*** SOLD ***
Offering for sale, a piece of English cycling history with a Finnish twist.
Speedwell Titanium. Serial number 977013 indicates September 1977. Size 59cm. Ofter referred to as the first commercially produced titanium bike.
Here's the story: this Speedwell Ti was ordered from Birmingham to Helsinki in the late 70's by a Finnish amateur cycling enthusiast already around his 50s, who had pulled the trigger to invest in a "bike of his life". He even had his name engraved onto the stem. The bike was used in some local amateur races and for training, before he passed away in 1988.
In the early 80's, the frame had developed a hairline crack - typical for this frame - at the drive side weld between the downtube and the headtube. The 2-year warranty of the frame had already expired, so he decided to look for a repair locally.
Not surprisingly, at that time, there wasn't that many people capable of repair welding titanium, especially in Finland... However, this guy had a friend working as co-pilot at Finnair. Trough his friend he was able to organize the repair by a Finnair technician and master welder, using company equipment. The repair came off nice both technically and - at least in my opinion - also aesthetically, and the bike was successfully put back into some further use.
I bought the bike off the original owner's son over 25 years after his old man passed. It had been tucked away in the garage for all that time, as the cycling enthusiasm of his father did not pass between generations.
So the frame offered is repaired at one weld, but in working condition. The original front forks are also titanium, they seem to be just fine as well.
Other maybe noteworthy points are an identation by the front derailleur clamp and some bit more scratched areas on the top tube at the locations of the three brake cable clamps. Overall, considering the age - in more than decent condition.
It's amazingly light, I weighed the frame at 1302 grams and the forks at 510 grams, so approx 1800 grams in total, and this is the largest frame size!
Details about the sizing: http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/S ... dwell2.jpg
Further photos of the actual frame & forks offered for sale (the detailed photos will show the repair, even though at a distance of +3 feet it really does not draw any attention): https://picasaweb.google.com/1013805512 ... tanium1977
Hard to price, but I'm asking 600 GBP -> 500 GBP -> 450 -> Now £430 for frame & forks, excluding shipping costs.
As optional extras, I also have some of the original parts:
- Campagnolo Record Rear Derailleur (Patent-76)
- Campagnolo Record Front Derailleur
- Campagnolo Record Headset
- Campagnolo Record High Flange 36h hubs front & rear
- Campagnolo Record Strada Pedals
PM for details
Offering for sale, a piece of English cycling history with a Finnish twist.
Speedwell Titanium. Serial number 977013 indicates September 1977. Size 59cm. Ofter referred to as the first commercially produced titanium bike.
Here's the story: this Speedwell Ti was ordered from Birmingham to Helsinki in the late 70's by a Finnish amateur cycling enthusiast already around his 50s, who had pulled the trigger to invest in a "bike of his life". He even had his name engraved onto the stem. The bike was used in some local amateur races and for training, before he passed away in 1988.
In the early 80's, the frame had developed a hairline crack - typical for this frame - at the drive side weld between the downtube and the headtube. The 2-year warranty of the frame had already expired, so he decided to look for a repair locally.
Not surprisingly, at that time, there wasn't that many people capable of repair welding titanium, especially in Finland... However, this guy had a friend working as co-pilot at Finnair. Trough his friend he was able to organize the repair by a Finnair technician and master welder, using company equipment. The repair came off nice both technically and - at least in my opinion - also aesthetically, and the bike was successfully put back into some further use.
I bought the bike off the original owner's son over 25 years after his old man passed. It had been tucked away in the garage for all that time, as the cycling enthusiasm of his father did not pass between generations.
So the frame offered is repaired at one weld, but in working condition. The original front forks are also titanium, they seem to be just fine as well.
Other maybe noteworthy points are an identation by the front derailleur clamp and some bit more scratched areas on the top tube at the locations of the three brake cable clamps. Overall, considering the age - in more than decent condition.
It's amazingly light, I weighed the frame at 1302 grams and the forks at 510 grams, so approx 1800 grams in total, and this is the largest frame size!
Details about the sizing: http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/S ... dwell2.jpg
Further photos of the actual frame & forks offered for sale (the detailed photos will show the repair, even though at a distance of +3 feet it really does not draw any attention): https://picasaweb.google.com/1013805512 ... tanium1977
Hard to price, but I'm asking 600 GBP -> 500 GBP -> 450 -> Now £430 for frame & forks, excluding shipping costs.
As optional extras, I also have some of the original parts:
- Campagnolo Record Rear Derailleur (Patent-76)
- Campagnolo Record Front Derailleur
- Campagnolo Record Headset
- Campagnolo Record High Flange 36h hubs front & rear
- Campagnolo Record Strada Pedals
PM for details
