Recent content by jim haseltine

True, but clues like a coaster hub, kick stand and Schrader valves suggest to me that it's on the west side of the Atlantic.

That's because Flandria and it's parent company went bust in the 1980s, was bought by other companies which also went bust in turn by the end of that decade. The Flandria name was bought by an English family sometime in the first years of this century which is why the steel frames are built in...

I wouldn't go for 27" wheels. I fitted some to the frame from my father's old Super Sports to build something I could use to hack to and from work back in the 80s - handling was 'unusual' to say the least.

Certainly in the 1950s, Dynohubs were standard on roadster models and available as an extra on all other models. The forward facing rear dropouts and cable brakes suggest that it's not a roadster.

Classic example of keyboard finger bother - the A is alongside the S.

I assume you mis-typed the BB thread size as Italian is 36x24T. An Italian BB combined with the Shimano dropouts is curious - it could be that the only aero-socket BB available in Japan at the time was Italian or that the dropouts were supplied along with the AX group set to an Italian company...

HB-RE022 are for hubs with oversize (17mm) alloy axles. I think (although I'm not sure) that HB-BO122 are for 15mm axles.

I had a set of early CLB Professionals, back in the days before alan bolt fittings and before they went overboard with alloy bolts. They were still light but had bigger brake blocks and were solid in use. Years later I was disappointed to discover how poor later versions were.

He sponsored a local road club Cottingham Coureurs.

Those are the sintered (I think they called them 'sinterized' or maybe 'synterized') blocks, the ones that worked. I think Hinault's Vie Claire team used Modolo brakes for a while.

If you're interested in new, try defietsenmaker.nl. I got an Evol 2002 from there a couple of years back and according to the website there's still stock in both 100 & 110.

Their sintered brake blocks were a step above Campagnolo - in wet conditions. The levers and calipers not so, having a somewhat spongey feel in comparison to Record.

There was. We used to get one in for repair on a regular basis in the late 70s/early 80s, it was an early one too with the high sissy bar which somebody had managed to bend slightly to one side. The owner wasn't too bothered and was reluctant to pay the price we'd been quoted for a replacement...

A bit more searching led to this Flickr album. Curiously, Spirito is recorded as having been born in December but the name was traditionally given to children born at Pentecost which is 50 days after Easter Sunday.

At least two Godio brothers were pro cyclists, Spirito during the 1940s and Giorgio during the mid-1950s. Story is that Spirito learned frame building at Masi and Cinelli before opening a workshop in their home town Borgomanero, north west of Milan. That having been said, early Godio frames were...