Help in Identifying Classic Racing Bike Frame

[wiggle]

Hi all,

I'm a long-time reader, second-time poster. Just wondered whether you could identify a frame I bought recently.

Features:

Horizontal Campagnolo drop outs
Chrome stays
Straight forks
Bayliss Wiley bottom bracket
"Citan" stem




Best regards,
Tom

 

[Midlife]

It might be my cheap tablet's display but those forks look completely out of place with the rest of the frame. Very straight with track fork crown.

Shaun

 

[wiggle]

They are very straight forks. Any idea who the frame's by?

 

[Midlife]

Frame looks a bit Claud Butler....ish for some reason but not sure why.

The rear dropouts look much younger than the frame.

As I mentioned the Frame and forks just has me baffled...........

Shaun

 

[roadking]

I can understand Midlife's"Claud Butlerish"comment as it looks, to the uninitiated, like a bi-laminate but I'm confident is not.

What it is is a 1940s or early 1950s frame with the rear dropouts added later, the forks are very unusual as they are period (i.e 40s or 50s), but I've not seen forks like this (nearly straight) in this period - I don't think the fork belongs to the frame (easily checked) though.

The lugs are quite attractive, but having said that are quite"clunky".

Frame has a lot of pitting and would take work to make attractive IMO.

Jon.

 

[keithglos]

Looks like cast lugs, possibly Brampton. Seat stay top eyes correct for brazing to the seat lug ears. Number under bracket 4 -50 could be the year.

Did it possibly have track rear ends, changed to Capagnolo? The crimped chainstays and shortish rear end are more track style in 1950, but the seat angle may be a bit shallow, but the lug set was probably 73 x 71. In 1950 it was not easy to get components. The dreadful brampton headset is a bit later too.
Keith

 

[torqueless]

I'll probably get hated for saying it, but IMO you've got the basis of a really nice fixed/single speed there. The short rake track forks might be an advantage in that respect. You'd expect a much longer rake if the forks were original to the frame, but IMO they do not look 'bad' or even 'out of place'. As Roadking says, look for a serial number on the fork steerer tube which matches the one on the bracket-unlikely, but you never know. Stay sweet(ish) with the purists by leaving all the brazed on cable guides etc. where they are. Also, with so much paint gone, nobody's going to be grumbling about keeping it original, so you can refinish it (or not) as you choose. Probably way too late in this case, but cleaning up the tubes carefully by hand can sometimes reveal the 'ghosts' of the original transfers. The stem is 'Titan', BTW.

I would think that the treatment of the top of the seat lug is fairly unique, and somebody should recognise it's source... not me, unfortunately.

 

[wiggle]

Thanks for all the information on this. I found out through an eBayer that the frame was made by a company called Bonduns and the model is possibly a Innanzi Tutto. Information about the manufacturer is non-existent on the internet. Just wondered whether anybody here could shed some light on their history.

Shameless plug, but here's the frame currently running on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231177711735? ... 1555.l2649

Thanks again.

Tom

 

[Excel]

Bonduns were based in 1930's London NW9 judging by the headbadge on this eBay offering << http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/track-frame-i ... 236wt_1025 >>
Madget Cycles in Diss Norfolk, were agents for Bonduns who advertised regularly in 'Cycling' around 1950. They produced two models , 'Innanzi Tutto' and an 'il Vincintore' model for road or track. They are very rare. The bike shop probably didn't last beyond the mid 50s. Transfers are available from Chris Grange at Bakers Cycles
(plagerism info. from Bryan Clarke's contribution on Classic Rendezvous)


Griff

 

[anidel]

Innanzi Tutto is Italian, it stands for "Before all".