Picked up a couple of frames today. One, I clearly know what it is, and the other is this.

The frame looks to have original stove enameling - with at least a bit of it over chrome, a bit of a showy head badge, the seat pin opening is 26.1mm, the fork dropout opening is 95mm, and the rear is 126mm. Appears to be intended for 27" wheels (630s)

The dropouts are stamped, but not cheesy. The lugs aren't thinned, but the brazing is decent. I know it's older than 1983 based on the University of Colorado sticker expiration, but how old? I have no clue. I suspect English, but not even sure of that. Can anyone shed some light? Care to make conjecture?

Pics follow:

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Sutton is one of the marques belonging to the Union Bicycle Co. of Brooklyn New York, Royce Union

this example appears to come from Japan

you may be able to determine the vendor (manufacturer) by means of the serial placement and format using the Asian serial number database

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there were fairly high quality Sutton models as well

owned two new ones which were constructed of DB chromo tubing and kitted with DuraAce ensembles


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Thanks. That's helpful. Do you have any recollection of when this "marque" cropped up? 60s? 70s?

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do not know a launch date

recall it as current in the 1970's

subject frame appears early to mid 1970's to my eye

we have had forum posts on the history of the Union Bicycle Co. but do not recall reading any which gave information on the creation of marques

the fancy ones owned were purchased at a discount house in California in the mid-1970's

they had some "bling" - finishes were indigo chromovelato

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edit:

the forum has had several discussion threads on Sutton cycles

as recalled, all the examples discussed appeared to hail from the early to mid 1970's time


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From what I remember from working in a bike shop in the early '70s, Suttons began showing up in the late '60s, pre-bike boom. Importers were bringing low-end Japanese bikes to compete with the relatively few 10-speed bikes being sold in the U.S.

The bluntly cut, thick-wall lugs are a hallmark of those Suttons and equivalent Japanese bikes. Another is the top tube length, which was the same for the various frame sizes of the lowest-end models. Cheaper to use parallel seat and head tube angles and simply cut those tubes to length accordingly for the taller and shorter sizes.

Cool. If I'm interpreting the serial correctly, it seems to have been made in September of 1972.

The Sutton trademark name was owned by Seedman International Corp.. Seedman began using the name late in year 1969.

In 1975, Wilcox International took possession of the Sutton trademark name. Wilcox was the import company for Seedman.

The Union Bicycle Company was owned by Seedman International.