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Ah well, worth a try I suppose. Whoever built it, it's a very nice frame - those seat-stay caps, for instance, are beautifully finished! Regards -

Frank Swinnerton frames built by George Longstaff are very highly sought after! If it IS one of his, it'll have his initials (GL) stamped on the BB...

Good to hear that someone is compiling a list of surviving BW frames! I live in Ceredigion, and have one of his - designed for time-trialling, in its original livery, frame no. 9085 (which I think dates it to 1985, so it's just eligible for Eroica). Best regards, Bob

Having asked Peter Underwood at 'Classic Lightweights' why Harry Ferris doesn't appear on his list of frame builders, he suggested I write an entry on him myself. Two examples of his work are shown under the list of 'Readers' Bikes'; some information can be found on the US website 'Classic...

You're quite right - I'll try to post some pics, but can't vouch for the quality! Thanks, Bob

I've just acquired a 1953 TT frame built by the above. Has anyone else got one? Any information - particularly re. serial numbers - would be most welcome! Cheers, Bob

Thanks for that, but you're right - back to Merlins!

Slightly off topic, but I was trawling through Nick Tithecott's record of Reynolds decals in search of the 'right' one for my Merlin when I read Old School Hero's interesting comment on 'correctness'. This got me thinking about the question of 'restoration' in general: what are people's views on...

The more numbers you've got, the easier it would be to break the code. Maybe someone - not me! - should collate all known pre-1950 Merlin frame numbers, then try to put them in sequence according to date...

The Merlinis, as Terry has already remarked, were obviously pretty casual when it came to frame numbering! On the plain-gauge/butted issue, I agree that it don't really matter - except that if you're doing a resto, you should at least TRY to attach the correct sticker...

Hi Terry - last post, for the time being at any rate! I've checked the inside diameter of the seat-tube, and it looks as if the tubing is 531 plain gauge rather than butted - from which I infer that the frame was designed for touring rather than racing, so it's unlikely to be an Internationale...

That's cool. My first thought was that Vintagemaniac meant 'Mercian' rather than 'Merlin' because of the long tang on the lower head-lug along the underside of the down-tube, but she assured me it was the real deal, and she knows her stuff. However, I don't want to put repro Merlin decals on it...

Hi Terry - Did it work? Let me know one way or t'other! Cheers, Bob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Bicyc ... 0229560805

Thanks, Terry - the frame (unlike yours!) has had a pretty drastic - bad - respray, so all the decals have gone, and it'll need redoing from scratch. If the seller hasn't already removed it from his website, I'll send you a link; failing that, I'll try to post some of my own pics. Rear dropout...

I mean offside dropout - I've just checked! Bob

Re: merlin frame numbers I've just acquired what the seller assures me is an early Merlin frameset, built by the Merlini Bros in Clerkenwell, London, before the name was sold to Bob Jackson. It certainly looks like a Merlin of that date, but the frame number, 4200220 (stamped on the nearside...