As Cranky already found out, Lloyds' Ron Cooper transfers are of a more modern type than the ones on Timc11's bike.

I forgot to ask in my last reply- are there any cutouts in the lugs?
Some early/mid 70s Coopers have this mutant club/cloverleaf cutout in the bottom headlug.
More photos would help.

...and Brian Baylis has acquired several Ron Coopers.

I'd like to see the bottom bracket shell from underneath. Mr. Cooper seems to have built frames with a variety of lug work and BB shell cutouts.

There is a nice, small Cooper on Craigslist currently for $750:
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/1926163831.html

Photos are immortalised for further study HERE

My Cooper has a cloverleaf in the bottom head lug and bb shell as well as a card suit on the fork tangs.

Ron Cooper made my bike for me in 1982 at his Honor Oak shop. I received the standard treatment on lugs which had the spade, clover, heart and club in the inside of the fork. Wherever possible the lugs had triangle cutouts to reflect the triangle logo stamp on the front of the head tube. The bottom bracket had only an oval cutout behind the seat tube but other than that no other cutouts but still the taper on the ends. One distinguishing feature he added to my bike was the letter "C" on the top of the down tube head tube joint. Never saw this before. I have attached some photos.cooperbb..jpgdowntubeC..jpgroncooper.jpg

Picked up this NEW old stock 6oth Anniversay Edition from Bicycle Odyssey in Sausilito just recently. It will be a while ($) before I build her, but she will certainly by Campy. I really love this frame....

Incredible good fortune. Maybe too pretty to build up:-)

Yea, I absolutely know what you mean. It will probably be a special ride and no rain bike-- tears will be shed if ever injured! Tony Tom (US importer) at Bicycle Odyssey still has a few new ones left-- most in the 53x53 range. Now is the time-- Cooper is building very, very little and will probably hang up his torch soon....

Hi Everyone, Just joined the Forum tonight and searched for Ron Cooper info. I have had one since around 1977. Many of the club racing cyclists I knew had frames built by either Geoff Butler, Chas Roberts or Ron Cooper. I chose Ron, and he built my frame for criterium racing and time trialling. I've been really happy with it.

Originally I had it finished in bronze-gold metallic, but I had him respray it a couple of years later. It is, to my knowledge, unique to me. I had it finished in metallic green over metallic amber, with the world championship bands on the joins. The lugs are a beautiful shape and cut out, and the fork crown is embossed with the C.

Good to know there are still Ron fans around.

Jeff

Hi Jeff, is your Cooper the same one listed on e-bay right now? Nice looking ride by the way and pretty unique!

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

Yes that is my Ron Cooper on Ebay this week. I read something somewhere about not advertising it on here - so I didn't mention it- but it is fair to say that this is the first place I have seen much info/interest on Ron Cooper bikes.

Took a long time to admit that I am not ever going to use it again like I should, and so I decided to sell it and to invest (some of) the funds in maintaining/improving my MTB.

I use that bike every weekend in and around the North Downs, Blue Bell Hill / Detling Hill etc. an area that I would expect you know as I see you're from Maidstone. (I'm in Lords Wood! Considering this site is World Wide - quite spooky really)

Thanks for your interest.
Jeff

So I'm doing a quick local Craigslist scan
and up pops this:

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/bik/2079230785.html

which at 62cm is exactly an inch too big
to do me any good. I dutifully post it to
the bicycle addicts thread at:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post11842131

and go on about my business, but am so
moved when bobbycorno yanks my chain
a little that I send off this e-mail:

"Sir:

Alas, would that your bicycle were an inch shorter
or my legs an inch longer. Were that so, I would buy
this in a heartbeat. If you are selling this, the mind
reals with the possibilities

Best,
Mike Larmer"

Now about a week goes by, and in the meantime
I've gone out and bought a really nice mid 80's
Miele that is built up Campagnolo and very well
cared for to kind of ease the hurt a little.

At which time I get this e-mail:

"A shop told me I measured wrong, and they say it is 59cm center bb to center top tube. Call if interested,"

To cut to the chase, see photos. It cost more
than the Miele, and appears to have been rode
hard and put away wet a few times, but I've
worked with considerably worse.

Is there a lesson here (other than that Craigslist
in general is a cluster****)? I honestly could not
begin to tell you.

Respectfully submitted,
Mike Larmer

I would say nothing ventured, nothing gained... but you risked nothing and are out a grand

I'm a bit surprised at the price commanded given the condition. Not that I'm an expert in these things.

Tugrul:

You are, of course correct. Had this not been
a local, my size, frame by a guy whose bicycles
I've always wanted to own and ride one of, I would
probably have offered about 500 bucks tops, and
happily walked if it was turned down.

