Holdsworth Road/Path Bike, 1950's Cyclone???

[Some Guy]

Picked this up today (in essence a swap for a 1976 chrome SS gas pipe bike, with some help from ebay) with a view to swapping the parts over from my circa '50s fixed gear (details in sig). Which includes a Holdsworth fancy lugged stem

The question is any idea what model / date it is? It's got a mottley collection of parts that I think are mostly from a later period, '60s?

Sold to me as a '50s cyclone? Frame number 12863, bottom bracket oiling port, tubular forks with chromed twin plate fork crown. Chrome fork tips and rear drop-outs. Aparently repainted with the "wf holdsworth" script on the downtube very nicely hand painted!

Current parts include: Dunlop HP LA alloy 27" front rim with a small flange BHC Airlite, Mavic module 3 rear rim with a BHC Solite fixed/fixed hub. Sugino Super Maxy chain set, 3ttt stem with bars marked Mod Fiamme made in Italy with a knights head (Cinelli?). Dome top seatpost with a beaten up Cinelli Unicantor saddle.

I tried the N.Kilgariff website, but I can't navigate it on my phone.

 

[Old Ned]

Nice find. If the 'bars say 'Fiamme' then they are Fiamme, an Italian brand and manufacturer of (mainly) rims but they did branch into bars and stems in the late 60's-ish.

I like the lugs and the rear ends, very classy.

 

[Some Guy]

Laptop is up & running again and had a look at the N Kilgraff site, but it's left me more than a little confused..

Classic Lightweights site shows 3 1952 bikes with frame numbers 16293, 16925 & 17083. Mines 12863, so it's pre 1952 (but has a later head tube badge).

It's post war because it has headset cups, apparently.

But there aren't any Path/Road models shown in that period, only Road or Track. Also seems to have the deluxe models forks, I'll slip the fork out and see if the frame numbers tally up soon.
Any ideas based on frame numbers?

Paintwork is responding well to t-cut. Going to fit some pedals and slip my fixed wheel set on it tomorrow and try it out for size

 

[Wheelnut]

It's a Cyclone DeLuxe from 1950 or 1951. Frame numbers were sequential and had reached 11500 by 1950.

The DeLuxe had the long spearpoint lugs with 'windows' but from about 1952 the DeLuxe tag was dropped. This was a very popular clubman's frame in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

'Track' frames were usually road/path in those days, so you had rearward-facing dropouts but with mudguard clearance. However, you could order whatever spec you wanted.

A nice frame you have there. Check out the Classic Lightweights website if you need inspiration on how to build it up

 

[Spokesmann]

Love it. More pictures please.

 

[Some Guy]

Thanks for the replies/info guys. I put my "best" saddle, seat post, pedals on it and pumped up the tyres in the end

Old Ned: I'm not familiar with Itallion stuff yet, still a noob. Most of the older bits I've had are English & French. Although I've seen a few photos of "art deco"? Colnagos which I like very much..

Wheelnut: Just what I was looking for, makes a lot of sense thank you. Although 2 photos below (one briefly borrowed from CLW) show slightly different lugs? Both have the spearpoints with windows. But mine looks like it could be a modified Nervex (the points on the side of the head tubes)? I've seen Holdsworth do that on later bikes. Could it have been a "quick Friday afternoon job"? Although the forks are (imo) gorgeous and lugs are elegant and a little less gothic.
Customer option or a shortage of materials issue??..

Spokesman: heres a few photos. Colour one's are from the original owner. I'll post a few more when its got different parts swaped over and it's been t-cutted properly.

 

[Some Guy]

Another question, sorry.

The headset on my bike looks a little like the headset in the old photo. Hence it would make some sense to keep.

Although I really like the Campag headset on my white &black fixed gear.

Would it be a cardinal sin to put the Campag one on the Holdsworth??

 

[Spokesmann]

That really is a lovely looking machine, hope you keep the colour. Should look very fetching hen restored.

 

[Wheelnut]

Reckon I got it wrong.

The mono pic shows the more ornate Cyclone DeLuxe lugs so yours is the Cyclone model, not the DeLuxe.

 

[Some Guy]

I've been playing amateur bike detective. An from what I've read and seen it does seem most likely that it is a Deluxe.. Aparently the addition of the "elongated spears with windows" seems to be the only thing that marks out the Deluxe.

The base lugs (Nervex?) are different to most Cyclones. Although there is a dark blue 1950 road Cyclone on Classic Lightweights, with exactly the same lugs (pictured below). Which ties in nicely with my search for frame numbers and build years. From what I've found I also believe mines a 1950 model too. So unless anyone knows different, I believe it's a 1950 Cyclone Deluxe Track.

As pictured below the only parts left from the previous build is the frame, forks and the bottom bracket cups. My replacement parts are more period correct also. The paint looked ok in the photos, doesn't it always! But up close it is very poor, an because of rust I've had to blow the rear in with white primer as an interim measure.

There's a bit too much seatpost showing for my taste. But it's not as if I could easily find another! An the top tube is a good length for me so I'm more than happy to live with it. It's now my most used general run-around/commuter/pub/shopping bike