Tuesday 7 January 2014

#11 Holdsworth (circa 1984)

#11 Holdsworth

The beauty you see before you is a peculiar project
It has been languishing in a friend of mines garage for around 15 years and has barely turned a wheel in that time
Originally he bought it from a work colleague as a frame and forks and a few other bits and completed the build with new parts from the local bike shop and parts from a Raleigh Winner, this left its spec compiled of parts mostly from the 90's. The frame as yet is unknown to its model. After much research i am still scratching my head. When i strip the headset down i will record both sets of number and contact the relevant experts for clarity.

It did not look as you see it here when i got it as i removed most of the drivetrain as that was off the Raleigh and was the usual generic rubbish, it had a really nice ATCO front wheel and an awful rear wheel which i binned.
As you see it here, it is built for single speed usage and would have been used as such if the chain ring on the sugino chain-set i bought for it wasn't some freakishly wide one that wouldn't accept a standard 1/8" chain. This was to be its purpose until i acquired the necessary parts for a period perfect/authentic rebuild.
The reason for this would be a common one, the pursuit of nostalgia and to preserve something lovely from the past, however although these reasons are valid, i have another.
From previous musings some may remember my desire to take the retro cycling pilgrimage to Tuscany for L'Eroica, alas money and logistics kept this dream at bay. To my surprise though it appears that the mountain has come to Mohammed. The organisers have set about creating a UK version to be held in the peak district  2 weeks before the Tour De France Grand Depart.

This is what the Holdsworth will be built for, i have my preregistration code and i have most of an eligible bike, the rest will unfold as required, until then it'll be tucked away int he loft with its new parts as and when they are precurred.

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