Frame

0397

Untraced

A hub-geared light tourer with two pages of working notes attached. The first is headed “SUPERBE 531 C” and sets the intent — a light, low-maintenance touring bike with hub gears and brakes, “quite responsive”, higher-than-normal head tube, rising top tube, relaxed angles “but not too much”, clearance for wide tyres, rear drop-outs to have two sets of eyes, a dynamo “as on Batavus (small brazing - AXA HR dynamo)” and Carradice racks front and rear; a note records the Campag Veloce headset “has been v. good”. The second page dimensions the Nexus brazings: a slotted tab for the brake bracing arm on the nearside chainstay, cable guides on the down tube and chainstays with distances from the BB shell and fork crown, “Remove hanger”, and “AXA/HR Dyno bracket to be brazed on forks, nearside”. A struck-out line on the order sheet reads “See ‘Streetwise’ for details of chaincover”. Delivery promised A.S.A.P.; a telephone number sits beside the frame number.

Ordered: 5.3.97
Tubing: 531 Comp.
Frame: 22"
Top tube: 20"/21" (Sloping)
Angles: 72° / 73°
Forks: 14¾ x 2", std crown
Ends: Columbus with eyes (double on rear)
Chainstays: 16¾"
B/bracket: 10⅝"
Headset: Veloce/Mirage
Wheels: 700C Mavic 221, H.P.s (sprints struck out), with mudguard clearance
Equipment: Shimano sealed B.B. UN71; Nexus 7 hub roller (“coaster” struck out); lever Rapidfire ST 7520; pannier bosses rear 4 point; Carradice front & rear racks; BL 1M40 SB 7540?
Brazed on: Wrap-over seat lug (the printed A.K. struck out), brake eyes “see list”, TA bottle cage bosses “see sheet”
Finish: Pearlescent (60) Racing Green, lugs lined gold, old style transfers
Customer: Anthony Johnson, West Bridgford

Own this sheet

£110

A high-resolution print of the sheet, not the original. Giclée on enhanced matte art paper, mounted in snow white, glazed, in a solid wood frame. Free UK postage. £15 goes to Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

See it framed — £110

Print only £35

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A print of the 0397 sheet, framed — to scale above a two-metre sofa

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Nobody has come forward for 0397 yet. If it is in your shed, or you remember it being built, ridden or sold, send a photograph and whatever you know.

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Filed with it

2 more pages in the folder

Kept in the folder with the worksheet and scanned with it: the build written out and ticked off as it was fitted, a letter, a sketch, the second side of the sheet. The worksheet is the record; these are what was going on around it. Tap one to read it full size.