cobrabyte

Recently made some tweaks to my 1978 Holdsworth Professional. I added
Ideale 90 saddle
27x1 Panaracer Pasela TG tires
Blue Tressotar cloth bar wrap
NOS gum hoods
Blue leather Lapize toe straps and Christophe toe clips
new cables & grease
and flat kit / tool wrap

Going out for a nice long ride this evening

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

1978 Holdsworth Professional by (cobrabyte), on Flickr

sced

Looks great! That Ideale saddle is the ticket.

I took the cheap route on my Holdsworth's hoods with some nice gum Shimanos (God forbid!), but they don't fit quite like the Campy's.

I've ridden mine quite a bit since it's redo four years ago and it's looking dog eared with dirty bar tape, derailleurs, and some rust specks on the headset. I've been thinking about sprucing it up along your lines, though somehow an old bike that shows a bit of wear has appeal too.

terrors

Looks great! Curious, what is the year, given it doesn't have wrap around seat stays and it has braze on cable guides. Where the guides added later>?

cobrabyte

Thank You, I was told by the original owner this is a 1978 model. He said the only things he changed from original were the freewheel (Shimano 6 speed), and normal wear items like the chain, bar wrap, cables. I have had more luck finding info on 1977 models and earlier, but on 1978 and up it's tough to find specs.
The Shimano FW with ramped teeth and the NR rear derailleur work really well together. It's the smoothest friction setup I have used.

Thanks sced. I totally agree. That's one thing I really like about vintage bikes is a history of use that shows. I hope mine looks like yours in a few years.

sisddwg

Here is a 57/58 Typhoon that I just purchased from Vintagecave in London. I intend to restore it as in the photos but I'm not sure that I'll ever build it up. It has only a right side shift lever boss and no front derailleur cable guide. Intended for five speed? The rear spacing puzzles me - 115mm. IMO the brazing looks nice and clean. No dents. I have the proper decals for the down tube and seat stay but no head badge or Typhoon decal for the top tube. The bottom bracket shell is stamped Nervex and serial number 24647 as does the steering tube. Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated. I just enjoy looking at the frame and fork.

sced

Looks kool! It must have been a 5 speed. You can have a framemaker add whatever braze ons you need, or go with clips. No reasons not to turn it into a proper bike you can ride and enjoy.

Oldpeddaller

Four speed freewheel most probably, likely a Cyclo-Benelux. It could have had a double chainring too, with a rod operated Cyclo Benelux front changer?

I used to have a late 1940's Claud Butler Tour Anglais set up that way, it too had a 115mm rear end. At 15 years old I wish I knew then what I know now! I junked the Cyclo-Benelux as being "old fashioned", squeezed in a five speed wheel, Campagnolo Gran Sport cable operated gears and rode it for a bit - then gave the frame to a school friend who used it as a training bike it was pefect with a fixed wheel and mudguards.

The Typhoon is sisddwg's photos looks great - a worthwhile project, maybe with a Sturmey Archer hub gear?

3alarmer 

Sadly, this is still in the project overhaul queue, as I have
been kinda jammed up since it arrived last year.

I should have time to put it on the road in the coming month
or two, and I anticipate the event with some eagerness.

kiwigem

Ooh, I can play now! Mostly finished:

sced

YAY! Activity - I have this secret rivalry for this thread with the Ron Cooper thread. Ron made only a teeny fraction of the Holdsworths out in the ether, yet "his thread" is kicking this one's a$$.

Oldpeddaller

3alarmer & kiwigem - RESPECT! Your Holdsworths both look great.

There's a possibility that Bob Smith at Holdsworths in London may be designing a limited edition water bottle with the Holdsworth head badge design on it. No idea at all on price, when available or shipping costs at present - but he loves to see old Holdworths being enjoyed. Any of you Holdsworth owners or fans interested in having one or more of these bottles if the price etc. are reasonable? I'm hoping to give Bob some idea of the interest in the product to encourage the project along! Let me know how many bottles you might want and I'll pass the total to Bob to help him make a decision - I'm down for three or four.

kiwigem

I dig it, yeah! Count me in for one.

3alarmer 

Thank you for the respect, but my own bike is simply
proof once again that it is better to be lucky than smart.

