When did Accles & Pollock actually stop making bicycle tubing?

[sjcprojects]

I'm trying to get at least a rough age for a frame (which I still can't ID, but that's another story), and I've worked out that the fork is an Accles & Pollock one, but it's also a relatively modern looking fork – lugless, but with eyelets. So, my question is, when did Accles & Pollock actually stop making bicycle tubing? I've seen on here that some makers were still using it in the early 80s (possibly?), though it seems to have slowly fallen out of favour vs 531 from the early 60s onwards.

The stamp on the fork reads A&P BST G13/16 B. I take BST to be 'British Standard Threading", and I think B is the "B-quality" range of tubing, but I doubt this helps age it? The dropouts are Campagnolo.

Thought someone on here might have some insight into it...

 

[Midlife]

Fully sloping cinelli style fork crown, I had that on my 60's Woodrup. Never came across a new Accles and Pollock badged frame in my cycling era which was 1974 on. Trying to think who Viscount used?

 

[keithglos]

The fork column (not steerer then) could have been on a shelf for years. I suspect A & P tubing gradually faded away as they were owned by TI.
So not much info.

Keith

 

[Midlife]

The shop where I worked built frames out of it....

https://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cliff-pratt1s.jpeg

 

[keithglos]

Sean, Thanet Cycles (before I took it on) were well known for using A & P, he used to blame them when the down tubes snapped. Of course it was due to his crazy design using 1 inch tubes and overstressing them. Also building the frames locked into rigid jigs didn't help.

Keith

 

[sjcprojects]

Thanks everyone - I originally suspected the frame and fork weren't a match because the frame has Nervex Professional lugs, which seemed odd with this style of fork, but having done a bit more research, I've seen some bikes with this combination. I believe it also wouldn't be that usual for a fork to be A&P, but the frame 531? (which may be the case here).

Lo-res (not mine, but previous owner's) photo of the frame and fork attached here for reference – I'll be doing a build thread for this later when I get around to it! It's a lovely frame, and really quite light.

Interesting thinking about Woodrup as well, seeing as I'm in Sheffield, so not so far away, and the skinny seat stays are sort of similar – but there is only a 3-digit frame number, so that doesn't really add up. I suspect that will remain a mystery. It has a cable guide for a centre-pull brake so I'm guessing late 60s/early 70s.

Anyway, in answer to my original question, it does seem like the A&P stuff just slowly faded away after TI bought them, unsurprisingly...

 

[jim haseltine]

A&P were part of TI when the group was formed back in 1919. Reynolds wasn't bought by TI until sometime in the late 1920s. A&P was sold off sometime in the 1990s by which time (I believe) the products were specialist tubing for the nuclear industry.

 

[sjcprojects]

Ah yes, my mistake. More accurate to say that as Reynolds tubing became more popular, the A&P became less so, I suppose – and as they were owned by the same company, it wasn't necessarily seen as a problem, perhaps.

 

[Old Ned]

Who is/was Martyn Young? New name to me. Frame looks early 70's possibly? And what is the engraving on the fork crown? Or is it a decal? Looks almost Colnago-ish.

 

[sjcprojects]

Who is/was Martyn Young? New name to me. Frame looks early 70's possibly? And what is the engraving on the fork crown? Or is it a decal? Looks almost Colnago-ish.

That is a very good question, and one I have tried in vain to answer (including posting on here about 7 years ago not long after originally acquiring the bike). No matches at all for a Martyn Young name. All I really know is that it has Nervex Pro lugs, and that it's light - and British threaded.

As for the original fork crown, yes that's a Colnago decal. Again, who knows why? I think it's fair to say one thing this bike isn't is a Colnago. The mystery only deepens...

Anyway, better get on with the build sometime, I suppose.