Cleland Range Rider (RR-001 English Cycles) Highpath. 1982

[REtrouble]

I found myself bidding against Graham for the ebay bikes - not a postilion either of us planned to be in - glad they are finding good homes.

So it was you & Graham was it :evil:

It is an auction at the end of the day, I'm a bit surprised I didn't get notified of any of the bikes previous to these three though as I've had a notification for years.
I had thought on & off for years of buying a new bike but very few new bikes appeal to me, a Cleland or Highpath is something I've fancied since first leaning of them years ago, so it seemed like a good idea & so far I'm not disappointed.

Which models do you own Graham?

I have a feeling at some point maybe in the 90s my bike spent some time in the Reading area. Below is a screwed up charred bit of newspaper fished out of the seat tube.

I did wonder what it was I was hooking out.

:shock:

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

I found myself bidding against Graham for the ebay bikes - not a postilion either of us planned to be in - glad they are finding good homes.

So it was you & Graham was it :evil:

Prior to Steve's bikes going astray, despite my knowledge of these bikes, I had no interest in restoring or collecting them. These bikes were for use and I was happy with owning two bikes; a Cleland Aventura frame that I bought from Geoff Apps at the end of 1984 and built up myself and a version that I had made to measure by Highpath Engineering in 1988.

So when Geoff Apps offered to sell me the first off the line Aventura for restoration I was not interested and so instead helped to find the bike a new owner from the ranks of RetroBIKE.

Steve's missing bikes changed my attitude to preserving Clelands. Now I am willing to bid for Clelands purely on the basis that this could ensure the bikes are preserved and when needed restored, even when I don't actually want to own the bikes long term. I am not interested in making a profit in the procces and in this last instance I offered the Cleland Aventura I won to LGF for the amount I payed at auction. Though this was more than he was prepared to pay at the time.

It is an auction at the end of the day, I'm a bit surprised I didn't get notified of any of the bikes previous to these three though as I've had a notification for years.

The owners of the bikes after the auction kept incorrectly describing the bikes because they didn't know exactly what they were. On one occasion they described the Highpath as a 'Hope' because of a brake manufacturer's sticker on the frame.

I had thought on & off for years of buying a new bike but very few new bikes appeal to me, a Cleland or Highpath is something I've fancied since first leaning of them years ago, so it seemed like a good idea & so far I'm not disappointed.

The bike you got was not only the earliest and most historic of the frames for sale but also suited to a drier climate due to the much reduced frame-clearance of the rear wheel.

Which models do you own Graham?

Apart from my two old bikes, which are as regularly used and abused as they always have been, I now own four other examples purely with the intention of restoring them or preserving them.

These are:
* a Geoff Apps 1980 Range-rider that I am gradually restoring (this bike was thought to be lost but after years of searching I tracked down the frame forks and wheels.)

* a Geoff Apps 1981 700c Range-Rider (This came from Geoff apps so that I could repair the cracked frame and then restore it.)

* a red 1983 Cleland Aventura from the same auction as RR-01

* an original and unrestored 1985 English Cycles' Metro Trekker

I have a feeling at some point maybe in the 90s my bike spent some time in the Reading area. Below is a screwed up charred bit of newspaper fished out of the seat tube.

For many years, Steve used to live in Hungerford which is not very far from Reading.

 

[REtrouble]

Nice collection of bikes

Is it known what became of the bicycle Nick Crane used for the Snowdon attempt? According to "Richard's Mountain bike book" authored by him & Charles Kelly it was 1981 so that must have been an early bike.

The 83 Aventura you have from the auction, does it have a frame number & would it have been an Jeremy Torr English Cycles made bike?

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Is it known what became of the bicycle Nick Crane used for the Snowdon attempt? According to "Richard's Mountain bike book" authored by him & Charles Kelly it was 1981 so that must have been an early bike.

The photo shown in "Richard's Mountain bike book" next to the story of the Snowdon climb is not the bike that was ridden up Snowdon but the 1981 700c wheeled Range-Rider. The bike ridden up Snowdon is the 1980 650b wheeled Range-Rider that took me years to track down and is now in a mainly complete and original but unrestored condition.

The 83 Aventura you have from the auction, does it have a frame number & would it have been an Jeremy Torr English Cycles made bike?

I can't see a frame number though there probably is one hiding under the red paint.
It's a Cleland Cycles production Aventura assembled at Cleland in Rowsham using a frame and fork made by Jeremy Torr in Telford. The frame is original and unmodified and parts are mostly original however the few bits that aren't will be replaced with original spec ones. Like most Aventuras it was probably originally black in colour.

 

[firedfromthecircus]

The 83 Aventura you have from the auction, does it have a frame number & would it have been an Jeremy Torr English Cycles made bike?

I can't see a frame number though there probably is one hiding under the red paint.

I never thought about frame numbers!
Is there likely to be one on mine Graham, and if there was, where would it be?

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

I never thought about frame numbers!
Is there likely to be one on mine Graham

Yes, there should be something like 005 or 0005

, and if there was, where would it be?

On my No:10 it is on the bottom of the BB shell partly obscured by the bash guard.
I believe your bike still has its original epoxy powder coat finish which could be hiding the numbers.

I believe that number one and two were Aventura prototypes one of which is still owned by a guy who worked at Cleland helping to assemble the bikes. Therefore number three was the first bike to be sold to the public at the end of 1982.

 

[REtrouble]

Graham, the Nick Crane/Snowdon bike is mentioned in the text, I didn't think it was the one in the (famous) picture of Geoff posing with the bike.
Am I correct in thinking you have the bike Geoff posed with as well?

I never thought about frame numbers!
Is there likely to be one on mine Graham, and if there was, where would it be?

Mine is under the BB shell as well, a rather wonky RR-001.

I mentioned this strange rack earlier on in the thread, does anyone knows why it has a 100mm long, 10mm O.D tube welded on top?

Or have a guess.....
:?

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Graham, the Nick Crane/Snowdon bike is mentioned in the text, I didn't think it was the one in the (famous) picture of Geoff posing with the bike.

Am I correct in thinking you have the bike Geoff posed with as well?

Yes I do, here it is in its restored condition:


...and here is the 1980 Snowdon Range-Rider, as it was:

Below is an account of the October 1981 ascent of Snowdon by Nick Crane.




... and as it is:

 

[firedfromthecircus]

I never thought about frame numbers!
Is there likely to be one on mine Graham

Yes, there should be something like 005 or 0005

, and if there was, where would it be?

On my No:10 it is on the bottom of the BB shell partly obscured by the bash guard.
I believe your bike still has its original epoxy powder coat finish which could be hiding the numbers.

I believe that number one and two were Aventura prototypes one of which is still owned by a guy who worked at Cleland helping to assemble the bikes. Therefore number three was the first bike to be sold to the public at the end of 1982.

Mine is under the BB shell as well, a rather wonky RR-001.

Thanks both. I shall check it out and see if I can find anything.

Sadly no ideas about your extra tube on the rack REtrouble. Nothing similar on my 'factory' rack.

Some more great info coming up in this thread Graham, and the 700c bike is looking great. How's the book coming along?

 

[REtrouble]

Firedfromthecircus, I'm guessing the tube was added at a later date.

Yep, cool bikes The dropped top tubes on the Snowdon bike are interesting but I guess ultimately not as strong meeting the seat tube where they do.