rogerzilla
Retro Guru
I'm amazed there isn't a thread for HQs - there are hundreds of them out there, let's see yours.
I ended up with two. The first one is my usual ride-to-work fixie, Q4694. A literal barn find from the late 70s, only the frameset and seatpost were salvageable. Argos resprayed it in flam yellow. It's a big 23 1/2" frame and, from the weight, at least the main tubes are butted. Nicely brazed and mitred but probably one of HQ's more basic models - Terry Dolan miight have built it.
20181013_170328 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
20181013_170431 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
20181013_170411 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
The second is a 1969 track frame, Q2388. It's been painted at least three times in its life and was originally fully chromed. I saved it from a hipster who'd fitted aluminium forks, chopped bars and Gran Compe coloured wheels. The original fork in the photos has no way to fit a brake (look at the clearance!), so Garry at Argos built me a matching 531 fork with round blades and a 40mm drop, so it will just take a 105 caliper for road use. It's a bit of a handful in slow turns as, like all proper track frames, it has prodigious toe overlap. You learn to point your feet at the sky when manoeuvring. The lugs are obsessively feathered. Supposedly built by Harry himself.
20180907_162906 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
20180907_162927 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
20180907_162938 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
20180907_162949 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
I ended up with two. The first one is my usual ride-to-work fixie, Q4694. A literal barn find from the late 70s, only the frameset and seatpost were salvageable. Argos resprayed it in flam yellow. It's a big 23 1/2" frame and, from the weight, at least the main tubes are butted. Nicely brazed and mitred but probably one of HQ's more basic models - Terry Dolan miight have built it.
20181013_170328 by rogerzilla, on Flickr20181013_170431 by rogerzilla, on Flickr20181013_170411 by rogerzilla, on FlickrThe second is a 1969 track frame, Q2388. It's been painted at least three times in its life and was originally fully chromed. I saved it from a hipster who'd fitted aluminium forks, chopped bars and Gran Compe coloured wheels. The original fork in the photos has no way to fit a brake (look at the clearance!), so Garry at Argos built me a matching 531 fork with round blades and a 40mm drop, so it will just take a 105 caliper for road use. It's a bit of a handful in slow turns as, like all proper track frames, it has prodigious toe overlap. You learn to point your feet at the sky when manoeuvring. The lugs are obsessively feathered. Supposedly built by Harry himself.
20180907_162906 by rogerzilla, on Flickr20180907_162927 by rogerzilla, on Flickr20180907_162938 by rogerzilla, on Flickr20180907_162949 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
