Restoring my first classic a 1950s R O Harrison track bike. I am looking at GB bars but not sure how to date them. Any telling marks like a date stamp. See lots of bars but cannot date them. Any advice?

Welcome to BF. You have picked a good bike to show us pics later, hint, hint.

I have several GB examples and have never seen a dating system stamped on them. I believe the bars were available during the run of the company.

Which type are you considering for this build? I don't know if GB ever had a track bar.

I'm never seen bar date codes either but I have noticed that the older stems have very well defined logos as compared with 'newer' 70's models. Not a great help, I know.
This is an early 60's bar/stem combo.

GB didn't put date stamps on the early stems. I think there were some serial numbers on later (>60's) stems though.

The classic spear-point stems had variously "Forged Hiduminium", "Solid Forged", "British Made" or "Made in England"

If it says Hiduminium then you should be OK for the 1950's, not sure whether BM predated MiE though. I checked the Brown Brothers' Catalogues: there is no mention of GB stems in the 1938 and 1939 books, but the spearpoint stem features in 1952, 1954 and 1959.

The 531 and Kromo stems were also available from at least 1952 - 1959. There were also 'girder style' stems from the same period, or from the late 1940's.

I think all other designs (including that posted by clubman) were at least 1960's. GB closed shop in the 1990's but not before producing the GB Biba stem, which is one of the best looking.

Some resources:
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/175723/

Brown Brothers' Catalogue:
oldroads.com - Vintage Bicycle Reference
oldroads.com - Vintage Bicycle Reference

GB Components, main

I didn't mean to divert, the OP was interested in bars after all

I didn't notice either: sorry about that!

Anyway, I think GB switched from "Made in England" to "British Made" around 1952, assuming all their components followed the convention of the brakes: GB Brakes

So, if the OP finds bars that say MiE rather than BM then he/she has an upper bound on the date.
J.

Burgess Furniture was still going a few years ago:
Burgess Furniture: A Brief History - DesignCurial

My understanding has always been that GB was a post WWII venture.The brakes were reportedly introduced in 1945, then the bars and stems followed, circa 1948.

I've always considered steel to be the preferred the material for track handlebars in the 1950s based on the extant catalogues that I've seen. I can't say that I've ever seen a steel GB handlebar.

I haven't seen any GB track bars either most of the 50-60's stuff was either medium drop road bars or ranonneur style in alloy. For a 50's vintage track bike you would normally go with a nicer steel bar with a larger drop.

hopefully you would be familiar with this
R O Harrison bicycles

which has a guide to the frame build date.

a GB catalogue is
https://veterancycleclublibrary.org.u...20Library).pdf
but is is likely to be at the end of the 1950s as it includes GB Coureur Plus brakes, which were released in 1957
it does show the two steel handlebars the company produced.

a readable version of the 1952 Brown Brothers catalogue is in BF's Dawes-man's albums and handlebars start at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/229836...7645283084540/

if you can establish the year your frame was made it would help in providing you with resources from that period.

How have you determined it is a track bike and not a time trial bike? Have you measured the frame angles?

If you were a V-CC member you would be able to contact the Marque Enthusiast for R O Harrison to have the frame identified. Their members only publications and access to the ME is well worth it. I am a member.

And a new thread on the bike project is encouraged.

GB started just after WW II with brake callipers before diversifying into other products. I have not seen any GB track bars nor dates on any handle bars. Here is a 1961 catalogue

GB began date stamping handlebars and stems in 1974. You can see the 06 74 (June '74) date stamp above the "GB BRITISH MADE" stamp on a GB Randonneur handlebar taken from a '74 Schwinn Continental:

I had no idea Burgess made aluminum...or, aluminium, furniture. Learn something new every day. Cool. Thanks RHM.