LFGSS
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
Re Ken Ryall.
I knew Ken Ryall quite well and I've had a number of Ryalls and have seen many more. His best frames had a transfer showing a stopwatch face with the Ryall script across it and his Hounslow shop address around it.
Ken's bikes had two distinct styles of lettering on the down tube. First, the block cap one either in black or white with an outline in the opposite colour. Second, a very fine and elegant signature script in black, white or gold with the bottom tail of the 'K ' or 'R' (can't remember which) sweeping right round the signature. I believe that this was Ken's own signature. I've owned Ryalls with both these styles. It would be quite easy to find Ryall bikes with these styles for a reference if you wanted as very many members of both the Twickenham CC and the Middlesex Wheelers rode them and I would think many still own them if only as winter bikes now. Make contact though the websites of these clubs. Anyway if you can get hold of a sample, even to borrow, it's easy to replicate accurately in this digital age.
Ken had built a number of frames himself earlier in his career but later used a number of frame builders to produce them to his specification. Holdsworth and Gillott were certainly two he used especially earlier on. Later on he also had frames built by Jack Hearne, whose workshop was near to Slough station. Jack was an exceptional builder and is now very underrated, he also built all the top end Roy Thame frames (even though Roy was manager at Holdsworth!). The builder that built two of my '70s Ryalls was Stan Pike. He was one of the very best builders ever and built many a record breaker's frame.
Ken loved innovation and new products and was the sole importer of Raxar clothing from Belgium and of Dordoigne tubulars from France (these were of exceptional quality). It was a treat going into his shop when he'd a new, different product just in. I well remember the occasions of him enthusiastically showing me Concor saddles and Mafac Promotion brake levers. All the advice he gave me and many others was sound and rooted in real experience and knowledge.
There was a guy named Geoff who worked full time in his shop, he was a chain smoker - in a bike shop!!