Oldpeddaller

From the tiny photos, description and fond memories of my youth, I'm sure you'll find it's a Holdsworth "Equipe" of about 1970-73. If so, original equipment would have been a Campagnolo Valentino rear derailleur (gear), Weinmann centrepull brakes & lever (can see those in photo!), Brooks black leather saddle, chromed cottered cranks (3-arm if I recall correctly), GB bars and stem, chromed "rat trap" pedals, single down-tube Campagnolo gear shift lever. If memory serves (and it was nearly 40 years ago that I last touched one!), the frame had Reynolds 531 main tubes and fork blades, Prugnat pointed lugs, angled seat stay tops and a flat top cast fork crown with fork lug cutouts that I can best describe as looking a bit like a "horizontal upside down figure 3". The Equipe was the entry-level Holdsworth of its time and not a bad road bike for all that - better than the low-end Raleighs, Vikings, Claud Butler Electron, Edwardes, Sun Sprite, Puch Clubman and Carlton Corsa that were the alternatives in this price range. Many club cyclists cut their teeth on one of these and went on to greater things, so it's a good find and a piece of English cycling history, (in my opinion). They were generally ridden to death, so it's good to know of another that's survived. The finish was a copy of the Holdsworth Team Campagnolo "Holdsworth Professional" bikes ridden by arguably the most successful British road team ever, a team that included Les West and Geoff wiles, among others. The only other Equipe I've seen since the '70's is on display in the side window of W.F. Holdsworth's shop in Lower Richmond Road, Putney, SW London, together with the last remaining "Team" bike from the Holdsworth Team Campag days. I've got some more details, links etc, here somewhere so will try to post some more info tonight.

You may have guessed, I'm a Claud Butler & Holdsworth bore - my own 1970 Holdsworth Mistral has become an obsession (pics posted under Viscount's post "Can anyone help with Claud Butler 3 speed?"

Good luck with the bike, it will make a good period restoration. Incidentally, Holdsworths quoted me about £200 for a complete restoration; paint, transfers and banding of my frame in Holdsworth Team Campag colours. I decided not to for now - it's only original once, but this might be of interest?