The last time I shipped a book from the UK here, I almost had
a stroke at how much the shipping charges had increased. Some
years back, you guys were my main source of exotic gardening
and botanical exploration literature. I'm down for four or five if
I can keep the total under 30 bucks or so.....but I may be living
in a fantasy world.

kiwigem

+1. I'm not selling a kidney for it or anything. ; )

Oldpeddaller

3Alarmer, sced & kiwigem

I've asked Holdsworth's Bob Smith for an idea of price and shipping costs from UK to CONUS, Canada, Europe & New Zealand also when he thinks the product will be available - and a photo when it is. I'll post all that info on this thread and you can decide then. Just thought I'd pass the info on as I'm keen to get a few for my own Holdsworths and thought I'd share the chance.

Anyone else interested?

sced

The way I look at it is it might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a "real" Holdsworth bottle for my all time favorite bike, so paying a not-too-outrageous premium over a generic is ok with me. As they say, it's only money and I'm not getting any younger.

kiwigem

I have an old German 5 speed that I just love. Maybe try it out as it was intended before tweaking? You may be surprised how much you enjoy it that way.

kiwigem

Word.

amulinder

Yes, definitely interested in 3-4 if they are made.

terrors

go for two

sced

Yowza!!! How often does something like this come along?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/150831205215...=p5197.c0.m619

1982 NOS Vintage Highly Attractive 57cm Holdsworth Classic Road Bicycle With Acres of Gleeming Chrome.
Fully Chrome front forks and full rear chainstays all with Chrome Campagnolo Dropouts.
Pearlised white paint with head and seat tube Holdsworth Crests.
531 double butted steel throughout.
Component Parts and Full Used Like new Campagnolo 50th Group number 14365 will be listed with Prefix NOS or USED
USED/ Campagnolo 50th crankset 170 arms with 53x42 rings.
USED/ Campagnolo 50th Front and rear derailleurs with NOS Cables. Will supply NOS Campagnolo shifter cables not installed as of yet.
USED/ Campagnolo 50th Brakeset and 50th Brake levers with NOS Cables and NEW Pearlised Campagnolo Brake Cable housing.
USED/ Campagnolo Shifters
USED/ Campagnolo 50th 27.2 Seat Pin
Used / Campagnolo 50th pedals/ Campagnolo 50th toe clips with NOS Bierreci leather straps.
Used / Campagnolo 50th 32 hole hubset/50th skewers laced to NOS Mavic Gold OR 10 Rims no glue still virgin.
NOS / Campagnolo English 50th Super Record Headset.
NOS / Campagnolo English Bottom Bracket
NOS / Brooks Colt Saddle
NOS/ Cinelli Giro D'italia Handlebars 40 cm with NOS Campagnolo Bar Plugs and Velox white cotton cloth tape
NOS / Cinelli Stem 9cm
NOS / Clement Criterium Colle Main Tubular tires no glue still virgin
NOS / Regina Gold oro 6 speed Freewhell.
NOS / Regina Chain will supply not installed as of yet.

unworthy1

I just saw this today, and the thing that got my interest is the (apparently) Nervex Pro lugs that have that unusual rear socket design I had only seen previously on Motobecanes (several models, but certainly on Grand Records). I had expressed doubt as to whether they were actually Nervex or a type of Prugnat, but this Holdsworth seems to have the "missing link" since it has both that "Moto" rear socket but the "whale-tail" front feature of a classic Nervex Pro (do I see that correctly?).
Anyhow, great project bike and thanks for filling in some more trivia for the OCD in me!

3alarmer: how come a French 3-tube 531 decal on your blue Holdsworth Special?

3alarmer 

I think maybe somebody just had one and stuck it on, but it's
too lost in the ownership history to figure it out at this point.

Oldpeddaller

Sced, 3alarmer, kiwigem, amulinder, terrors - The bottles have arrived!





The bottles are identical to the one I have, made by TA in France. Bob Smith of Holdsworth has commissioned a new run following our interest and my enquiries. I'm going to buy at least three for my fleet!

Anyone still interested (or now interested) they are £3.99 each (about five and a half dollars? - not sure about the exchange rate), plus postage if it's going to outside the UK - contact Bob Smith at W.F.Holdsworth Ltd
direct at bob@holdsworthcycles.co.uk. "Serving cyclists since 1927!" Postage is likely to be a lot less than you'd think, sending from the UK to US or Europe - ask Bob for details.

Best regards,

Oldpeddaller

unworthy1

That's a nice bit of kit, and I'd be all over it, except...neither of my Holdsworths are "Team orange and Kingfisher blue", it would clash. ;(