Help required identifying just what ive bought?!

[lae]

Looks like a good find!

 

[stedlocks]

Just so you know, they call that bit the headtube and the fancy bits are lugs.... They pop the tubes into the lugs before brazing them together... It looks like a nice frame that will build up lovely ;0)
Burn your boss off on his fancy, no doubt aluminium mass produced thing!

 

[moffyr72]

Cheers, Yup.. Lugs... must remember that.. I'll have forgotten by the morning!

Plenty of work to do on the bike before I get a chance to burn the boss off! Tempted to drop it in to a professional place and get the frame properly stripped in a dip tank. After that it's lots of Kurust, Primer and paint.
Still not 100 percent on what it is but I think it could be a Holdsworth Professional.
Im hoping it is, with a mismatched set of Holdsworth forks. Think i'll spend another week scouring the net for snippets of info and if nothing materialises, take it that it's a Professional nd go for the Orange and Blue paintjob.
Would like to definately identify it though just for the smugness factor when I mention to the boss his 1700 quid racer has been beaten by a <insert year> Holdsworth..

 

[Midlife]

are these the lugs.....

http://flying-scot.com/frame_dtl_pages/ ... nat_2.html

Shaun

 

[Midlife]

and the fork crown ?


http://flying-scot.com/frame_dtl_pages/frame_crown.html

Shaun

 

[moffyr72]

Very similar for the frame, still dont think it matches the front part of the headset lugs
Similar as far as the forks go, but again not identical.. the 1951 design being close

I know from reading online that makers often played with the designs to make them their own..

 

[Goldie]

How's the Nitromorsing coming on - have any other colours emerged from under that orange paint yet?

 

[moffyr72]

Layer of burgundy.. then orange under that? Bought a flapper wheel today so going to sand the frame down with a drill..

question.. you know the GB stickers you can get, well if you imagine the first 3rd of that oval shape with an R in it.. as though the rest of the full oval has been worn off.. well i found what looks like that on the left side, top of the BB housing. small.. the full oval would be about 1cm long

Anyone recognise what that might be? its too faint for my camera phone to pick up at the mo

 

[moffyr72]

haha! found a pic on the mercian register...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercianreg ... 380591102/

if you see that oval, thats what ive got the remainder of! Any ideas what it refers to?


*edit* Found out its a Gargette (RGF) BB shell

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercianreg ... 184392266/
Thats the head design mine has. im 99% sure it's not a Holdsworth but is a Mercian, although which model I dont know. Serial number dates it to 1959

 

[Goldie]

That'd explain the lack of head badge rivet holes too. Great bit of detective work - you just need to get it booked in for a full renovation with the boys from Derby now...