Search results

Here's something to feast your eyes on. A friend on another forum posted pictures of this Halfords bike. There is a story that Duell built some frames for Halfords' general management ...

I have tried, but neither have I. Not a trace, so far. My knowledge of the Italian language doesn't stretch far enough, but perhaps a question to the members of the vintage forum at BDG-MAG would yield more info: bdc-mag/vintage.

I've seen some of those old catalogues. Very cool! I've actually thought of "rebranding" the touring frame to "F.W. Rushbrooke" ... :)

Thanks. Something to take into consideration. But this may have been more or less what the Dutch branch of Halfords was doing at the time: buying blank frames from whomever was willing to sell them at a fair price and put Halfords stickers on them. The fact that neither of the above frames...

My guess would be that it is named after Ernesto Bono, a former Italian pro. Maybe he had his own shop after his racing career, maybe he licensed his name to a shop in Rome.

I did find a date code on the Shimano derailleur of the 531 bike: "BC", indicating a production date of March 1977.

Found some interesting snippets of information in an old thread about Halfords International bikes: The Dutch branch was subject to a buy-out by the local management, in de mid-eighties I believe.

I dug out the frame and checked in all the usual spots: BB shell, drop-outs, seat tube, but no serial number. Or any other markings for that matter.

TIA.

Carlton and Falcon were the brands that came to mind, but at the time I got that first bike, I wasn't able to confirm either. I don't recall seeing a serial number, but I shall dig out the bike for another look. The Belgian frame doesn't have a serial number, as far as I can see.

Fifteen or so years ago old bikes were just that and they were cheap. Which is partly why I became interested. It is also why I ended up with an attic full of parts donor bikes. :rolleyes: Anyway, some of those cheap bikes are branded "Halfords Sport". Who built those? Did Halfords have...

For some reason the Italians always look better ...

Looks good! 👍 BTW, is the use of that old colonial name accepted?

What I meant was that AX rear derailleurs didn't require the usual bit of cable housing, so no chain stay stop was needed. The frames Shimano had made didn't have one: The serial number doesn't look particularly Asian to me either. I doesn't have the usual format, often with a letter...

The chainstay cable stop, if original, suggests this is not one of the frames commissioned by Shimano. Is there a serial number?

Another +1 for the Paselas. Get the folding ones if you've got the correct (hooked) rims for them, as they're even lighter than the beaded version.

I just got back from a short ride with mrs non-fixie. She was on one of her touring bikes, and whadda ye know: it has raundoneur bars. Grand raundoneur, even.

Yes. However, I believe randonneur actually describes the rider, while his machine would be called a vélo randonneuse. So, randonneuse would probably be more correcter. But perhaps we have a member who actually speaks French and can confirm? My knowledge of the language mainly stems from...

Yes, wouldn't it be cool if the internet were in Dutch, instead of US English? :) On a more serious note, I'm not sure it's actually a spelling mistake. I'm inclined to think it is a gairaigo, a Japanese word based on the original French.

Ah yes, of course. The "RANDNNER". :) Thanks.