Henry Burton of Stafford tourer...

[David B]

Hi John
I saw your ad on ebay, and was tempted to bid myself, but i thought i best save my money to get my Burton frame built up.
As my family are Wolverhampton folk, i was always told that Fred Williams shop was the best bike shop in the town.

....and indeed still is a very good shop! Close(ish) to the centre of town, there was also Poyner's on the Dudley Road too, open until comparatively recently (late 90s?) but seemed to suddenly disappear without trace.
As for the earlier reference to Japanese-made Burtons, I recall seeing them in the early 90s on shopping trips to Stafford and thinking they were a bit of an oddity, since most other local shops selling own-badged frames (Fred Williams, "Nutty" Russell, Poyner, etc.) went for UK-made ones in Reynolds tubing.

David

 

[John Mackay]

Henry Burton Bikes etc

Poyners was the home of City Cycling Club run by Jack Butler, also President, , then Joe Eves who ran it till his health ran out and it only lasted a year or so after that, 1990ish. City CC lasted till 1954 when all the young males were called up at the same time - I was the last member and handed our trophies back to Poyners then. Colin Clarke had joined the Midland Clarion and I joined him whilst still in the RAF. Ernie Clements' shop in Snow Hill was modest but sold me my first (Iron!) 'racer' - black enamel rims,chainset etc - there had been a war on...1 3'8 tyres and I won my first event on that, and cycled to Bute in Scotland 3 times. I was 14 and slept in ditches etc.and got up Kirkstone Pass on 69 fixed. 320 miles each way. The Poyners got me the Gameson frame which I had till I swopped it for the Henry Burton team bike. Percy Stallard had set up his shop in Broad Street, Ernie's shop closed and moved to Oakengates and then Freddie Williams opened his excellent shop on Snow Hill. City CC was NCU/RTTC and competed with the Wheelers/Racing Club then Elizabethan and more. No conflicts but just an excuse for a burn-up from Darleys in Bridgnorth on a Sunday night.

 

[Goldie]

I had a tinker with my Henry Burton, during which it gained a very long and graceful SR stem, Mavic bars and Shimano Dura Ace brake levers so that I could ride it on the drops. Still got the rubbery Lyotard pedals, but I rode it after changing the bars and found i could live with the pedals so long as I don;t look at them too hard

 

[Goldie]

Hmm... defintiely not a Henry Burton, but sticking to the theme of mass produced frames - I think - that have been finished by independent builders, I picked up this during the week:

It is very basic but in lovely nick, and the builder was fairly local to me, which I like.

Hmmm - plastic chainwheel?

 

[Old Ned]

I think Doug Hartley was a chain of shops in 'the north' in the 80's. There was one in Wakefield for a time but it didn't last long. Can't see that they would have built any frames so it's probably another branding exercise.

Isn't it only the 'chainguard' ring that's possibly plastic? Are you sure it isn't black anodised alloy?

Interesting to see CLB brakes. Quite exotic in a way.

 

[Goldie]

Hello Ned, I was hoping you'd take a look at this! Just who are / were CLB? The brakes loo quite nice, but I've never seen a set like them.

You might be able to see in the picture - the mech is Shimano RS - I guess that was quite low downin the range but does anyone know for sure? It looks like a very different kettle of fish to the Crane mech on my Viscount

 

[Old Ned]

All revealed here -

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/co ... -comp.html

and here -

http://velobase.com/ListComponentGaller ... f7e100a514

and the gear -

http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Shi ... lleur.html

You really should have these sites in your favourites - indispensable!

 

[Spokesmann]

Great looking and characterful mount.

Great colour and some interesting components.