But I am 61 years old, increasingly conscious of the
brief nature of life, and this seemed a reasonably
good opportunity to live out this particular lustful
fantasy.

Also, by the time I actually ran the goddam
thing down, the asking had dropped to $900, a portion
of which will be deducted (i presume) by the LBS who
were kind enough to actually measure it and put it
on display. Certainly they must be both pleased and
amused.

I suppose this puts me in league with the guys who bid
up that RRA recently, but I just got tired of waiting for
a Cooper frame to show up curbside on bulk pick up day.

Mike

Hello!
I have just acquired my first Ron Cooper....and i am terribly excited! its in original condition.....
which is dirty/greasy some paint chipping and transfer peeling/missing but the overall structure is sound as a pound!
It is very similar too some of the other bikes on this thread and judging by the components it came with i would say its from about 1975-79.
maybe one of you guys might know the date a little more accurately?? frame no.778

it came kitted out with pretty much all dura ace first gen (black) groupset in grubby but working condition
so i'm taking it all off for a good reconditioning!

so i'm on the lookout for:

shimano crane rear derailluer
dura ace first gen wheelset to swap with the campy record gear i have currently.
seatpost
pedals

then i'll be set!

here's some pics of her:

https://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...cooper0104.jpg

https://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...cooper0105.jpg

https://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...cooper0110.jpg

https://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...cooper0119.jpg

https://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...cooper0122.jpg

https://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...cooper0124.jpg

Hope you enjoy them!

tony

Tonytone,

Read my entries on 5/13 and 6/7 about numbering. I knew Ron and worked in a bike shop that sold his frames in the early 80's. My guess is that you definitely have a late 70's model. Looks like the only difference between your frame and mine is the front derailleur braze-on guide. Mine is under the BB. Your decals are also identical but the name running down the down tube is a bit beefier (and white) on mine.

So if you can find out when that derailleur guide changed you'll find your date.

I bought a Ron Cooper a couple of weeks ago. $200 in an auction. It is being shipped and should be in my hands in a week or so. Looking forward to restoring her and hoping she fits me well. the auction house didn't know anything about sizing and such so I just took a shot.

So where the heck was I when this thread first went up?



I believe mine is a 1982-ish. It was an eBay purchase a few years ago - this photo is three years old. (I also realize that I don't have good close-ups - I'll fix that ASAP.) I have it in Campy 10-speed components so I have the best of all worlds. You may not be able to tell from the photo, but the haedtube decal is the same as the upper part of the seat tube decal on Ultratoads. It also has little script "Ron Coopers" on the top tube and the chain stays.

Love, love, love this bike. It just disappears out from under me. It does anything and everything I ask of it - I think it, it does it - and it is responsive without being the least bit "twitchy." I took it on the innagural Mendicino Monster ride last year. My buddies all were complaining about the rough roads, and they were definitely chewed up, but the Cooper got me through with no problems. I also have a 1967 Paramount, a 1986 De Rosa, an am about to sell a 1993 Fuso, and the Cooper is what I reach for most of the time, especially if it is a 40+ mile ride (I now have an Eisentraut "A" to build up - I'm looking forward to making the comparisons). It is simply a great, great frame.

It was originally sold by St. Helena Bike Shop in the Napa Valley. I am probably going to get it repainted this year - yes, the paint looks good, but there are some signs that it needs the attantion. It will either stay white or get reveresed from what it is now, meaning blue frame with white graphics.

Nice looking bike

Yep, that looks like around 1982. Check out my bike in this thread. It is definitely 1982, all original gear. If you paint blue check out mine for authenticity.

BTW. Photos of my Ron Cooper. https://www.flickr.com/photos/garykli...7625106785526/

Gazzer, that bike is stunning. I love the look of the period-correct Campy stuff on it. Mine is ( and will stay) modern 10-speed Campy w/triple because there is no way I can ride in my neck of the woods wihtout it. A 42X28 is not going ot get it done for this Clyde.

Yours looks to be close to mine is size. The rear triangle geometry looks very similar, but the head angle on yours looks to be little bit more slack. I'm guessing you can ride that puppy all day long.

Got my Cooper finally - it is really rough, but it will be fun to try and put it back into shape. The components were all over the place - suntour, campy, Dura ace, sugino... clearly who ever owned it in the past just threw whatever he/she could find at hand when something wore out. Got it stripped down and when I turned it over a neat surprise fell out of the seat tube. An index card with the serial number and paint colors on it. Not sure if this came from Ron or from the paint shop, but kinda neat to have it. Picture of it and the bike as I received it. I ordered decals from h l loyd cycles today also.