avecReynolds531

Gorgeous frame - looks like my favourite Prugnat S4 lugs.

Kabuki12

I never really knew much about them, still don't. My buddy Rich rode one last year at the Eroica event. It is a very nice bike and he tells me it rides well.

photo courtesy of Straightblok

scarlson 

Here's mine. I toured on it all around Europe as a teenager, with horrible MA3 rims, clamp-on Blackburn racks, and Campy sidepulls (broke two rims and two racks in 6 months and Swiss and Welsh descents were pretty scary not being able to stop properly), so when I finally became gainfully employed I had it all repainted, got some braze-ons, and put some proper touring equipment on.



It works well, but the rear fenderline is bothering me. I want to take it apart again and move the seat stay bridge a bit higher, and braze on some posts for the Paul Racers now that I can braze things myself.

I do love the way it rides. Something intangible about it, I don't really know. My Jack Taylor also has this, my Holdsworth/Claud Butler doesn't.

Last ride 76 

I posted the arrival of this previously (Christmas in February). So weird, I've been looking for years, and within 3 weeks, I get 2 Cooper frames... (bikes often seem to show up in pairs with me). I cleaned and touched it up a bit, (the paint was a bit worse than I had thought), and made it ridable. Mostly Suntour "Cyclone", I had to use a set of Campy record brakes, I have 2 pair short arm cyclones, but no long arm. Cinelli bar & Stem, American Classic hubs and seat post. Still figuring out tape color. Too many bikes with white. I don't do well keeping white clean. Used Benotto pearl white, temporarily pirated from another rebuild.

My original Ron Cooper was my favorite climbing and descending bike ever, (and I've ridden some great bikes). It was hard for me to admit, but it never felt quite the same after being rebuilt. Though I'm no longer a good climber, I am curious to see how it feels... I will get a chance soon, I hope.

Keeping my social distance, Eric


I had a spare set of dt decals that I put to good use.

Figuring out bar tape, re-using some saved bits. Old brake cables and housings, which are slightly too short, even by my standards.


I think this may be an early version of the raised "C" that Ron placed in the lower head tube lug cut out. It seems too high on the down tube to be intended as a stop for the shift levers, though it would work as a cable stop for bar-end shifters, I guess.

Ex Pres 

My newly obtained Ron Cooper. Seller thought he bought it circa 1985. He did have it repainted, he remembered late 80's, and no decals.
I'm going to build it up like this and ride it before I decide if I'd like a different paint scheme.
Pictures of a few areas - I've only seen pics of two others with the inlaid "C" on the headtube.
Plain lugs, plain bottle braze-ons, for recessed brakes, Campy drops. I don't see any indication of Columbus tubing, so I assume this one is at least mostly 531.

machinist42

The routing of the RD cable above the chainstay, and the portacanta dropout suggests late 70s or early 80s to me. (Edit: My Bad: crusty eyes and not enough coffee. I see now it's routed under the chainstay, so early 80s?)

Ron Cooper never used any shoddy tubing of which I'm aware. He did use Super Vitus during this period, and if you scrutinize the surface with a strong light at the "right" angle, you may find as I did a stamping indicating the tubing. Then again, your example has a pretty thick coat of something. If the steerer tube doesn't have "rifling," you can rule out Columbus. The unpainted steerer tube may reveal a Reynolds or Super Vitus imprint as well. I found "Super Vitus" partially obscured by the tang on the inside of one fork blade, thus reading "SUPER...US." I think mine was destined for the US market as it's a near perfect match to those featured in the Bikeology Catalog of the mid-70s. He did try to make each bike unique in its own way,

Would you please post photos of all aspects of the underside of the BB, and the chainstay bridge? It's for a database I'm sort of accreting.

Congratulations on your acquisition! Thanks for sharing!

Your Cooper has some interesting and different details: the dimpling of the stays on a "racing model," the chiseled stay end treatment at the rear dropouts rather then his typical domed approach, and the cast chainstay bridge are all of note.

Out of curiosity, is there a shifter band stop brazed on the underside of the downtube? I wonder if some of the braze-ons were added before the respray?

Ex Pres 

No rifling, no manufacturer's marking that I could find on the unpainted part of the steer tube. Just to add some fun the stamped, and also written in black marker serial number "149". There is not a shifter stop on the underside of the downtube. The BB shell is mostly unremarkable as well, except for what I assume is the maker's mark. Kind of looks like a tuning fork or wineglass? No drillings or slots. I've attached a few pics of the BB underside, chainstay bridge, and also the inside of the brakebridge.

Who is the BB shell supplier?

surveyor6

Here is my early 1970s Cooper. My boss found it abandoned on a canal bank in Glendale, AZ. The paint was so sun damaged that I could not determine the color.

Daniel Stuart

I wonder if you happen to know what kind of fork crown that is ...

Daniel Stuart

... has the same fork crown as yours
... is a touring frame w/ rack lugs
... the ser# is on the bottom bracket
... where the lug covers the bottom of the down-tube
... and there is a ‘dimple’ on the back of the bottom bracket between the chain stays (Ron’s ‘trademark’?)
... your ser# might be covered w/paint ?
... mine is a ‘respray’
... I guess it may have come thru ‘Bikecology’ in the late ‘70s

... It’s good to see a post from somebody who worked there
... I saw a ‘70s catalog on the web
... I tried calling but nobody remembered anything about build dates or ser#’s

Mr. 66

Here is my Cooper, mostly Shimano with a smattering of Campy on resurrected and literally saved from the dump wheelset. Primal purchase with a seatpost that had 8" of inserted stuck seatpost

Daniel Stuart

I had an ‘Avocet’ seat post stuck in mine ... I soaked it w/‘PB Blaster ... it cam out ‘OK’ ... I’ve also used 50/50 ATF & Acetone when soaking for several days ...

Ex Pres 

My Cooper is finally built up and had its maiden voyage. Bike was great, rider/motor, not so much


Super Record / OMAS / Record / Cinelli / Araya / American Classic = 19.84# with cages & the modern pedals. I may try to shave a little more off with a lighter bar/stem.

Daniel Stuart

[QUOTE=Ex Pres;22159042]My Cooper is finally built up ...

... Congratulations! ...
... is that a 60 or 62 cm seat post ? ...
... # 578 here is a 58 cm touring ...
... might be a bit ‘short’ for me, as I can stand over a 69 and have been riding 60 or 62 mostly ...
... it’s a ‘respray’ with ‘chips & scratches’, but i’m looking for some ‘touch up’ where nail polish is sold ...
... it’s been on the work stand for a while ...
... I keep going back to admire the lug work ...
... and trying to decide if I should build it and ride it just yet ...