Alan Richards Fixed. Now with Photos!

don't restore/repaint, unless it's totally FUBAR. the paint quality etc will never be as good. get down to a hobby shop and spend £2.15 on a pot of enamel paint and do the chips, 9 times out of 10 it looks great just like this.

dogs
my Claud's due for this sort of treatment. Any tips on getting a good finish? I'm scared of fncking it up

first, i clean the frame as much as possible, even using a bit of car polish. this removes a lot stains or small rusty spots coming through paint. also gives you a better indication of colour. if possible take the frame to the shop, i'm lucky as there are 2 really close, to get the best colour match. if it's a metallic paint, it will be a pain to do as the metal usually sinks in the touch up paint, but if you blob a lot on you can get away with it (and it also hides the sharp edge of chip). those hobby sections have heaps of different colours in enamel, in gloss, metallic and matt. i use of those small hobby brushes. i've done a couple bikes this way and you can work wonders, this raleigh was totally abused but came out awesome. if people need some colours, i have matt white, light blue matt, dark red and bright red.

this is blue metallic

or even if it's not right, comes out fine

you didn't do those railing's very well....tut.tut!!

I think the railing look good with patina though.

dogs - Thanks. I got a metallic, wierd greeny blue, (it's on the names to faces and bikes thread from today), as you say I'll take it to the shop and try a match somewhere non-commital. Still a bit wary! But it could be another good reason to avoid all the things I ought to be doing around the marital home.

If you want to contact Alan Richards I might be able to help - he is from Birmingham & Tower Cycles was his shop. Get back to me with a phone number as I always pass your details on & ask him to call you/anyone ?

Peter

I may be able to help, if you still don't have the info on your bike.
I'm Alan Richards daughter Kate.
He no longer makes bikes and Tower Cycles is all but a memory to most people.
My favourite shop was always the corner shop with the tower, hence the name :o)

Lovely bike. I think my pants have got a bit damp at the front.

Did you piss yourself? :p

Hey all, I'm trying to track down the origin of a frame I'm cleaning up for a friend.

Can you help at all?

It says "alan" on the front. . . . . thats about all I know about it!

I've found similar frames but none with the bolt on rear seat stays.

oh arse, same photo twice!

ALAN - ALuminium ANodized, one of the first aluminium frames in mass production. Tubing was thinner than modern alu frames and the tubes were glued together. Fairly light, and they were quite flexible.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/vrbn-a-f.html

Yep that's an Alan Italian bike frame. Big name!

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/alan.htm

Thanks chaps!

I've not found anything so far on that specific frame, I'm thinking of maybe having it for myself as it's great to look at, maybe a ye olde fixie?

I've a plug with some pink velocities already which is my hack so this could be a nice show off bike. . . . .

careful not to kill puppies! that deserve beautiful compounds on it (campagnolo, hint hint).

making it into a fixed gear is just very very dangerous (it's very ridable, just the people will kill you for changing it into a 'fixie').

I have a Alan Richards 1982? which I bought new and still looks new IF anyone is interested Il take some photos of her and post them If anyone can tell me how to do this as I am just new to the forum -Absolutly craking bike!

Stevie M

Upload a picture to a site like photobucket or flickr.
When uploaded, copy the 'direct link' text from the page
Paste that text into the box that pops up when you click the yellow icon (looks like a small mountain scene) on the text editor this forum.

get those photos up.

Hopefully here aere some photos of My Alan richards racing bike which I have had since about 1982
Any comments welcome
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards001.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards002.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards006.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards007.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards008.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards008.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards012.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards003.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards002.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/StevieMcB/AlanRichards013.jpg

Hi

Im new to this forum, well actually im new to fixed gear bikes altogether.
Very fun to ride!!

Ive just been given an Alan Richards fixed gear bike. I know very little about it.
It seems old ish, but ive never heard of the make. Has anybody ever heard of this make, my grand father says Richards used to race and build frames from a shop in birmingham?? Not to sure if this is true??

I will put up photos of the bike when i get chance.

Any info would be great!
Many thanks
Guy

Alan Richards I think ran with his late father as a business Tower Cycles at Gravelly Lane in Erdington Birmingham that is no longer there and he runs an Antique shop next door with his fromer shop now long gone and turned over to Carpet and Flooring sales.