Rory O'Brien bike

[nonowt]

Great! Glad to see it's gone to a good home. Off the top of my head, the 531 decal are early 80s. That lovely wrap-over seat stay is worth the price on it's own.

 

[Montsegur Horsefly]

That's a nice looking frame. I'd be interested to know the frame number if you don't mind sharing.

Had a quick look this morning and there seems to be three figures on the BB. Not clear as there's quite a bit of grime. Planning to start cleaning and stripping this weekend so will let you know what is revealed.

Very tasty indeed and that was a bargain for sure , have you ridden it yet @Montsegur Horsefly ?

Nothing meaningful as there's no rear brake lever.

 

[biggs682]

Nothing meaningful as there's no rear brake lever.

oh yes i remember that

 

[Montsegur Horsefly]

That's a nice looking frame. I'd be interested to know the frame number if you don't mind sharing.

Frame number is 483.

 

[Montsegur Horsefly]

Finished. Great fun to ride, but as feared it's slightly too small for me.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Finished. Great fun to ride, but as feared it's slightly too small for me.

View attachment 396584

Very nice indeed.

How tall are you? You could easily replace that rather short stem and the saddle has plenty of scope to come up, possibly with a longer post.

 

[midlife]

Is it me or is the right hand shifter a bit far down?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Is it me or is the right hand shifter a bit far down?

It's not just you.

 

[Montsegur Horsefly]

Is it me or is the right hand shifter a bit far down?

Sorted.

 

[Lonestar]

Thanks for that. Rivetts must be the same place that turned into a seller of motorcycle clothing and accessories. I remember Martin's Mart, but wasn't that just a general cycle shop rather than an enthusiast's place? Back in those days as you will no doubt remember, bike shops were strictly divided between those who specialised in the clubman's scene and the run of the mill shops selling commuters and kids bikes. There was very little overlap.

Martins Mart was where my second bike was bought...A Kalkoff after my first bike a Dawes was nicked.It's now a funeral parlorm,now...I still pass it quite a bit.
Wonder when it closed and where the shopkeeper went but it was many years ago so perhaps I can guess.

 

[ocianbricles]

Rivett's were motor cycle factors well before they retailed cycles. I have a 1952 Rivett's built by Slasher, his frame builder.
They also had at least two good track riders Clive Parker and Dennis Talbot. Opposite Rivett's was a general cycle shop named Reads and further down the Leytonstone Road towards Stratford, was Martin's Mart cycle shop and further down towards Maryland Point was The great well-known clubman's shop and frame builder Lou Hawkes. Stratford was also blessed with Leach Marathon cycle frame builder which is now buried under the Olympic Park.
PS. picture is a Rory O'Brien powder-coated in bronze/copper 20 years ago for a my 65th birthday, it was purchased in 1973 in the Romford shop.

 

[midlife]

Ohh! Any better pics than your Avatar? Looks classy

 

[Stroud]

Hi griffks and welcome to the forum.

I'm pretty certain that they wouldn't have had a frame numbering sequence - because so many different makers built for Rory O'Brien.
If you have a Rory O'Brien frame, I'd love to see a pic of it. My Rory O'Brien frame had a grease nipple on the crank which to my knowledge is rare on bikes after the early 60s.

One way of finding an approximate date is to look at the style of the frame; at one stage there were four frames available; "Cadet" ,"DB Special " (Dave Bedwell), "Contessa" and "Championship". (Mine was a Championship frame).

I did have a copy of the Rory O'Brien 'catalogue' listing these models, but sadly, I passed it on with the bike.

IF you have an O'Brien frame and IF you want it dating, pm me and I'll give you the email address of someone who may be able to help you. He provided me with my copy of the O'Brien catalogue - which looks very crudely produced by the standards of today.

Best of luck with finding out more.

I have my late Dads Rory O Brian frame which I am planning to renovate.
It has the grease nipple as you mention with a frame number of
247 8074 if you have any suggestions of how I can date it that would be helpful.

 

[biggs682]

I have my late Dads Rory O Brian frame which I am planning to renovate.
It has the grease nipple as you mention with a frame number of
247 8074 if you have any suggestions of how I can date it that would be helpful.

Have a look on classic lightweights

Oh and some pictures please