Classic & Vintage - Witcomb Frame Sets

Any one out there ever hear of, or own a Witcomb frame? 70's vintage?

Any one out there ever hear of, or own a Witcomb frame? 70's vintage?

Witcomb frames were built in South East London (England) by a Mr Witcomb circa 1960s. His son was a Part Time Professional. I never owned one but these frames had a good reputation

David Hicks

Have heard of and seen a few. Solid rep and the ones I can recall were desireable bikes. No info beyond that I'm afraid.

:beer:

Any one out there ever hear of, or own a Witcomb frame? 70's vintage? I visited their shop in London in 1980 and was most impressed. Seriously considered buying one of their frames then. Very nice workmanship, beautiful pieces, and reasonably priced for the times. Never knew anyone who actually owned one. Seemed to be more common in the U.K. than on the continent.

Any one out there ever hear of, or own a Witcomb frame? 70's vintage?
i think they are considered pretty top notch british frames. i think some top american builders spent some time at witcomb in the 70's.

Yes - me. I have two of them, both bought new from Witcomb. One is a plain guage 531 frameset which I bought in 1976. This has had a very potted history, including being involved in an accident on Putney Bridge (London) which destroyed the front wheel and put me in hospital, but the frame survived intact. I recently took it back to Witcomb to have the forks and stays adjusted and a few new parts brazed on so that I could put on 700c wheels and a modern groupset, and it now has a Campag Veloce 9-speed groupset with Chorus hubs and Mavic rims and full mudguards and is my winter commuting bike, doing around 170 miles per week in all weathers. In this guise in weighs in at around 12.6 kilos, but is still quite stiff and a very relaxed ride.

The other is a 653 frameset, dating from around 1995. This has a Chorus 9-speed groupset and Mavic Kysyrium Elite wheels. This weighs around 10 kilos - heavyish by todays standards, but still a good ride. This is my summer commuting bike, and is finished in a lovely metallic blue fading to silver.

I'd say the standard of finish on both frames is very good, and I've never had anything break on either of them. Witcomb are still trading in Tanner's Hill, Deptford, in East London (England) - very close to their original workshops. Mr Witcomb senior is now well over 80 and still working there regularly. His son, Barry, does all the frame building and repairs, and I'm happy to say that business seems to be good.

John Williams.

Thanks for the reply, John. I ask because my touring buddy from the 70's got a beautiful, dark blue Witcomb frame in 1976, double butted 531. I dont' remember where he found it, but I suspect it was through a bike shop in Spartanburg, SC, here in the states. His frame was a thing of beauty: finely filed lug points, elegant wrapped seat stays on the seat tube, etc.. He passed away within the past two years and I've been thinking I might try and find his bike to preserve it, unless one of his sons has it. Don't see Witcombs around here any more.
Wouldn't mind seeing a pictrue or two of your bikes.

It occurs to me that it's probably a frame from Witcomb USA. Some of the frames were imported from the UK, and some were made locally (in Connecticut, I believe). I understand that someone by the name of Peter Weigle has a supply of original decals and does restoration on the frames, but I've no idea where to find him. I've seen photographs of his work, however, and 'thing of beauty' would certainly describe it.

Are you interested in anything in particular on my bikes (ie lugwork, etc) or just general pictures. I don't have any particularly good ones, but I do have a digital camera, so it would be no problem to take a couple for you - I'll try and do some this weekend.

John

Further to the above, a quick internet search has turned up the following:

J. P. Weigle Cycles
410 Town Street
East Haddam, CT 06423
Phone: (860) 434-0700


Since East Haddam is where Witcomb USA were based it seems likely that the info regarding original decals and restoration is correct.

John

Any one out there ever hear of, or own a Witcomb frame? 70's vintage?
I believe I just pulled one out of a 25+ year storage. Like the blue one you describe. The shop owner finished in maroon for me. He built me a bike in 1973 right after high school graduation. I remember Witcomb, double butted 531, Nervex lugs. It has a chrome rear triangle that says Brev Campagnolo. My interests went in other directions and the components paid for climbing gear. I kept the frame because of the artfull workmanship and detail. I'd like to clean off the dust, get some pictures out, and find out more about it. I'm not sure how this board works though. I'm at noahsark@cox.net maybe someone can point me through. thanks, noah

Sounds very nice. I imagine the Campagnolo on the rear triangle means it has Campagnolo drop-outs - that's the bit where the wheels slot in. You don't say if you're in the UK or US, but I'm guessing from the language that it's US. Either way you can find out more from Classic Rendezvous (http://www.classicrendezvous.com/).

Hi:

I own a beautifully restored Witcomb track bike from 1969...made by Barry Witcomb at their Deptford premises in April 1969.
I purchased the full chrome bike in the USA and hand-delivered to them for full renovation in 2002: it is now red and white with a full chrome fork. It is FULL Campagnolo Pista Gruppo with large flanged Pista hubs and a steel Cinelli track bar and stem combo....all in all a gorgeous, elegant looking bike.
I met old-man (Ernie) Witcomb several times and Barry and their Tuscan sheep dog there during my frequent visits to them over two years. They are absolutely old-school steel builders...no aluminium or carbon fibre here...I enjoyed our conversations about the old days of cycling with senior Mr. Witcomb.
Hope this helps !

Regards,

Ronnie K. Marker
Miami, Florida