Frame

1489

Untraced

The sheet itself carries no date and no address; the year and the town come from the attached shop receipt No 8784 of 16.10.89, made out to “Mrs J. Gilliver” of Borrowash, so the surname on the sheet, read as Gulliver, could as easily be Gilliver. The first attachment is a letter, “Dear Sid”, asking for a new bicycle (“FRAME & FORKS” inserted above the line) in either Reynolds 653 or 531c tubing, “whichever is better”, with a photograph sent of the colour wanted for spraying, “YELLOW AVOCET” in capitals; Dura-Ace 7-speed shifting levers, front derailleur, chainwheel and bottom bracket assembly, new chain, seat pillar and headset are all listed and ticked, a cheque for £100 enclosed, and it is signed “Love Jane”. The receipt records the order as “1 – Superbe 653 Frame to previous specification plus new Dura-Ace chainset & front derailleur, gear levers. Deposit £100”. The headset entry “GOLD EDCO ?” carries the sheet's own question mark, and no finish is recorded on the sheet itself.

Frame: 21" Road Racing
Top tube: 21¼"
Angles: 72° / 74° approx
Forks: 1 5/16" rake x 14 7/16", Cinelli crown
Ends: Sup. Record
Chainstays: 16½
Seatstays: Fastback
B/bracket: 10⅝" height
Headset: Gold Edco ?
Wheels: 700c (sprints struck out)
Brazed on: Two gear lever bosses, brake eyes at 45° on the left-hand side, two sets of TA bottle cage bosses
Customer: Jane Gulliver, Borrowash

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

See it before you buy · Pay by card or PayPal · Free UK postage

A print of the 1489 sheet, framed — to scale above a two-metre sofa

Own it? Remember it?

Nobody has come forward for 1489 yet. If it is in your shed, or you remember it being built, ridden or sold, send a photograph and whatever you know.

Send photographs and what 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.