Falcon Club Special vintage 1960/61 restoration .

[Getting Older]

Greetings to all knowledgeable enthusiasts out there
I am a senior citizen who is wondering if his teenage pedal cycle is of any collectible value to true enthusiasts.

The background to my plea is as follows .
A few years ago another senior citizen who ran my local cycle store undertook to restore my old bike as a private project After a couple of years he retired on ill health leaving the new owners with my bike still in bits un-restored. It has now been re assembled. It now sports a new gear changer but I still have the original "Huret".I also have a "the Chossy" saddlebag of 1960's vintage.
I am at a loss what to do next. The machine is in full working order (it even has the original tyres albeit somewhat degraded by time .)It has not been ridden for over thirty years.It has gathered rust from being stored in the cycle shop,and for over 35 years in my loft (nice and dry and warm)
, I am of limited mechanical ability but am able to clean off rust and grime. My question is should I bother, or would any potential new owner wish to restore it themselves from the ground up as it were.In my youth I travelled many many miles on my beloved bike but following various spills the paintwork has suffered somewhat but is still in acceptable condition. I understand that its Reynolds frame is a plus point?? Also the Brooks saddle?

I have no idea of its worth so would appreciate any guidelines there . I do remember when I had it as a birthday present in 1960/61?) it had cost my parent 29 and a half guineas (About £30; 50.p in today's money )
This is my first foray into the world of forums and chats and have no idea what I am doing so please be patient with this old man (75yrs) My cycling these days involves riding up and down the seafront of my home town (not too many hills!) I would be grateful for ANY guidelines you fellows can offer
Many thanks and Hullo
Mick D

 

[Getting Older]

Attached here are some more images of my previous post

 

[netman]

Hi Mick,
Nice post - you seem to have taken to forum life like a duck to water!
And nice bike - I'd say it's worth restoring, but it does look from the pictures as if it needs a complete strip down and rebuild.
531 and Brooks are nice as you say, but it's a 60's 5 speed with rust problems, so I'd guess you'd be looking at £40-£70 ish - maybe less, maybe a little more. I'd leave it alone and sell as is if you don't want to keep it yourself.
Or, you could clean it up, change the tyres and tubes for new, fit some bar tape and ride it yourself!

 

[raleighnut]

Nice

 

[biggs682]

Welcome @Getting Older

What a lovely memory piece you have there , if it was me i and i was still able to ride it then i would be giving it clean up adding some fresh tyres and riding it , if i wasn't able to ride it then is there a family member who would cherish it ?

If no to either then let someone else have the pleasure of using it , and personally i wouldn't re paint it just admire the patina .

Where are you based ?

 

[Getting Older]

Hi Mick,
Nice post - you seem to have taken to forum life like a duck to water!
And nice bike - I'd say it's worth restoring, but it does look from the pictures as if it needs a complete strip down and rebuild.
531 and Brooks are nice as you say, but it's a 60's 5 speed with rust problems, so I'd guess you'd be looking at £40-£70 ish - maybe less, maybe a little more. I'd leave it alone and sell as is if you don't want to keep it yourself.
Or, you could clean it up, change the tyres and tubes for new, fit some bar tape and ride it yourself!

Dear Netman .thanks for your kind words ,and comments. I have got as far as buying the new handle bar tape but lack the confidence at the moment to tackle it around the brakes,( will watch a u tube before I attempt that! ) However as you estimate its value at £70 I may well just not bother. Whilst I am by no means wealthy I dont think £70 is going to enhance my lifestyle at all so it may well end up back in my loft .
I now ride an 'old mans bike' a 'sit up and beg ,Claude Butler with with a whole 21 gears from which to choose. this admirably suits my current energy levels when riding along the coast line near Margate. Life is full of decisions in old age!! Mick

 

[Getting Older]

Welcome @Getting Older

What a lovely memory piece you have there , if it was me i and i was still able to ride it then i would be giving it clean up adding some fresh tyres and riding it , if i wasn't able to ride it then is there a family member who would cherish it ?

If no to either then let someone else have the pleasure of using it , and personally i wouldn't re paint it just admire the patina .

Where are you based ?

Dear 'Biggsy'
(I am not a number I am a free man) (I hope that reference is not lost on you ? If so google The Prisoner 1960's TV series .)
Many thanks for your observations .There are no family members to cherish it ,( or otherwise.)
Yes I am able to still ride but am happy with the 21 gears on my Claude Butler when perambulating along my local coastline .I live in Westgate on sea in Kent (near Margate) and find a jaunt between Reculver and Margate satisfies my cycling needs in my geriatrica.
I have neither the ability or the intention to either strip it down and rebuild it or to repaint it.
As I have said I would be prepared to spend some time de-rusting it as far as I could.
I would be more than happy to see it go to a good home but frankly blanche at all the hassle involved for the £70 valued by ".Netman" I am unlikely to bother. .At least I now have an idea of a estimated value which I must confess is a bit disappointing so more than likely it will end up back in the loft . Many thanks for bothering to respond
Mick

