jonzo

Hey all,
if any one can tell me what kind of bikes Falcon was making int he mid-80's that would be great. I have a chance to buy what I think is called a "Team Europe" it has what looks like a full Mavic SSC gruppo.
Any info would be awesome... the book looks great!?

jsharr

Falcon info is hard to find for that period. I ride a Falcon of England Europa that I have modernized. It originally had Huret drivetrain and Weinmann brakes and Mavic rims. It now has full 105 and modern rims.

After:



Before:

jonzo

nice bike!
any ideas of the value of a Falcon of this time period? the mavic gruppo alone I think is pretty sought after...

jonzo

nice bike!
the bike i'm looking at upon further inspection is actually called a "Team Equipe"
I'm hoping someone might be able to help me determine the value of this one. From what I've seen the Mavic gruppo is pretty sought after alone.

evwxxx

The Mavic SSC grouppo is indeed a hot item, some of the grouppo going for prices in the Campy SR range. I have a set of the Cranks, they are nice, and the rims are also hot ticket items.

unworthy1

any pics? I can't tell you anything about that specific model, but I'm sure it's a worthwhile bike, and yes, a full Mavic SSC gruppo is definitely desirable...if the price is right the gruppo alone might be worth it even if the frame is trashed. (Somehow I doubt that somebody with a bike like this would have abused it)

jonzo

The pic's I have are crap, but the bike looks mint from what I can tell. The seller is looking for $700 Cad. which might not be too bad, but I got a beautiful Pinarello Trevisio with mostly Mavic SSC this winter for $450, so I'm a little conflicted.

evwxxx

$700 is pretty steep for that bike, even with SSC,,,

MKahrl

How well crafted does the frame look? Falcon built some high end frames in the 80's that were really well done with beautifully tapered lugs. Here in the C&V forum we are a bit jaded as we come across great bikes at ridiculously low prices due sometimes to seller ignorance but more so the fact that there aren't many cyclists savy enough to recognize that older bikes can be great bikes.

If it were my size and I liked the color and I needed another bike it might be worth considering. If it's in fantastic shape then it might be worth it. (I don't necessarily need another bike but I do need another Falcon.)

rbman

Nice bike, and unusual color for the "Falcon" decals. You are right on about Falcon in the 80's, something of a mystery. I do know they made models such as "Triathlon", "Harrier", they had the similar Union Jack on the seat stays, and look like well made, and equiped bikes.

One of my favorites is their "Victory" model. Very nicely appointed. Certainly top of the line.

I'm restoring a Falcon which was made in of all places Canada. They must have been importing frames from Japan around 84, and assembling them in Toronto(?). Full Falcon decals, and the application headbadge which had Falcon Canada on it. Mostly Shimano 600 parts, and a few nice SR. Ishiwata Magny Double Butted Tubing. (on par with Columbus and 531) Probably much less expensive to mfg in Japan than Europe at this time.

I'll try to attach some pics of all this stuff.

Regards

RichardMc

I'm new to these forums and I recognize that this an old thread.

A search for "Falcon Victory" brought me here. I have a mid-80's which I acquired as a frameset from a small shop in Brentwood CA in 1987 (it had been stripped for the Victory group). Originally built up with 7400 Dura Ace it has been through many iterations and two repaints. It has always been a favorite "rider".

Around four years ago, I wanted to restore it. I contacted Falcon in England and talked to the product manager Sean White. He informed me that after the 1989 bankruptcy the company was sold and virtually all the records prior to that time were lost. I couldn't get any history let alone replacement decals.

Then I stumbled upon Greg Softley's e-Bay store and scored a complete kit including the red Reynolds 531P tubing decals. I had the frame powder coated back to the original color and built it back up with a complete Campy Record Ti 8 speed group I had put together (yes, I know it's not exactly "period correct" but as a rider I didn't want downtube shifters.) It looks right and rides even better. My conservative estimate is that I have between 60 and 70,000 miles on it. Every time I get on "her" I realize why after a quarter of a century I still have this bike.

P.S. I did learn that by the '80's most of the Falcons with Japanese components were frames built in Japan and assembled in Canada. The Mavic and Campy models with Reynolds tubing were still built in England.

Bianchigirll 

welcome to the forums! Great looking falcon

John E

Very nice! Circa 1970 quote from Charlie Harding of C. Harding's For Bikes, in west Los Angeles: "A Falcon is a good English bike."

