Frames and Framebuilding (1970-1979) HOLDSWORTHY, Ltd
 

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Interesting. I had a straight-gauge 531 Holdsworth that I picked up slightly used at around the same time this article came out (1973). It was a decent bike but I sold it when I bought my higher-spec Raleigh International. I wish I still had both of those.

I own an orange '72 Holdsworth Professional. A truly beautiful bike.

My wife had a '70s Holdsworth (and a custom Erickson) when I met her. The Holdsworth started out as her racing bike but got set up as a touring bike after the Erickson became her racer. '70s racers like that Holdsworth often make pretty decent touring bikes.

The Holdsworth was pretty, but the decals were not strong and not clear-coated, so they were kinda quick-release. She found that a thumbnail could take them off easily, so she made hers say "OLD WORT" on both sides of the downtube, and that became the name of that bike. Later, after touring braze-ons and a repaint without decals, we still called it Old Wort, an inside joke at that point.

Thank you so much for the guided tour. As a Grubb owner, I was particularly interested. I'm not sure that their Lullington Rd. (Crystal Palace) works was all-that-small, but I was surprised to read that they had only 1,000 sq. ft of space for their frame-building area.

Thanks @SpeedofLite,
Kudos for the link to this thread. You organized folks and long-time cyclists are a true joy of the forum.

I own an '80 (?) Holdsworth Special that came to USA thru the Irish company Harding Cycles (and decaled as such) of Dublin and Cork; probably imported to Los Angeles by Charlie Harding for his shop. The only difference (I have detected) from a Holdsworth Special is my lack of eyelets (fork & dropouts). I got it as a bare frame and fork In 58cm from a shop in Colorado - affordably. ¿Who ever heard of a Harding?

Has been through more than a couple of rebuilds (during last decade or so) - road tires and standard 52/42, or gravelly 46/30 gears and 33 cyclocross tubulars. Now on winter trainer evaluating narrow handlebars that flare to 38cm in the drops. Long stem gets acceptable reach.

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It finished Cino 2016 without so much as a flat tire, running knobbie 33 cyclocross tires.
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But it accels as a road sport, for pleasant, neutral handling.
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purchased me first "tenspeed" from Charlie Harding at his shop on Westwood Boulevard in Westwood (Los Angeles) California about 1966

it was a white Peugeot U08 and cost about eighty dollar

he had some topline Carltons he was "closing out" at about one hundred seventy dollar, a staggering sum to me at the time

had a part time job as a college student which paid a whopping dollar sixty-five per hour

after payroll deductions would have had to work at least one hundred twenty hour to purchase such a machine

Charlie's loft was a real treasure store for vintage enthusiasts with quality fittings going back into the nineteen fifties

iirc he retired about nineteen ninety and returned home to Eire

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A Holdsworth by another name. George Harding after returning from WWII took a hankering to bicycles and bicycle touring. Legend had it that while George made some frames early in his business days - his preference was not manufacturing. He supported Irish racing and touring via 2 shops, Dublin + Cork.
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And obviously, shipped a few to LosAngeles, USA.

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I confess to wanting a Holdsworth if the right one at the right price & size popped up. Have lost 2 in the hunt, so far. And no more intl shipping for me.

What's your size?

Good timing- I've got a '79 Holdsworth Pro I just started building up yesterday.

Thanks for posting that.

"In the painting a rust preventative primer coat is first applied, then either a white or metallic base coat depending on the colour of the final finish.
White is used under any solid opague final coat and a silver or gold base for translucent final coat to achieve a metallic flamboyant finish"

That's the most information I've ever seen on their painting process.

I've seen the white undercoat on my 1982 Avanti and it's almost a brilliant white (red pearl on top).
It's much whiter than 2 coats of UPol #5 high build primer in white for example.

I'm about to try mixing a Holdsworth Red Pearl, so if anybody has an idea of what white Holdsworth used I'm all ears :)

Edit:
It turns out RAL 9016 Traffic White is about the whitest white, I've ordered a litre.

My comment was I found the Holdsworth bikes kept a long top tube in the smaller sizes, 21" and under were very oversquare

repechage, I quoted you in my thread, https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...sh-1970-s.html