Harry Quinn

JC":1yc1figv said:

And since you say you've had yours resprayed - would you know where I could get some new decals?

Looking at the picture of my Harry (actually, I still think of it as Simod's) I'm wondering what he would look like with an Alejandro Valverde-style Spanish colours. Yellow bar tape, stem & cables?

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Read this post and thought you were going to get it resprayed in Valverde style spanish colours? with yellow bar tape etc. I now see that you are just thinking about changingg the bar tape, stem and cables lol-

Mercian had the stickers in stock- I think they just print em off- gil m I'm sure would be able to sort you out- in the colours of your choice!

Old Ned":20zfqd1q said:

Looks like a nice bike. Does it date from when he was building in South Wales? I think the original brand was sold off to one of the big bike 'makers' when Harry retired from the Liverpool shop and appeared on some awful 'el cheapo' bikes at some time around the late 70's (I think?). A friend had a real 'clunker' with all sorts of nasty gear on it but was very proud of it as he had heard that 'Harry Quinn' was a really good bike.

I have a feeling (but as usual could be wrong) that Harry was upset at this and so decided to get back into building again and make 'proper' Harry Quinns along with his son.

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Harry Quinn was still building frames at Walton Road Liverpool in early 1980, as they built a road frame for me in January of that year on Harry's famous ouija board jig. I heard that Harry then disappeared for a while then turned up in Tenby, South Wales, later selling the Liverpool business to Ernie Clements of Falcon Cycles. So mine (frame no Q494 was probably one of the last genuine Liverpool Harry Quinns.

Perhaps, in the interval between Harry and his son Peter building HQ frames in Tenby, Falcon or some other company built some less desirable machines bearing the name?

eddyM":1sqqno9y said:

[Perhaps, in the interval between Harry and his son Peter building HQ frames in Tenby, Falcon or some other company built some less desirable machines bearing the name?

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Yes, I think it was the group that owned Falcon by then (Townsend?? They also had something to do with horse racing? or was that later?) and who must have got a load of HQ transfers in the deal which they stuck on all sorts of 'iffy' bikes. Really devalued the HQ name.

I wasn't sure when the Liverpool shop closed, I got mine from there in 1964.

Old Ned":1c0vrqf8 said:

Yes, I think it was the group that owned Falcon by then (Townsend?? They also had something to do with horse racing? or was that later?) and who must have got a load of HQ transfers in the deal which they stuck on all sorts of 'iffy' bikes. Really devalued the HQ name.

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Ah, Townsend would be the most likely culprits I guess. I think the horse racing group were the ones that took Townsend over. I wonder if that was around the time Ernie Clements left Falcon to build Barry Hoban and British Eagle frames in Newport.

I'm now recalling it was Ernie's brother who took over the Liverpool business and presumably sold it on to Ernie at Falcon.

As a Welshman I would be quite happy if my Quinn was built in Wales.


My old man seems to think that is the case- though he was the 2nd owner so I cant be sure...

CTK":3v8ze3ec said:

As a Welshman I would be quite happy if my Quinn was built in Wales.


My old man seems to think that is the case- though he was the 2nd owner so I cant be sure...

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It looks like a very nice frame and I would say almost definitely one Harry built in Wales as I don't think 653 was introduced until the late 1980s.

Here's a not very good pic of my 1980 Liverpool-built Harry Quinn.

Here's mine being pedalled in anger in the 1968 Championship 50 on the Bath Road. Still my fastest 50 over 40 years later - and highly unlikely to be improved!

Bike had a right mixture of components - all quite collectable now. Early Ambrosio stem (with the exposed bolt head) and 'nameless' Maes shape bars, Weinmann 500 stirrups with Universal levers (very fashionable then), Campag Chainset (42/52), Campag Track pedals, Campag Record front changer with Simplex Prestige (Delrin plastic) rear mech, Campag small flange hubs with Mavic rims, Pirelli tubulars and Regina 13-17 block. Oh, and one of those plastic headsets (Nylfor?).

You can see the characteristic HQ headbadge quite clearly. The frame was a dark flamboyant green with white panels and gold HQ name transfers. Done by C&G finishes of Liverpool who sprayed virtually all the Liverpool builders frames and who (I think) are still in business.

PS - I'm Welsh as well CTK. Cymru am Byth!!

I reckon that what's in that photo is exactly the spirit we're trying to recreate when we rebuild one of these old beasties. EXCELLENT pic Ned!!

That's the same, if pained, expression of determination Old Ned had on at the Peaks meet

jango":234ixvjt said:

That's the same, if pained, expression of determination Old Ned had on at the Peaks meet

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Yes, and I'd only gone 2 miles then not 49

Definitely 'pained'