We'll have to wait until it comes back from the framebuilder 100 miles from me to answer some of your questions. It was actually ordered by a friend in England who sent me the 72 catalog and order form - all snail mail as international phone calls were expensive and no email. I don't know anything about how he did the ordering. It was likely ordered ~March 1973 after some back-and-forth correspondence with my friend and it arrived ~October because I immediately started riding it to school. It was probably made closer to March but sat awaiting parts because of the Campag strike.

My frameset is essentially a Professional with the fastback stays and custom paint. I believe the Super Mistral Fastback was Holdsworth's most expensive offering at the time. Professionals could be bought off the rack at the time. Unlike the Chrono as described above, it has no cutouts, horizontal rear dropouts, and came with a Record road headset.

The braze-ons (top tube brake cable, shifter bosses, and BB cable guides) shown in the above picture were added ~1990 before a repaint. It originally came with Campag clips. The TT and BB braze-ons have largely rusted away and are the primary reason for the current restoration.

sced
Thanks

PS: I had sent a PM that must have crossed path of your last message.

I've been reading all the threads about holdsworths and related brands. I'm restoring a Roy Thame at the moment with serial number 31281. I think it's a late 70s or even as late as 1981, as it came as a bike with Campy NR cranks with 81 date code and NR brakes. Sure these could have been added after. I actually thought 1981 might be a bit late as the frame has 124mm rear spacing and for standard reach nutted brakes, and 1010A dropouts, but does have the later campy braze-ons e.g. shifter bosses and cable guides. Anyway I'm none the wiser on Putney shop numbering post 1975. Any advice would be appreciated.https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4eaa974c86.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...037bce4c19.jpg

My late '72 (SN 37417) Professional.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...357085dad2.jpg

Bike back from repairs and paint with its original 1973 paint scheme which it hasn't worn since 1977. The paint and chrome were totally trashed after I toured a rainy Europe on it that year over summer break at university. I subsequently rattle-canned it 4 times in different colors over the years. This pic was taken as my lifelong friend and fellow cyclist Bob first set off from a friend's home in Burgess Hill near Brighton. He was riding a Proteus criterium bike which he had also modified for the trip.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c6d0bb9757.jpg

Below are pics of the latest (professional redo) with serial numbers. I had the fellow that did the work (Nate Zukas in Augusta GA) spray shiny silver where the original chrome was.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...82263f4aa0.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2ab7ca4503.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bb2b0b4cf7.jpg

That looks like a Tommy Quick build.

sced,

I agree with Wileyone number along BB edge is typical of TJ Quick's work who was the Putney Shop "specials" builder by 1973 - the year you remember frame being ordered in approx. March. (dwscrimshaw's serial prediction also predicts to early 1973.) Quick had taken over from Reg Collard on his retirement estimated to be a year or two before.

Thanks for pics clarifying that number is indeed 69559 as Dave has another shop frame with same number in his prediction data (no pic available of that serial). https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...UZYSTNKZkN4TmM

I believe typical of the "Cronometro" - a 5 speed TT Putney Shop model. Were under bracket cable guide(s) added later? A real beauty and great job on restoration!

Doug

sced,

PS: Interesting, come to think of it, I also spent 3 months of the 1973 University summer break cycle touring England, Wales and Europe. During the winter, I had corresponded with the owner of Robert's Rebuilds in London's Crouch End - who put together a touring bike built to my specs from a 2nd hand Holdsworth frame. It was nicely repainted and had state of the art touring kit for the time, but wasn't until several years later that I learned it was the Holdsworh factory's most "economical" frame - a 1965 "Typhoon". It likewise has gone through numerous itterations and has crossed the Atlantic 5 times. I love that bike.

Doug

Originally, the only braze-on was a RD cable guide atop the right chain stay, and the stop which you can still see on the bottom of the downtube for the single Campy RD lever clamp. All the clamps were Campag. which eventually got rusty and dug into the paint anyway. The restorer replaced the BB and toptube cable guides which a frame builder add ~1990 because they too had rotted. The frame also needed other repairs.

And we're still at it!

Hi Doug, do you have any idea when Quick started at Holdsworth?

Wileyone,

Seems to be sparse details of Tommy Quick's frame buildng career and no doubt you have seen the following already:

There is an article on Classic Lightweights, a thread on Retrobike with some info and a letter by Kilgariff mentioning shop builders in early 60's. Piecing this info together TJQ would likely be in his nineties by now although I have no idea if he is still with us. From article discussion looks like he must have started his frame building career at Holdsworth sometime in 40's. "He built his first frame in the garden shed, took it to Holdsworths and asked them to check it over and they offered him a job as a frame builder so that was where he started."

There is evidence that he opened his own shop by at least early 50's. He is described as building frames "for the trade" as at Roy Thame's Putney WF Holdsworth shop becoming the shop "specials" builder by early 70's according to Kilgariff.

T J Quick cycles
Need some help/ info on TJ Quick frame, please | Retrobike
True Adventures of the Retro Grupetto: Holdsworth Italia

#69559 now back on the roadhttps://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a9b1b2f8f4.jpg

Trying to get an idea of year on this Holdsworth Cyclone, but this like an "S" in the serial number, I've only seen numbers listed. This is an older one with an oil port on the BB shell
thank you!
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2ef9a1cb57.jpg

[QUOTE=M A V;23633197]Trying to get an idea of year on this Holdsworth Cyclone, but this like an "S" in the serial number, I've only seen numbers listed. This is an older one with an oil port on the BB shell
thank you!

Looks like a poorly stamped 8 to me. Maybe reluctant but scraping off some paint or even better looking at serial on fork steerer would likely clarify. So... Without seeing frame features, and assuming it is indeed a Holdsworth, based strictly on a serial of 17282 would give the year of production as 1953.
See serial guide on Kilgariff website:
https://nkilgariff.com/Frame%20Numbe...-%20280721.pdf

[QUOTE=allend;23633314]Makes sense, probably an 8, 1953 would be fitting for the details too, thank you!
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ebf84591ab.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae44f7449f.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1551f13be0.jpg

[QUOTE=M A V;23633381][QUOTE=allend;23633314]

Makes sense, probably an 8, 1953 would be fitting for the details too, thank you!
QUOTE

Beautiful frame and nice paint job!

Not sure I ever posted to this thread.

1961 Cyclone 27965
1953 Whirlwind 18395

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7134b33255.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...40376732ef.jpg