 

[craigwend]

Dear 'Biggsy'
(I am not a number I am a free man) (I hope that reference is not lost on you ? If so google The Prisoner 1960's TV series .)
Many thanks for your observations .There are no family members to cherish it ,( or otherwise.)
Yes I am able to still ride but am happy with the 21 gears on my Claude Butler when perambulating along my local coastline .I live in Westgate on sea in Kent (near Margate) and find a jaunt between Reculver and Margate satisfies my cycling needs in my geriatrica.
I have neither the ability or the intention to either strip it down and rebuild it or to repaint it.
As I have said I would be prepared to spend some time de-rusting it as far as I could.
I would be more than happy to see it go to a good home but frankly blanche at all the hassle involved for the £70 valued by ".Netman" I am unlikely to bother. .At least I now have an idea of a estimated value which I must confess is a bit disappointing so more than likely it will end up back in the loft . Many thanks for bothering to respond
Mick

Seems a pity to put it back in the loft, I can understand the disappointment, though putting it back up there just leaves the problem of what to do with it for the future.
If you did sell it to someone who fancies a restoration project you'll have the satisfaction of knowing its gone to a good home, a few pounds you didn't have for yourself or treat for your current bike

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Aside from some Italian racing exotica, most old steel bikes in anything less than truly pristine condition simply aren't worth very much. You will often find them offered for sale at inflated rices online, but you will also see the same bikes listed month after month, sometimes year after year unsold - because they aren't priced anywhere close to their real market value. Selling prices matter, asking prices mean nothing.
I've previously bought a Raleigh Tourer for £30 and a Dawes sports bike for £40, both with Reynolds 531 frames. To me, a good 531 frame is a big deal, but to riders only familiar with modern carbon fibre and aluminium frames, they tend to lump all qualities of steel frames together and look down on them as inferior products.
Time hasn't generally been kind to old steel, TBH. A near-£31 bike bought at the start of 1961 would be the equivalent of about £800 in today's money, so that Falcon was a high quality machine in it's day and certainly not run of the mill. Not many teenage lads would be riding bikes like that.

 

[Smokin Joe]

To me, a good 531 frame is a big deal, but to riders only familiar with modern carbon fibre and aluminium frames, they tend to lump all qualities of steel frames together and look down on them as inferior products.

You're quite right about the attitude of modern riders to steel frames, but for the wrong reasons. With cyclists who are interested in performance (Most enthusiasts) weight has always trumped everything else, and steel is simply regarded as too heavy in comparison to the alternatives.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

You're quite right about the attitude of modern riders to steel frames, but for the wrong reasons. With cyclists who are interested in performance (Most enthusiasts) weight has always trumped everything else, and steel is simply regarded as too heavy in comparison to the alternatives.

In the case of carbon fibre, yes there is a clear weight advantage. Not so much though if you compare vintage high quality steel bikes to modern aluminium ones.

 

[Smokin Joe]

In the case of carbon fibre, yes there is a clear weight advantage. Not so much though if you compare vintage high quality steel bikes to modern aluminium ones.

True, but high quality steel frames cost a fortune and are still heavier than much cheaper alu ones. Traditional steel frames score on looks, but whether the younger generation feel the same as those of us who grew up with them I don't know.

 

[Illaveago]

Where are our 2 Falcon specialists ? I would have thought that they would have spotted this thread and would be offering advice.

To me £70 seems to be a bit low . If a couple of Falcon fans got to know I'm sure the price would go up .

I have a similar frame in blue .

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

In the steel era, the products of the small independent builders tended to be held in higher regard than those of the big boys like Raleigh, even if in reality there was little difference in quality. Dawes punched above their weight primarily because they made well-regarded lightweight tourers. There's nothing wrong with their sportier offerings either, but they were not so much what their reputation was built on. Makers like Falcon were always second tier in market share and product familiarity amongst buyers.
That's not to say a 531 Falcon frame couldn't be every bit as good as one with exquisite lugwork built by a one-man band in his shed but a steel collector will usually pay more for a custom builder 531 frame than they will for a factory-produced one. I think the factory-built bikes are better value, but I'm probably in the minority

 

[raleighnut]

In the steel era, the products of the small independent builders tended to be held in higher regard than those of the big boys like Raleigh, even if in reality there was little difference in quality. Dawes punched above their weight primarily because they made well-regarded lightweight tourers. There's nothing wrong with their sportier offerings either, but they were not so much what their reputation was built on. Makers like Falcon were always second tier in market share and product familiarity amongst buyers.
That's not to say a 531 Falcon frame couldn't be every bit as good as one with exquisite lugwork built by a one-man band in his shed but a steel collector will usually pay more for a custom builder 531 frame than they will for a factory-produced one. I think the factory-built bikes are better value, but I'm probably in the minority

People 'wet themselves' over the SBDU Raleighs built in Ilkeston by the cream of the Carlton builders.

Ultra collectible



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