, Gosforth, many years before they relocated to the sites of Ken Hylton Motorspares and Igloo Frozen Foods at South Gosforth. Geoff was a dear soul who had, back in 1974, also sold my mam -God rest her- her Mobylette moped that she used for work as an x-ray secretary at the Freeman Hospital. I was 9 at the time and used to ride it in figures of 8 in our back garden at Barrasford Drive in Wideopen. PNL960M was her reg and after she grew tired of it, my mate Andy McConnell’s mam bought it. Not sure how much use she got out of it though because I don’t think she was in the best of health. Ahhhhhhh memories )))))))

Not Denton related but same area anybody got any suggestions on who built the frames for Hardisty ?

Me and my Dad made those decals for Colin at Dentons back in the day.