Thanks for your help. A popular search engine brings up a few Ron Cooper track frames, but they don't appear to be anything like the Fauxnago pictured above.

While we did find some Colnagos with a clover cut out in the BB shell, they weren't segmented like this example - I know that's not conclusive, but there's something about it that doesn't scream 'Colnago'.

I'm thinking it was probably a small Australian builder with a fondness for the Italian marques.

Sorry it took so long to answer your question. Just now receiving my forum notice on a reply to the thread. My number is listed somewhere in this thread. Just go back through it closer to the start.

Hi P!N20,

I met Ron on several occasions and talk with him at his Honor Oak Park address back in the 80s and he had a relationship with our bike shop. He did produce track frames but not sure how many. He was in fact a track rider if I recall. Although your frame in question looks like Ron's seat stays and lug work in one of those pics, he did not use clubs exclusively. He did produce forks with card shapes (see my comments earlier in this thread). That looks like a Colnago to me and would eat my hat if it weren't--that's not Ron's work.

Thanks.. Hoping to finish before year end ... Especially due to the passing of the man himself

Thanks gazzer I did find your frame number while looking through thread not long after posting ..

I had been calling colour tech every week hoping to speak to Ron but with him being poorly he never got back into work .. Then heard the terrible news of his passing


Least I can do is finish my cooper off and ride it lots ...

Thanks, Gazzer. Interestingly it is now up for sale again conceding it is not a Colnago: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Italian-V...item3a7cfd9ef7

He definitely made my brother's! I know very little about this bike other than my brother bought it from Dave Creasy, who coached training sessions at Herne Hill velodrome (SE London) with VC Londres, and raced it there around the mid '80s. Here's the club madison, 1985(?). The other guy's on a Chas Roberts, which he still gets down the track occasionally. Lovely bike.





I also just heard about the great man's passing. Very sad. When I was growing up he was just the bloke who ran the local bike shop... who happened make extremely amazing bikes. I had my 1987 Columbus SL completely overhauled earlier this year as a 25th anniversary present to myself. Pictures to follow!

So this was the bike that Ron built for me when I was 15. Best birthday present ever. Columbus SL built up with a whole load of mainly Campag bits from my brother's old bike.



A few years ago the mechanical issues started adding up and when the bottom bracket finally seized up I effectively replaced it with an OTP carbon frame. It sat in the spare room, my emotional attachment preventing me from getting rid of it. Finally I decided to get it back into action and rideable again. Forgive me for going down the steel frame/modern gruppo route rather than the period-correct restoration, but I definitely want to enjoy riding it as much as possible. So I took it along to Colour Tech for a respray and respacing of the stays (and to get the old Cinelli XA stem hacked out! *sob*), and had the pleasure of meeting Ron while I was there. This was February this year. I hadn't met him for about twenty years since he moved out of Honor Oak.





I decided to get a retro-looking paint job in the colours of my old club, VCL. The spec sheet includes a couple of original features - Dura Ace AX aero seatpost and the Cinelli Campione Del Mondo bars. Then it's basically a SRAM Force groupset, and I had the wheels (Ambrosio Excellight on Novatec hubs) built by Harry Rowland, which is rather apt since Harry used to work in Ron's shop in Honor Oak. I love it more than ever.

Wow... Thanks for sharing a cracking story and seeing the man at work

So sorry to hear about Ron's passing. As promised earlier in the thread I scanned a slide of a photo I took of Ron outside his Honor Oak Park shop in May of 1982--I was 25 and Ron was about 50. I cannot seem to find the ones I took inside his shop. I do remember metal filings everywhere on the floor and somewhat of an organized haphazardness to the place. This photo is him convincing me that the blue sparkle paint was the way to go for my new frame--think he really liked that color. https://www.flickr.com/photos/garykli...7625106785526/ --for shots of my bike.

I bought a Cooper a couple of years ago at an auction. I love the classic looks of the bike and had every intention of rebuilding it for myself. I stripped it down and had the rear triangle respaced for newer wheelset. Originally all the cable guides were clamped on and it lacked bosses for water bottle cage (the previous owner had used plastic straps to tie one on the seat tube. So I had a machinist braze on cable guides, bottle bosses and down tube shifter bosses. I then had it professionally powder coated in a color that is pretty close to the color it was originally. It is looking good (in my opinion). The problem, which I was aware of but refused to come to grips with, is the bike is just too big for me. It has been a labor of love, but I have decided to bring it to an end. If anyone is interested in buying the frame and fork I can send you some pics of what it looks like. I have wheels, crank, stem and bars on it but will be keeping those for a project bike that I can actually ride. I will probably put it on ebay if no one here is interested, but thought I would give some folks who have an appreciation for Coopers first crack at it. I hate to see it go, but it is just wall art for me.

Ron Cooper by djk762, on Flickr


Ron Cooper by djk762, on Flickr


Ron Cooper by djk762, on Flickr


Ron Cooper by djk762, on Flickr


Ron Cooper by djk762, on Flickr

My Christmas present to myself finally tuned on the road.
Thanks Mr. Cooper.

