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- 16 comments
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- 16 comments
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Lovely. Who did the paint? And is it definitely DB tubing? I'd thought Holdsworth Grubbs were all plain gauge.
I had read also that Holdsworth-built Freddie Grubbs were built of plain gauge 531, but not everything published on the internet is correct.
This frame weighs exactly the same as a similar size Hetchins that I own, and I know that my Hetchins is 531 butted tubing throughout as I have the build card. If the Grubb had been built using plain gauge, it would weigh significantly more than the Hetchins. Draw your own conclusion...
The customer in the early 1950s era could almost always specify what he or she wanted in terms of tubing type, paint schemes, chroming, braze-ons, and sometimes even the frame angles and bottom bracket height, and this was true even with the relatively large-scale lightweight specialists such as Holdsworth. Perhaps it was a special order? Or perhaps the Perfection model was built of d/b 531 as standard.
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**1953 FREDDIE GRUBB 'Perfection' **
Size 23in c-t.
Price: £350 for the complete bike.
The 'Perfection' model was the top-of-the-range Freddie Grubb frameset for 1953. Featuring special hand-cut lugs of scroll design, the fine example shown here was constructed of double-butted tubing (Reynolds 531 or A & P Kromo - not sure which).
Freddie Grubb was a top racing cyclist and record-breaker in his day and his firm began building high quality and innovative lightweight cycles in south London from about 1914 until 1952. At this time the firm was taken over by WF Holdsworth. My frame must have been one of the first of the Holdsworth-built Freddie Grubbs.
Holdsworth clearly held the Perfection lug design in high esteem because they 'stole' the design and used it for their own 'Monsoon' road racer which was offered from 1954. As such, the Holdsworth-built Freddie Grubb Perfection is a rare model as it was built only for a year or so.
I recently restored this frame and built it up as a single-speed machine using 700C wheels and with decent quality non-period components. It could easily be converted to fixed gear of course.
The frame alignment has been checked so it's straight and true, and it rides very nicely. The colour is 'Eau de nil', with cream seat band and lugs lined in gold. It is fitted with a period-correct headset.
Specification:
Frame and forks: Double-butted throughout. Feature cut lugs. Braze-on cable stops for rear brake cable.
Rims: Mavic 700C ceramic
Hubs: Campagnolo, stainless steel spokes,18t Shimano freewheel.
Tyres: Michelin Axial Pro
Bars: GB Maes
Stem: Quill type.
Saddle: Selle Italia Trans Am
Seatpost: Condor
Brakes: Weinmann all-metal 730, drilled levers
Chainset: Shimano-copy with 42t ring
Bottom Bracket: CampagnoloIt can be viewed at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. I will not post but could deliver to the West London area for a small fee to cover my fuel costs.
Feel free to call me on 01491 638307 if you need more info, or send a PM.
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There's more info on CB bilam frames here: http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/cb-bilam-vincent.html
As for colours, black and red always works well for a classic lightweight, like this one: http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/cb-bilam-vincent.html
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Read this http://www.ctc.org.uk/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=3946 and all will become clear about mixing shifters/mechs/cassettes.
There's also lots of useful info about mixing Campag and Shimano or SRAM components. For example, for one bike I use Campag Daytona 9 speed shifters with a 10-speed Campag Comp Triple mech and 8-speed Shimano cassette and it indexes perfectly.
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picked up a bunch of wheels the other day.
Unfortunately could not find the matching front, but doesn't matter too much.
Its a 27" unknown alu rim, 40spoke high flange hub and its double fixed! some threads aren't too hot, but only the initial threads where teh cog/locker sits its clean.
I thought it might be an Airlite, but the centre of the hub looks a bit different. Its in pretty rough condition, some corrosion thats been covered in silver spray paint.
Normally I would clean it up, then polish it back to how it should be, but its probably lost a fair amount of material already and its going on hack bike which looks about the same all over ;)
Probably is a British Hub Company Airlite, but might be a Bayliss-Wiley Continental (slighly smaller) or a Powell (very rare, and slightly larger). All of these carry a maker's name on the chrome barrel if you scrape the crud and rust off.
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Remaining stuff now with new lower prices.
This bike is now provisionally sold.