Mid Eighties E.G Bates Tourer

[sherlylock]

Picked up a couple of months ago......a sorry looking E.G Bates.

Recognising the Bates name as being something of potential quality I dropped the seller a message and within the day I was the new custodian. Eddie Bates was the Bates brother who was based in Plaistow (Horace Bates being the frame builder of cantiflex tubing and diadrant fork fame) - specialised in custom built lightweight tourers as far as I can tell. They were still operational until around 2002 I believe - the business being run by Eddie's sons at that point.

Anyways......

It was in poor shape. Filthy......bar tape hanging off (and replaced with insulating tape in places), heavy, worn out chainset and gearing and a horrible saddle.......safe to say it needed some proper tlc.

In the time I've owned it I've turned the bike around and its now riding well - still more to do but that's for the future.

Here are some "before" shots.....

 

[Midlife]

Good find

I see it is in white, I think Bates bought a tanker of white paint about 1978 and used it for the next 15 years

 

[sherlylock]

Good find

I see it is in white, I think Bates bought a tanker of white paint about 1978 and used it for the next 15 years

Ha! Yep - pretty much all reference images of Bates from that era I could find online are in white.

"You can have it in any colour as long as it's white......."

 

[fossala]

Looks really relaxed geometry. Also one of the best brakes and the best Downtube shifters made!

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Looking at it, could it be a CX frame? b/b looks high, no drilling in fork crown for a mudguard, does it have mudguard eyes?

 

[pigman]

Have the springs in the shifters gone, hence the elastic bands?
Nice frame on which to build

 

[pigman]

Looking at it, could it be a CX frame? b/b looks high, no drilling in fork crown for a mudguard, does it have mudguard eyes?

But then it wouldn't have down tube lever bosses, it would have cable stops.

I reckon it's older than 80s from the lug type, long dropouts and over bracket cables. Maybe had an 80s repaint if that's 80s colour and transfers

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Nervex pro lugs. The bosses could have been an addition. Don't know off any tourer with a b/b that high. Edit 531 transfer is 80s

 

[Midlife]

It looks like a demi-course from the mid 70's

 

[sherlylock]

Looks really relaxed geometry. Also one of the best brakes and the best Downtube shifters made!

Yeah, brakes and shifters are really good......now they're clean and fixed.

Looking at it, could it be a CX frame? b/b looks high, no drilling in fork crown for a mudguard, does it have mudguard eyes?

There's a blind fixing on the back of the fork and it has got mudguard eyes too so I'd assumed it was a tourer. Canti brakes of that style were a CX thing weren't they?

Have the springs in the shifters gone, hence the elastic bands?
Nice frame on which to build

Yep - the end of the spring in the shifter for the rear had busted off. Easily fixed

Stripped off the horrible bar tape, repositioned the brake levers and fitted a spare Flite saddle and rode it home from work.

Without any additional work it seemed to ride really nicely........surprisingly.