Hi all,
I bought a used track frame a few weeks ago and ever since i've been searching the deepest corners of the internet trying to find out just who made it. Hopefully someone here will have some ideas or leads. I was told by someone that they almost certainly knew it was a Brian Rourke, but I emailed Brian and he said he didn't make it and he didn't know who did.
Here are some pictures:
http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s303/jackjutson/
I suppose the unique feature is the wrap over seat stay, but I've seen this feature on a few different makers (mostly British).
The guy who sold it to me said he didn't know the maker and the original owner resprayed it that lovely colour you see in the pictures. The paint job is actually professionally done, if you can believe it. He also added his own lettering to spell GUMBY. The original badge was lost somewhere along the way and all that's left of it is a small glue patch and some holes. I've tried to contact all the J. Warnock's living in my province, but none of them are the John Warnock I seek. So that's kind of a dead end.
This is the ad from the original owner. Note that I have changed some of the parts over since I got it.
"Late 70's era track bike, 531 Reynolds tubing, 23" frame, Campagnolo crankset and seatpost, Sugino chainring, Cinelli bars, Tioga stem, Girard Regal Saddle, Maillard Normandy hubs, Kyokuto Pro Ace pedals. This bike won many races at the old China Creek Velodrome ridden by local ace, John Warnock."
Now when I got in touch with the guy who sold it to the guy who sold it to me, he said that a frame builder in Maple Ridge (BC, Canada) built the frame. His name was Tony Hore, though i'm not sure of the spelling. Has anyone heard of anyone by this name? Could it be a one off build? Perhaps Tony is just an importer?
And the final puzzle piece I have is the serial number, which is stamped on the bottom side of the bottom bracket: 93680
Hopefully this is enough information to figure something out.
Ultimately, I would like to find the maker, buy a decal set and respray it the original colour.
Thanks for reading! This means a lot to me.
Jack
Vancouver, BC
Canada