Classic & Vintage - Merseyside Bicycles

Hi
Mike from the UK here........

I've started a blog about Merseyside cycling, so if you like your Harry Quinn's or Eddie Soens
Check the blog out at http://merseysidebicycles.blogspot.com/

Thanks for looking
Mike

Thanks Mike. Great info. My wife has a Quinn (previous owner powdercoated it, unfortunately), and I'll try and get some photos taken.... I love the English tradition of regional framebuilders.

Hi Bibliobob
Glad you like the blog, it's early days yet, but it's coming on ok.

Pictures of your wife's Quinn, would be great, you can mail me at merseysidebicycles@gmail.com

Mike

Hi all
Just a big thanks to the guy's on the forum, who have been in touch.

There's a number of new post's up on the blog, please check them out at-

http://merseysidebicycles.blogspot.com/


You can contact me at merseysidebicycles@gmail.com


Thanks again
Mike

If I go to merseysidebicycles, can I take a "Ferry Cross the Mersey?" Great song.

You certainly can Robbie, great bikes and music, from Merseyside..........

Best of luck on your site. Thank you for the link to classic lightweights UK. Some stunning bikes on there.
While many of us were riding heavyweight tanks, machines like this were in existence:
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bikes/avt-mercian-rb.html

Hey mavesyn,

You include Manchester in Merseyside? The Mersey does run through Didsbury...:P

Hey mavesyn,

You include Manchester in Merseyside? The Mersey does run through Didsbury...:P

Hi John
No i best not include Manchester in Merseyside, big rivals...............But if you have any info on Manchester built bikes, Peter at Classic lightweights UK, would love to see some manchester built bikes on his site.
Mike.

I am currently waiting for delivery of this James Fothergill frame:http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r77/hilarystone/Fothergill.jpg

The seller (Hilary Stone) described it as follows:


JAMES FOTHERGILL ROAD FRAME 1940s
Seat Tube (ctt): 61cm (24in)
Top Tube (ctc): 58.5cm (23.25in)
Rear dropout width: 116mm
Wheel size: Sprints/700C (brake drop 57mm)
Frame tubing: Reynolds 531
Seatpost size: 27.0mm
James Fothergill was a very well respected Liverpool framebuilder. This frame which dates from I think the 1940s is in very sound condition.
More details can be found about Fothergill at
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/fothergill-james.html It is complete with headset and will when repainted make a a great classic frame.

I plan to build it up with parts from the early 50's: Sturmey Archer AW hub with two cogs, Resilion derailleur, Williams crankset, &c. I also bought a set of GB Coureur brakes and Superhood levers that sadly disappeared in the mail; so I'm not sure what I'll be using for brakes. Some modern parts --seat post, for example-- should go unnoticed; others, less so. My quest for a Lauterwasser bar has borne no fruit so far, but I have a scheme... which I'll share later!

I hope to have more photos of the bare frame soon, to be followed by photos of it built up. I will touch up the existing paint and restore whatever remains of the existing decals &c and ride the bike for a while before making any decisions about repaint, etc.

Hi Rhm
Looks and sounds a great project. We'd very much like to feature your restoration project on the blog.
If that's sounds of interest please contact me at merseysidebicycles@gmail.com
Also a friend of mine has started a registry for Fothergill machine's, and i know he'd very much like to add your
machine to the registry.
Mike

I got my frame!

There isn't much I can add to my last post. The paint is poor, perhaps even worse than the photos show. As the photos show, a previous owner has sanded down the paint in the locations where decals are to be expected; whether this was done to remove misleading decals, or in hopes of finding older decals that had been covered over, one can only speculate (I'm inclined to believe the latter). Various traces suggest the original frame color was lime green, but not enough of this is preserved (or exposed) to give any sense of what it looked like.

Serial number stamped onto left rear dropout; hard to read, but I'm thinking 12121 or possibly 18121 or 10121.

Both rear dropouts have CHATER LEA stamped on the left side.

Bottom bracket shell has BRITISH MADE stamped into the bottom.