An English Gentleman, Lost in the Midwest.

[Gravity Aided]

A nice 700c clincher wheelset, found at co-op, although I have a tubular set from the period in my spares. Just no tubular tires. For now.

 

[MikeG]

Come, GA....this thread needs photos!!

 

[Cycleops]

A nice 700c clincher wheelset, found at co-op, although I have a tubular set from the period in my spares. Just no tubular tires. For now.

Any glue?

 

[Gravity Aided]

No, but acetone a-plenty. I may make up an order for all the stuff closer to spring. Although, IIRC, I have to "season" the tires for a bit at low pressure before going up to full pressure, and I think the tires have to be on the rim for that.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Come, GA....this thread needs photos!!

 

[MikeG]

That's better!

Now, that's the "before" photos. Next comes the "work-in-progress" photos. Stripped parts being cleaned. Nasty later bodges being taken back to the original, and so on. Close ups of rusty bolt heads and chipped paint, the tools.......You know the story. After a few pages of those, we can move on to the "after" photos, of it all beautifully reassembled and standing pristine and glowing in bright sunshine against a pretty background, before we finally move on to the "in action" piccies from the first ride. I'm guessing at somewhere between 50 and 100 photos should cover that nicely.

 

[Gravity Aided]

It'll look a bit nicer before the Labor Day Parade of the Proletariat, old and interesting bicycles come out for that, and the Tanner's Orchard Ride a week or so later, our answer to L'Eroica. Fresh cider and doughnuts, and some prodigious hills as well.

 

[Gravity Aided]

That's better!

Now, that's the "before" photos. Next comes the "work-in-progress" photos. Stripped parts being cleaned. Nasty later bodges being taken back to the original, and so on. Close ups of rusty bolt heads and chipped paint, the tools.......You know the story. After a few pages of those, we can move on to the "after" photos, of it all beautifully reassembled and standing pristine and glowing in bright sunshine against a pretty background, before we finally move on to the "in action" piccies from the first ride. I'm guessing at somewhere between 50 and 100 photos should cover that nicely.

You should know better than to encourage me.
Our poor parish priest has borne the brunt of the pictures of the Corso as it went from crapwagon to nice Italian light tourer.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Planning to start work soon, with the temperatures 0C and below outside for the next week or so. Plans are for cleaning derailleurs first, followed by crank de rusting and brake renovation. Then it will need to warm up for clear coat or waxing festivities. I should like to know the viewpoints as to which is better in this case. I do not plan to touch up the paint, just leave the bicycle paint job as found.

 

[southcoast]

Nice bike. Appears to have a few braze on cable guides. Falcon have really pushed the boat out with that one!

 

[Gravity Aided]

Quite- A great deal of quality and refinement. Campagnolo derailleurs and shifters, fine frame touches, and very light weight. In Normal,Illinois, at one time, this would have been the best bicycle in town. I had been to a couple of sales at this fellows place, and I always figured he had a couple of fine and historic machines about.

 

[Illaveago]

That is a lovely looking bike you have there and have made a lot of people quite envious of your find.
It will be very interesting to see the photos of your progress restoring it .

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Quite- A great deal of quality and refinement. Campagnolo derailleurs and shifters, fine frame touches, and very light weight. In Normal,Illinois, at one time, this would have been the best bicycle in town..

For some reason, Falcons don't seem to get the respect they deserve compared with more revered makes. Maybe because most of their output tended to be at the cheaper end of the spectrum, especially in more recent times?. People assume that just because most of their bikes were sold to more budget-conscious riders that they weren't capable of making any higher end lightweight stuff.
I've ridden a couple of their cheaper offerings myself including an early 90's MTB, and there was nothing bad about any of them. Not glamorous, but well enough built and finished all the same.

 

[Gravity Aided]

This is an older bicycle, with Ernie Clements' name still on it. I believe they were sold to Elswick Hopper later on, about 1974. It had been Hotchkiss Meek, and Mayo, then became Coventry Eagle, before Ernie Clements took over. I think they are now under Tandem Group. This bicycle was a fine example of cycle-building, 531 steel and excellent componentry, well on par with any other offering, showing that Britain could truly make a bicycle that stood out, a real example of quality.

 

[mikeymustard]

This is an older bicycle, with Ernie Clements' name still on it. I believe they were sold to Elswick Hopper later on, about 1974. It had been Hotchkiss Meek, and Mayo, then became Coventry Eagle, before Ernie Clements took over. I think they are now under Tandem Group. This bicycle was a fine example of cycle-building, 531 steel and excellent componentry, well on par with any other offering, showing that Britain could truly make a bicycle that stood out, a real example of quality.

Like someone up the thread said, we can be quite dismissive of the likes of Falcon, I guess because we're spoilt for choice in the uk and possibly aspire to something more "exotic". It's odd, Raleigh made "cooking" bikes, millions of the beggars, but we're all only too aware that they made some stand out, and even world-beating models.
It takes someone a little less spoilt to point it out!