-D

This is an update to my Ron Cooper that I have posted here previously. Gone is the stylish but very uncomfortable Vetta saddle, and in its place an amazingly inexpensive but very comfy and well made Charge Spoon. The bar tape was a crumbling mess and the Modolo black brake hoods were crumbling, so I replaced them with Easton Velo foam bar tape and EAI replicas of the Campy hoods. The Charge Spoon saddle costs under $30, and is better made than saddles costing twice as much. The Easton Velo Tape is about $10 a set, very comfy and very stretchy, making it very easy to put on. I've been taping top down with it, which makes for a very clean look, especially on stepped bars with stem shoulders. The EAI gum hoods are $20 from Harris Cyclery as compared to about $100 for NOS Campy hoods. I also had to replace a cracked pulley wheel on the Campy Nuovo Record rear derailleur, and found an old pulley wheel that came off a broken Simplex plastic derailleur that was a perfect replacement in diameter, width and bore. The Ron Cooper rides like a dream, although it is a bit flexy when I stomp hard on it.

The main component group is all Campy Nuovo Record, except for the headset (Specialized) and bottom bracket (Suntour Superbe). The freewheel is a Suntour Winner Ultra six and the chain is a SRAM 8-speed that work very well with the Campy shifters and rear derailleur. The bar and stem are Cinelli. I bought the Ron Cooper frameset off the rack in 1976 from Bikecology in Los Angeles, California for $250, which would be about $1000 in today's inflated dollars. The braze-ons for rear brake cable housing, bottom bracket derailleur cable guides, water bottle mounts, down tube shifter mounts and top tube pump peg were all installed later by Mark Nobilette, who also built me a complete custom lugged steel criterium racing frameset.

In today's market a frame and fork as exquisite as a Cooper could only be built by a master craftsman, some of the elements like the fastback cluster are exceedingly difficult to create and the quality of the brazing is second to none.

In our shop a frame and fork will run $1600.00 with powder and this would come from a builder with 30 years of experience and immense experience on the road.

I am not sure what the final Cooper frames were selling for but could see them selling for significant amounts, Mr Cooper was an artist but was also very worksman like in his approach and built an incredible number of frames compared to many modern builders who produce fewer bicycles but charge considerably more.

Any idea why the font is different than most others? Mine is the same as yours. Stamped 147 & "OE". Any ideas?

Sixty fiver- your name has come up repeatedly as one who knows a bit about Ron Cooper frames. I recently acquired one. The font is different though, more curvy. Stamped both 147 & "OE". Any ideas?

.
.
......just in time for me to buy the Christmas present I knew my wife wanted to give me.



It feels like a good solid ride in the tradition of the time
and place, but the tires it came with have got to go.

........Specialized Armadillo = inflatable bricks

Thanks to whoever put up that info on the decals, because I'm gonna need some.
The paint is still pretty good though, it was a little oxidized, but it polished out.

Like you need Christmas to go out and buy another beautiful bike! You are having a stellar year. Love that green.
I got to put some miles on my Cooper over the holiday. Just a fantastic machine.

-D

I only appreciate Cooper frames from the perspective as one who might one day build a frame just as exquisite... I know that over time the fonts changed and he was very creative in his lug work.

My frame was probably part of a small batch of racing bicycles that were sold through his distributor in the U.S. and this shows in how light the paint is... it is just enough to protect the frame and give the decals a place to live.

Paint adds weight so serious racing bikes often got a pretty light coat...

Any idea what the OE stamp might mean? I've recently acquired the bike. It's equipped with mostly Campy Victory, which I think is great. The seat tube is 54, while the top tube is 53. Any idea on value? I'm afraid it's too small for me, though I wish it wasn't. I'm 6'3". I'm on my phone just now, but I'll try and add a photo when I get home. Thanks again for your help.

....there is a separate forum here all its own on valuation inquiries.
Once you get your photos, you should start a thread there for best results.

here are a few photos of the Cooper. I'm just curious about any info you guys might be able to help me with. I'm now thinking of giving this bike as a gift. (partly because i'd like to keep it in the family)

Got a free Cooper frame set, now what do I do? It has 939 stamped on the BB.

I currently ride a commuter with an IGH. I've ridden derailleur bikes but never worked on one. I'd like to get this one going but don't really know where to start.

My budget is $500. Do I get original parts? Modern parts? Can I get a road bike off of CL and swap it out? Any suggestions welcome.

Hi all. I've been lurking a few months and have recently started posting a bit. Have posted pics of my Jack Taylor ToB on another thread, and just posted pics of a Raleigh Sports (I think) I picked up today on yet another. This is the bike I love to ride when I want to go all out all the way - my Ron Cooper Bike built in 1980. It just makes me go a little faster. Nuovo Record derailleurs, Super Record crankset, Dura Ace 7400 hubs on modern wheels (looking for tubs,) Modolo Pro brakes, Concor saddle. Nice long wheelbase. This bike is a two wheeled Aston-Martin DB3.

Sweet looking cooper !!!!