Leach marathon 50s frame&fork ?(need help)

[Pierslmvr]

Recently purchased this lovely craftsmanship and wanted to gather as much information on what it originally looked like giving the year, I intend to restore the bike to original, wanted to know if they made to customer request or certain decals/paint colours depending the year and model number. Everything helps.

Picture's attached

Frame number - 22424

Thank you
Piers

 

[Jonny69]

I take you’ve trawled the Classic Lightweights site for any clues?

I’m tempted to say it’s earlier. I think it’s late 40s, not 50s.

It’s got earlier style lugs than you generally see in the 50s and the mudguard mounts and dropouts are similar to those used in the late 30s. I don’t think it’s a 30s frame because it doesn’t have a clip headset, the angles look a bit later, plus you’d probably see a ‘Russ’ style fork on a late 30s frame. The chrome on the lugs tells us it’s not from wartime or immediate post-war period, because there was a chromium shortage due to the war, so it’s probably not early or mid 40s.

Carefully take the paint off that chromework; you might find it’s actually in fairly good condition underneath!

 

[Pierslmvr]

I take you’ve trawled the Classic Lightweights site for any clues?

I’m tempted to say it’s earlier. I think it’s late 40s, not 50s.

It’s got earlier style lugs than you generally see in the 50s and the mudguard mounts and dropouts are similar to those used in the late 30s. I don’t think it’s a 30s frame because it doesn’t have a clip headset, the angles look a bit later, plus you’d probably see a ‘Russ’ style fork on a late 30s frame. The chrome on the lugs tells us it’s not from wartime or immediate post-war period, because there was a chromium shortage due to the war, so it’s probably not early or mid 40s.

Carefully take the paint off that chromework; you might find it’s actually in fairly good condition underneath!

Cheers appreciate it, I have searched and searched can’t find much on leach marathons themselves because of limited information but I sent and email to the author of that article, no response yet, I have assessed the frame, fairly pitted and starting to flake in some areas but I hopefully have a chance of getting it chromed again.

Thanks for the direction appreciate it, they must be hard to come by I assume.

 

[Jonny69]

I’ve not heard of them before and the lack of other replies is probably for the same reason.

I’ve got a 1937/38 Parkes Lightweight, so similar sort of timeframe as yours, hovering around the wartime era. Don’t know if you’ve looked yet, but components from that era are actually pretty thin on the ground and can be quite expensive. My recommendation would be to build it up with early-mid 50s kit, because it’s easy to find in pretty much any condition, it’s useable day-to-day and looks spot on. DO build it up and have a ride before you throw too much money at it though. Even if you just chuck on some spare cranks and old wheels to get a feel for it, you’ll want to enjoy riding it!

 

[Jonny69]

I take it you found all of these:

https://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/classic_builders/leach-marathon/
https://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/readers_bikes/leach-marathon-1951/
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/leach-marathon.385787/
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/leach-marathon-with-photos.303236/
Might be worth dropping a pm to @OldTel as he seems to know a bit about them.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Leach was a very well respected frame builder.