OP
OP
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I was having a bit of a nostalgic moment so I thought I would look up the bike on the net. There seems to have been a lot of negative reviews of the bike saying that it was plain gauge 531 tubing and it used the old Campagnolo Record rear derailleur instead of the newer version which replaced it.
I thought that I would give an owner's opinion of it.
As previously mentioned at the beginning I had set out to buy a completely different bike, a Carlton Kermesse. I had a catalogue and had decided that it was the bike to have. The colour scheme had sold it to me ! It turns out that I might have got the picture and the words which went with it mixed up! I thought that the Kermesse was the light blue and white bike instead of the blue and yellow. From what I can remember neither of those bikes stated what their frames were made of. I might be wrong ! The blue and white Carlton bike had sprint rims IIRC. I also can't remember there being a price listed for them.
So what I got for my £70 ish was a plain gauge Reynolds 531 frame and forks , 5 speed Regina freewheel with a steel cottered crank , 27 inch Fiamme rims laced with double butted spokes to Campagnolo QR SF hubs. Campagnolo Record rear derailleur. Weinmann Centre pull brakes and hooded levers with QR. GB bars and stem and a Brooks leather saddle B5N. Blumels aluminium high pressure pump.
When I see old catalogue pictures from a similar period showing BSA TdF and Tof B bikes priced around the £100 mark I realise that I had a bargain . I might not have had 10 speed or a drink bottle but that wasn't that important. As for how my Holdsworth compares with the BSA TDF I will have to see as I have one in my garage which needs building up .
I was a proud owner of my Holdsworth Record. I really liked the colour scheme and always have . I liked riding it , I never set any world records on it, it was mainly used to ride to work and back and to go out in the evenings . I can remember one sunny evening I just decided to ride out to Beckhampton Roundabout and back . Why? I don't know! I just did ! When I got back home I went back out to have a kick about with a football with my friends. I had a lot more energy in those days .
I thought that I would give an owner's opinion of it.
As previously mentioned at the beginning I had set out to buy a completely different bike, a Carlton Kermesse. I had a catalogue and had decided that it was the bike to have. The colour scheme had sold it to me ! It turns out that I might have got the picture and the words which went with it mixed up! I thought that the Kermesse was the light blue and white bike instead of the blue and yellow. From what I can remember neither of those bikes stated what their frames were made of. I might be wrong ! The blue and white Carlton bike had sprint rims IIRC. I also can't remember there being a price listed for them.
So what I got for my £70 ish was a plain gauge Reynolds 531 frame and forks , 5 speed Regina freewheel with a steel cottered crank , 27 inch Fiamme rims laced with double butted spokes to Campagnolo QR SF hubs. Campagnolo Record rear derailleur. Weinmann Centre pull brakes and hooded levers with QR. GB bars and stem and a Brooks leather saddle B5N. Blumels aluminium high pressure pump.
When I see old catalogue pictures from a similar period showing BSA TdF and Tof B bikes priced around the £100 mark I realise that I had a bargain . I might not have had 10 speed or a drink bottle but that wasn't that important. As for how my Holdsworth compares with the BSA TDF I will have to see as I have one in my garage which needs building up .
I was a proud owner of my Holdsworth Record. I really liked the colour scheme and always have . I liked riding it , I never set any world records on it, it was mainly used to ride to work and back and to go out in the evenings . I can remember one sunny evening I just decided to ride out to Beckhampton Roundabout and back . Why? I don't know! I just did ! When I got back home I went back out to have a kick about with a football with my friends. I had a lot more energy in those days .