Chombi

The Falcons I remember seeing in a small dealer's shop in Milawaukee in the 80's looked a bit different. They had the decal with the stretched Union Jack flag behind the "Falcon" lettering on the down tubes, and had frames of Reynolds 531 tubing, finished in gold or silver paint that gave them a really classic look. I don't remember ever seeing any Mavic Groups on any of them, mostly Campy NR, IIRC. So I find the mention of the Mavic SSC group on the Falcons mentioned a bit unusual.... But maybe I did see them with Stronglight Simplex and Shiman DA groups on them too.

RichardMc

According to Sean White, in the waning days of Falcon there was no rhyme or reason re the "models." Many were thrown together with the parts on hand. Remember, Falcon (like Raleigh, Peugeot, Bianchi, Atala, etc.) made everything from just above junk to some very stellar stuff. Falcon even had a license to market an "Eddy Merckx" model in Great Britain.

eschlwc

my '73 falcon sr (531 with campy drops) had campy nr, black dura ace brakes and a sugino crank, all original as mentioned by the one owner who bought it in dc. i had it powder coated, added 700c wheels on campy hubs and a modern brakeset.

ThermionicScott 

One guy in my riding club has a 70s/80s Falcon, which has been restored and modernized to 9-speed. Still has the 52/48 (or was it 46?) crank and Simplex-looking downtube shifters. I need to get a good pic of it because I love that bike.

BFisher

393564 Nice little mixte score here. It has...
Resurrection here, there is no tubing decal on this, but the bike feels lighter than comparable bikes. It has Weinman 700c wheels with Maillard hubs, Stronglight cranks, Shimano light action components. It's nothing special value wise, but I haven't seen another like it. The paint is really nice! I pulled the seat tube and the inside of the frame is like brand new. The tubing is seamed. The price was very, very low. I just wanted to share for those who may be interested in this seemingly obscure brand.

3alarmer 

...I was wondering what became of that one. Here is one I just finished and rode today for the first time.
Also powdercoated. No idea what model it was, but it rides like a Reynolds 531 bike, if that makes any sense.

cbutler

Was the Pinarello a deep blue on Toronto Kijiji? I was very interested at the time! I had two mid-80's Falcon San Remos, 531, nice lug work with Campag Victory components. The San Remos were very good riders, everything you'd want and expect in a Pro level frame, except without the prestige.

So, a Falcon with Mavic SSC at 700 + Pinarello with SSC for 450 = 1150 /2 = 575 per SSC bike. looks like a good buy to me!

Rationalization: some are cheap, others are not so cheap, but on average you do very well.

cbutler

CAD 700 is only USD 560. Seems better no?

eschlwc

makes perfect sense.



looks cool. what crank and derailleur group?

that seat tube decal should probably be in the middle of the tube. i got mine from cyclomondo on ebay.

i've been riding mine a lot. i recently put black tape, paselas, and campy non-aero levers on it. looks legit now.

it's the only full 531 bike i've had in a size 56, the smallest i ride. comfy, fast, and fun.

rjhammett

I picked up this Falcon last winter. I believe it is a mid '80s Victory. It had a mix of Campy and Shimano 600 parts when I got it. The wheelset was Record, the seat binder bolt was Campy, the bars and stem were Cinelli and most everything else was 600. I broke it down completely, gave it a respray and built it back up with Shimano 600 components. It has Campagnolo dropouts and the tubeset is Reynolds 531P (Professional) which is pretty rare and very light. Unfortunately, it is way too small for me so I will be passing it on.

3alarmer 

...the decal placement was a little limited by the bottle braze-ons. I didn't want to punch holes in the decal. Too lazy.

The Shimano 600 stuff was on the bike when I got it, but it had been hideously repainted, so it's anybody's guess what the originals were. Crank is an SR Campy imitation that appears to be well made and was in the parts box from heaven. I thought it looked nicer on there than the 600 crank it came with. Unless you're dealing with a San Remo, all the lesser ones seem to have come with a functional mix of parts, and not much attention to matched stuff anyway.....at least from the catalog pictures I've seen.

eschlwc

^ there were several san remo models with campy drops front and rear. mine is one, and it was originally purchased with sugino crank and first gen dura ace calipers among all the nuovo record.