Old Ellis Briggs and possible racing wheels/tubs

I'm new to road bikes and have just finished doing up an old Ellis Briggs bike for work. It came with tubs so i have bought some new wheels.

First question is how old is retro?
The chap at Whiticker and Mapplebecks reckoned the bike is late 70's/early80's.

Anyway the wheels are silver Shimano 600 hubs with grey Mavic GP4 rims and silver DT Swiss spokes. They have Vittorio Special Pro tyres.

Do these wheels have any value??

The frame looks to be a bit of a classic but you seem to have a mix of retro and modern(ish) components on it. The older wheels would be good along with a more period gear mech but if you're using it for work then reliability is probably more important than period looks.

If you're in the Ellis-Briggs area then come to the Classic Bike Show in Shelf on April 19.

By the way, why did you go to Pennine (W&M) to check on an EB? Just curious, that's all!

Didn't fancy messing round with glue on tyres for commuting and the rear mech is off a mountain bike as i wanted to use an mtb cassette i had and needed something a bit easier to pedal.

My mountain bike has a 36t middle ring plus 22t granny. This has a 39t so i need bigger legs.

It was more a case of rescuing something old, and giving it a new lease of life. The seatpost was stuck so someone had skipped it! I found the right post on ebay and couldn't resist it..

Just had my first go on it to work and back today. Other than a loose seat it did well. Brakes are scary compared with the Hope M4's on my Cotic and the gears need a little fettling.

After much love and polishing i think its come up lovely!

Can't make the show i'm afraid as i'm on an Mtb course that day. Took it to W&M because its not far from me

Cheers jason

I like the aesthetics of that frame. Really fun to learn of those new to me brands all the time. Already checked Classic Rendezvous and it seems they are still in business. C l

Cool looking bike and definetly retro. The tyres look massive so it must have big clearances resulting in slacker (comfier) geomertry. Try a mid size mech for better looks and an old school rule of having your drops parallel to the ground or close to parallel would make it look better. Having said that if your only commuting comfort is what counts. Dare i say the frameset looks too good for a commuter! The older sprint wheels do sell but nowt hugh. I bought some similar sprints recently for around 20 quid but that was pretty cheap. Say 30-50 quid imo. Hope that helps. Nice...

I would date the frame to around the mid-80s or later, going by the fully sloping crown and some of the parts. Definitely not late 70s.

"The tyres look massive so it must have big clearances resulting in slacker (comfier) geomertry."

Looks like it's the deep rims which makes them look bigger than what they are, the Campag Victory brakes have the short-reach depth of 47mm at the middle of the slots, so the clearances are those of a standard racing frame (80s and later).

I had to file a little off the bottom of the calipers for tyre clearance, only a smidge but it worked.
I'm reading a book that says an Ellis Briggs bike won the first Tour of Britain.
I have also been told that if i put a longer B tension screw in the 105 mech that the bike came with, that it will work with the bigger cassette. Any body tried this?

Thanks for looking and all the info.

I just love the way it looks, and it doesn't feel half as harsh as i expected. Bear in mind my other bike has 6" of travel!

How do i adjust the tension on the front mech cable. Do i use the slot in the mech mount?

"I had to file a little off the bottom of the calipers for tyre clearance, only a smidge but it worked. "

Bloody hell, I would never do that!!!

I have a bike with Campag brakes from the about the same period, the brake blocks are at roughly the middle of the slots, and I can fit 25mm tyres and mudguards.

you should be ok with a 13-28 block and that chainset to use the 105 racing mech. Any bigger, and its not the B screw problem, but the jockey cage wont take up the slack chain.

and did someone really skip it? Madness.

Needs must Fiks and honestly, it was dumped at the tip!

Other than the post it was only the chain,cassette and rings that were worn. The bb is smooth as is the headset. I've just replaced all the cables and spent hours with the polish..