My Pollard / Holdsworth - better pics page 3

[cycletothesea]

Presenting my Pollard - Reynolds 531. This frame was resprayed in the original colours 20 years ago by Pollard and was, I'm told, hardly ridden from that day to this. Bought it a few months back as it looked brilliant. However, I've done a bit of soft restoration on it.
The bottom bracket, headset, cranks, rear derailleur, saddle, brake cables, stem, handlebars have all been replaced and on a whim decided to stitch the handlebars in leather wrap.
Anyway, don't see many Pollards around - I'm told the frame would have been supplied to Pollard by Holdsworth, as it's pretty much the same frame as my Super Mistral.

 

[Midlife]

Re: My Pollard

Now that's such a nice machine

Looks like late 60's when the trend was for plain Italian style lugs and the fully sloping crown.......plus all the braze ons. Forks and stays were as thin as possible with the fork rake starting just a little higher up the blades. Glorious

It needs some brakes that work on the other side so the rear brake cable does not cross the frame but that's minor....

Shaun

PS what's the chainset?

 

[cycletothesea]

Re: My Pollard

The cranks are a Stronglight 52/42. I was going to use a nice Campag I have but the bottom bracket axle was too long and didn't want to bother changing. The Stronglight cranks have a recess inside and so sit further in than the Campags. Not really happy with the rear brake cable, I've shortened it too much I think, so will change that.

However, according to Eddie Pollard (via Roger Langworth at Classiclightweights) this bike is not actually a Pollard at all. It's a Holdsworth which the previous owner, for some reason, had resprayed as a Pollard AT the Pollard shop. Curiously though, it doesn't have a Holdsworth serial number - the BB and the rear dropout are stamped 005. So, I'm really struggling to find out where it came from originally. It is 100% identical to my Holdsworth Super Mistral in everything except the paintjob.

 

[viscount]

Re:

Nice to see a good Pollard on here: )
Here's mine.

Quite an oldie, but the Hellenic stays are quite unusual.
Top Coventry builder in the day.

More pics available if asked for: )

 

[viscount]

Re: My Pollard

Here's another:


Lovely bike 'as found' here: )
Pollard made some gorgeous bikes before he sold out/retired.

 

[Midlife]

Re: My Pollard

Ah! A Pollard cantilever that second one looks like a carltin with the Crespea type lugs.

Pollard / Holdsworth................. still a classy looking machine, TA cranks would also look the part

Shaun

 

[cycletothesea]

Re: My Pollard

Pollard / Holdsworth................. still a classy looking machine, TA cranks would also look the part
Shaun

Didn't like the TA cranks, and they were a shit to remove. I guess it will have to stay as a Pollard/Holdsworth hybrid and if I decide to upgrade the BB I'll fit my campag cranks which are waiting for a project. Can't find anybody at all who can throw any light on the 005 frame number. So I don't really know what it was intended as originally.

 

[biggs682]

Re: My Pollard

and here is another one

this one has rear ward facing drop outs so originally might have been a path or track frame , really thin rear stays .

its covered coming close to 1 k in a year doing commuting leisure and sunday rides , at some point soon its coming of the road for some down tube levers replacing the thumb shifters that are bar mounted at mo .

i have always wanted a Coventry area bike so this is it .

how many more are there

From what i can remember Mr Pollard's is still alive and living on one of the baleric islands

 

[colnagolover]

Re: My Pollard

Presenting my Pollard - Reynolds 531. ......

A fantastic looking bike - beautiful, even if you are unable to uncover the pedigree (or lack of it )

colnagolover

 

[cycletothesea]

Re: My Pollard

Presenting my Pollard - Reynolds 531. ......

A fantastic looking bike - beautiful, even if you are unable to uncover the pedigree (or lack of it )
colnagolover

Thanks. May have to remain a bit of a mongrel - albeit a classy looking one. Coming by information on some of these old frames that don't have correct frame number type is pretty much impossible.