Roy Swinnerton Restoration

Re:

Brian was 80 this year and the business was recently sold on. Jason Rourke is still building frames though. I’ll ask Brian when I see him and update the thread if I can find anything out
 
I reckon this one is a Mercian built frame. I don't think George Longstaff was building frames this early on? I also reckon that if it is one of Les's then the fittings are not original to Les. He was riding Campag etc. in his amateur days, well post-Gnutti, and he tended to use Mafac centre-pulls too.
 
Re: Re:

keithglos":1kitrad0 said:
This frame looks pre Campagnolo chainset. I guess could be 1955/6.

Keith

Possibly to early for Les? Unless of course he bought it 2nd hand. I first remember him racing as an amateur around '63/64 when I saw him at the Mid Shropshire Whs Easter Road race near Shrewsbury. He was away in a 2-man break with a young upstart by the name of Doug Dailey who beat Les in the sprint. They were several minutes up on the field - and both went on the greater things! Later I raced against Les (and Brian Rourke) at the Newcastle-under-Lyme track league (organised and run by Roy Swinnerton and a local team of officials - not forgetting Doris!) and have re-acquainted with Les and Brian in recent years at reunion dinners. A pair of nice unassuming blokes as are many of my boyhood heroes that I've met in later life.
 
Frank Herety also built frames for them on occasions as his daughter married one of the Swinnertons. Frame ser# will have FH somewhere on the bb.
 
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