fishwinker
Retro Newbie
I bought this a while ago, and the seller told me it was a Grand Royal. I think he told me that it was bought in New Zealand, and the frames sold there were slightly different than the ones built for England. It looks like a Royal, but it has a half-chromed rear triangle, and the tubeset is 531ST, rather than the standard 531. The serial number looks like it's WP460166, which would make it a 1984 frame. I've searched online several times, but I can never seem to find any information about it - has anyone seen anything like this?
Apologies to the purists, but it's not period-correct at all! I built it up as a sort of touring bike, but since I moved to Turkey I haven't used it very much - the roads in Ankara are downright terrifying! I have it set up with some Albatross bars with bar-end shifters, a pair of Shimano wheels, long-drop Tektro brakes, a lovely Brooks saddle I was given a long time ago and a few other bits and pieces. It rides absolutely beautifully - comfortable and fairly fast, with plenty of hand positions on the bars. The photos make the bars look like they're at a strange angle, but they're not!
Apologies to the purists, but it's not period-correct at all! I built it up as a sort of touring bike, but since I moved to Turkey I haven't used it very much - the roads in Ankara are downright terrifying! I have it set up with some Albatross bars with bar-end shifters, a pair of Shimano wheels, long-drop Tektro brakes, a lovely Brooks saddle I was given a long time ago and a few other bits and pieces. It rides absolutely beautifully - comfortable and fairly fast, with plenty of hand positions on the bars. The photos make the bars look like they're at a strange angle, but they're not!