• Thanks @clubman
    I did speak to Charly a couple of years back on the phone. He said he'd got the Gillott when he was pretty young and - from memory - he said he'd bought it off a clubmate.
    I think his first sponsor was Soens.
    I'll try and dig out my notes from what he said.

  • So if he bought it second hand as a beginner it could possibly be a 27" wheel frame.

    There certainly were frames which were 'dual purpose' as winter bikes (I note yours has mudguard eyes, although even Anquetil's bike had them, back then) and track/ tt machines in the summer.

    It's not easy now to understand just how short money was in the fifties.

  • Have dug out my notes.
    Charly said he bought the Gillott off another rider who was relocating to NZ around 1955 when Charly was 17yrs old.
    Was originally dark brown with white lettering.
    Was used on the track at Liverpool when was with Melling Wheelers in Bootle track league.
    Also used for time trials. Brake only installed when on road for time trials.
    Stopped using because Harry Quinn made him a chrome track bike for use at the Rome Games.
    When he returned Eddie Soens told him only to ride his bikes and returned the Quinn.
    Soens made him a time trial bike on which he set the 55:1 record in 1961.
    Had five sprockets at the back.
    Eddie said it should have been sub 55 as the course was 45m longer than should have been but stewards rejected that.

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