Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie

Back in the late 1970s I embarked on my quest to build the ultimate camp touring bicycle, and sent out inquiries with my specifications to numerous frame builders who specialized in this genre, including building custom pannier racks and special fittings for generators, fenders, kickstands etc. Some of my requests were eccentric, such as the steel kickstand from a Schwinn Continental being grafted onto the frame to provide the ultimate in strength and reliability. Many of the builders did not even bother to answer, while others refused such an uncouth request. However, one framebuilder named Dennis Sparrow who lived in Missoula, Montana agreed to it all, and $900 and nearly a year later shipped me the frame that you see in the attached photos. It is truly a beautifully crafted frame and the Dupont Imron paint job is impecable. I built it up with 48-hole Phil Wood hubs and 650B rims, a Stronglight 99 triple crankset and half-step gearing, Mafac cantilever brakes with Weinmann levers, Campy Nuovo Record pedals and of course a Brooks Pro saddle. The front and rear panniers are from kirtland tour pak, which have been removed to permit photographing of the custom tubular steel racks. Note that the "handlebar" bag mounts completely to the top of the front rack, independent of the handlebar. Also, the racks contain the cable stops for the front and rear brakes and the fork has mounting tabs for the tire drive lighting generator and the IKU tire drive mechanical speedometer.

I recently attemped to locate Dennis Sparrow, but can find no trace or record of him. Perhaps someone reading this forum thread can shed some light on his whereabouts, as he truly deserves attention in the pantheon of fine framebuilders. I am also fortunate to own fine framesets from Ron Cooper and Mark Nobilette, and know that fortunately they are both alive, well and still working their craft.