80's frame number query.

[onegoodbike]

Hi all,

I have a frameset which is badged up as a Rixon, but I think this may just be from a respray as i've read that Rixon frame numbers start with an 'R'?. My frameset has a stamped 4 digit serial number on the B/B shell that starts with an 'F' followed by 3 numbers, can anyone suggest any British builders working in the 80's that had this style of serial numbering?.

Any help gratefully received. Cheers Matt

 

[Midlife]

The only F that springs to mind is Fothergill. Any pics?

 

[onegoodbike]

Re:

Thanks for your response Shaun.

The images I can find online of Fothergill framesets look to be earlier in style than my frameset, what do you think?.

Cheers Matt

 

[Midlife]

Very smart looking frame under BB guides, top tube cable guides and I guess allen key brakes. so likely 80's or thereabouts.

I wonder if weighing it would help as there is a 531 pro / SL decal.

 

[onegoodbike]

Re:

That tubing decal is one of the things that got me wondering about the history of the frame in general.

It's a Reynolds 531 professional respray sticker, but the frameset is a fair bit lighter than a Bob Jackson 531 pro frameset I owned in the past and even a little lighter than a SBDU 753 frameset of a similar size that I had a couple of years back. The frame weight is 1668g and the forks 591g.

The profile of the fork blades also got me wondering. They are a fair bit "rounder?" than other 531 examples I have owned, which again makes me question if the frameset is built from a Reynolds tubeset at all.

Add this to the frame number prefix not matching other examples of Rixon frames quoted on the net, the fact that the guy who historically built Rixons now runs a refinishing business called Atlantic Boulevard and it got me wondering if the frame decals and tubing sticker were just handy ways of finishing off an otherwise unknown frameset?.

Obviously I may never find out, but it's interesting to hear others opinions on the above.

Cheers Matt

 

[Midlife]

I guess the BB is English? Back then Columbus fork blades were rounder than Reynolds and looked a bit "track like"

 

[onegoodbike]

Re:

Yes, English B/B and headset threads. The dropouts are Shimano. I've found some Columbus tubing specs online, so it's out with the verniers tomorrow to see if any of the measurements correspond.

Matt

 

[Midlife]

Ishiwata tubing crops up from time to time

 

[onegoodbike]

Re:

Right, I've spent the morning measuring tubes and trawling the internet.

I'm pretty confident I can rule out Ishiwata tubing and sadly it seems unlikely that it is built from Columbus KL.

The most likely candidates are Reynolds 753 race and 531 professional as per the chart shown below, which i've cribbed from a post that LGF put in another thread on here some years back.

The tube sizes for 753r and 531p seem to be identical so I guess the only way of checking for sure would be to take some paint off and see if the brazing is silver or brass?.

I'd hoped that the weight might prove key to identifying the tubing type, but having done some reading on originalshinkicker's excellent raleigh-sb4059.com website, it seems that the weight of my frame could mean either was used for the build. So the sticker could be correct after all! :facepalm: .

As diverting as I have found this it gets me no closer to finding out who built it. Perhaps an email to Atlantic Boulevard is in order!.

Matt

 

[Midlife]

753 has to be silver brazed, scrape off a hidden bit of paint over a braze and check the colour