Stan Pike 531sl TT

My first post. I'm bumping this thread just to say thanks, because you may have solved a long-standing mystery for me: namely, who built the frame I've been riding for the past 28 years.

My serial number is the same format as yours, Omegastrada. It starts with a 'K', and ends with an 'R'. Five numbers in between. I'm assuming you've interpreted your number as meaning: 'The third frame built in 1980'. By the same system, I seem to have the thirteenth frame built in 1975, and from what I've heard, Stan wasn't building under his own name until about 1975, so possibly in one sense I've got the thirteenth 'Stan Pike', but thats O.K., I'm not superstitious about that! The question is, what do the 'K' and 'R' mean? Any ideas?

My frame is more 'road' than 'time-trial', I guess. Possibly a 'stock' frame built for nobody in particular. Probably 73deg. parallel, 23inch seat tube, 22.5 top tube, 16.25 stays, close-clearance... the sort of clearance that would put your brake blocks exactly half-way up the slot in the stirrup on the 'short reach' brakes of the day, about the same as yours. I cannot see from your photos, but suspect that the tops of your seatstays like mine come together as points over the top of the seat lug, not quite touching eachother, yes?

Mine has the long Campag. rear dropouts, 120mm between 'em, built for a 5-speed block. Originally a 65mm bracket shell, the threads were already fairly 'fatigued' when I bought this (at the time) nine-year-old frame out of the classifieds in 'Cycling' in 1984. Installing, neglecting, and, a few years later, uninstalling an alloy-cupped Stronglight bottom-bracket didn't help, and I eventually had to get the bracket shell replaced (twice, as it happens, once by someone who didn't care, and once by someone who did) when this frame was around 25 years old. For that reason I no longer have the serial number there, but the one on the steerer tube remains.

The only braze-ons are a pair of bottle-cage bosses on the downtube and a cable-stop for the rear derailleur underneath the right chainstay. The rear brake mounting hole is noticeably off-centre. whether by accident or design I don't know. It takes a track headset....came to me with a Super Record one and I'm still using it.

I will perhaps get some pics up of mine in the raw metal if anyone is interested...it needs some new paint. I'm pretty sure the original paint was gone before I got it.
 
Knew Stan well, as did many in Somerset. Yes Pete Wells and John Woodburn rode Stan's. In the case of John it normally had another name on it, wont say whose but from memory the initials were DF. John found Stan was the builder and then used to contact him direct when a new frame was in the offing. Similarly at that time a lot of the TdF riders used to come across and have his built to the same apparent look as the supplied and then finished the same. (Would not happen nowadays!)
Personally I helped Stan, 1st with Photography, and then building improvements to his workshop/shop. Helped him on Saturdays doing assembly; He preferred to have bikes for sale assembled in his shop from scratch whenever possible. Have a complete set of 35mm slides of him building a frame. nb He did not believe in jigs.
With regard to double/single. Yes you can use a double with a single ring and get your chainline right. Preferable to use track chainset bolts, but could use spacers as a last resort. nb. Forghet what a lot of people say re track hubs Campag, Shimano DA, etc were all 126mm, so fit a road frame fine.
Stan built me (1980ish)(with my help) one of his "specials", so no tubing manufacturers labels. It rides like a dream but have not done many miles on it so it is still as new, and as am now 71, unlikely to see much more. Silver, lined red and originally 125mmOLN. fitted out Campag NR etc. Have modded to 130mm, and 9sp Campag, but stll have all the older parts.
As regards numbers, you basically chose your own if the bike was your spec. (most were) So mine is TRM201141B, and naturally "silver brazed" His widow , last I knew, lived around Weston-super-Mare, which is where I obtained the very last set of original Stan Pike transfers, and some Pike of Crewkerne. Virtually all the PofC frames were built by his son, who also became a good builder.
As regards 6/7, on a 120mm frame. Yes it can be done, but it needs cold pulling the rear end, and unless you can check the tracking have it done by a proper builder! Get your drive side spacing right before building the wheel. OLN right, and then make sure its built right!
If anyone is coming to Brittany they are welcome to see it, or even make an offer.
 
DF = Don Farrell ?

My 70's Kevin Sayles built TT bike uses a 68-SS-120 road axle to get the chainline right :)

Shaun
 
There is photographic evidence of JW riding KR, which could also have been built by SP.

On the evidence, it's possible that Omegastrada's frame was commissioned by the same person who commissioned mine, five years later, (they are about the same size) or that SP-built KRs have a serial number in the format: K-----R...

....Not holding my breath in anticipation of confirmation or denial of either of these hypothesies..
 
Re:

stan pike used to build frames for fred baker cycles in bristol
the one he built for me is 531sl built in 1974 fb7020 I know its a sp as I went to see stan with pete kettle who worked at fb at the time i wont post a pic as it needs a respray (which i am just about to have done ) as I havent ridden it for about 12 years and it has been in garage roof
Its white with super record throughout
 
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