Track frame ID?

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  • Hi, I am new to this forum, but would like help identifying I bike purchased recently on the Bay. It was advertised as a Holdsworth and had late foil decals attached. I did have my doubts when I bought it as I could not place it in the Holdsworth range and it also had some similarities to Roy Thame Competizione Track/Sprint in the 70's catalog. It has been suggested this could be a 'typical urban bike messenger's bike' with tightened road geometry and people on this site might have some information to confirm it. At the time I was looking for a winter fixie bike to avoid my better ones getting trashed and would have settle for a plain gauge option. As it happens this is fine for that and considering I paid less than £100 I don't feel hard done by, I would like to find out what it is. Its as light as my other fixies and goes just as well, bit twitchy but manageable, especially with winter tyres on now.

    My thinking was it could be a RT and was hoping the frame number would confirm. All I have found is number 55 stamped on the down tube socket of the BB. Not found anything on the forks, but to be fair I was looking for a longer number at the time and they are powder coated up the steerer tube. The forks do look like road forks with typical sloping crown so could not be original. It does have some nice components and seems to have Purgnat lugs & Campagnolo track ends on the rear. No fender eyes at all. The geometry matches the RT spec which is different to the original Holdsworth model. This has 75deg para angles, 11" BB height, 16.5" rear stays and 39.5" WB. The seat stem measures 26.8mm, but I did polish out some scratches. That's not small enough for typical plain gauge or big enough for full DB. It could be that a small stem is fitted. Wheel clearance is tight'ish on the rear but I can now get mudguards in. Clearance on the front is limited to the point where a 23C tyre at full pressure rubs the caliper so mudguards shop short.

    The main area of interest, other than the very short number, is the seat stay attachment. The RT catalog describes a side and rear attachment for the Competizione and Holdsworth described a flush mounted stay on the 531 Special in 1976 that looks similar to this. I have seen similar on an Argo too. It also has windows in the top of the head lugs, common on RT's, 80's style recessed nut brake bridge and no small bridge/brace on the rear stays behind the BB. My view is that this last feature stared to disappear around the end of the 80's. Consequently I am feeling this is a newer frame than the 70's, could still be a RT, but could also be a Falcon Houldsworth which could also explain the foil decals fitted. I have seen some Falcon track frames similar to this with wrap over seat stays, but not with the windows or lack of brace. I have also seen Falcons with similar flush fitted stays. It does have straight spoke lacing in the front wheel, no spoke crossing. Again I have seen this on one RT that I have looked at, but could simply mean both bike have replacement front wheels fitted at some point.

    Any other suggestions would be helpful, pictures attached.


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Track frame ID?

Posted by Avatar for dwscrimshaw @dwscrimshaw

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