Sun 1969 photos

[Bozdoonican]

Heres my brother on his birthday in 1969 on the Sun ( I think it may be a GT but not sure )
I know a lot of the bikes from investigation seem to have been an amalgamation of parts in the Worksop factory at this time.
It had GB Coureur 66 levers/brakes and Simplex gears ( I have these but not the 66 levers with the red GB logo on the front - if anybody has any I would be interested )
I have stripped it back and going to have the frame professionally sprayed in as near to original colour as possible )
I converted it to 10 speed in about 1979 ( it had all lugs /cable guides already on frame for this ) and resprayed it thus losing all original decals.
I can source most for the renovation but I am unsure as to what was the tubing logo on the upright just below the seat.
My memory tells me it was a Reynolds logo but not 531( I was gutted as a 15 year old cos my mate had a 531 bike !) but the logo was more Blue/gold/black than the green/black/gold Reynolds logo. I don't think it was 'True-wel' as many were at this time.
Does anybody have any thoughts on the logo although difficult to clearly see on photo??? - I do not want to stick a Reynolds logo on it if it is not
thanks for any input ( and I realise again it is not a classic but it rode well - as as I sure a lot of you will know our first proper bikes have a lot of emotional attachment !!). The cost of restoration will outstrip its monetary value I know
I look forward to riding it out on vintage events...

 

[Kempstonian]

H Lloyd Cycles have a lot of Reynolds decals but none in the blue/gold/black colours.

https://h-lloyd-cycles.myshopify.com/search?q=Reynolds

Good luck with the restoration though, it was (and hopefully will be) a very nice looking bike.

 

[biggs682]

Great memories then
@Spokesmann might be able t o advise

 

[Spokesmann]

Very nice images, lovely bike. The chequerboard decals were very much of the time (later 60s) and were used on the Chris Barber bikes and on the team bikes. The racing kit/strip used it too. The tubing would have been Tru-Wel or EUUT, the higher end machines used 531. H Lloyd do a set of decals for the Chris Barber 10 TR as well as a number of others. As for the model, Id need to check a few catalogues but hazard a guess some low to mid range like a Snipe.

 

[Spokesmann]

Here is some info about my 10 TR which dates from 68:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chris-barber-team-sun-replica-bike-c1968.204451/

 

[Spokesmann]

Possibly a Snipe Plus:

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Sun-70/Sun70_2.html

 

[Grant Fondo]

Heres my brother on his birthday in 1969 on the Sun ( I think it may be a GT but not sure )
I know a lot of the bikes from investigation seem to have been an amalgamation of parts in the Worksop factory at this time.
It had GB Coureur 66 levers/brakes and Simplex gears ( I have these but not the 66 levers with the red GB logo on the front - if anybody has any I would be interested )
I have stripped it back and going to have the frame professionally sprayed in as near to original colour as possible )
I converted it to 10 speed in about 1979 ( it had all lugs /cable guides already on frame for this ) and resprayed it thus losing all original decals.
I can source most for the renovation but I am unsure as to what was the tubing logo on the upright just below the seat.
My memory tells me it was a Reynolds logo but not 531( I was gutted as a 15 year old cos my mate had a 531 bike !) but the logo was more Blue/gold/black than the green/black/gold Reynolds logo. I don't think it was 'True-wel' as many were at this time.
Does anybody have any thoughts on the logo although difficult to clearly see on photo??? - I do not want to stick a Reynolds logo on it if it is not
thanks for any input ( and I realise again it is not a classic but it rode well - as as I sure a lot of you will know our first proper bikes have a lot of emotional attachment !!). The cost of restoration will outstrip its monetary value I know
I look forward to riding it out on vintage events...

Yes great pics and from 50 years ago!
Is it the same Sun that makes rims? Got them on my 90s Cannondale.

 

[Spokesmann]

Yes great pics and from 50 years ago!
Is it the same Sun that makes rims? Got them on my 90s Cannondale.

No. These machine were made at Worksop, Sun Cycles of Aston Brook Street Birmingham was taken over by TI Raleigh in the early 1960s and production moved to the Carlton Factory in Worksop in and around 1962.

 

[Illaveago]

The colour looks a bit like my Sun Mist which was dark flamboyant blue with light blue metallic panels. It had GB Synchron brakes and Simplex Prestige gears which kept breaking .
I had to have straight bars as my dad wouldn't let me have drops .
To get an idea of the tubing you could remove the seat post and look down inside the frame for a weld seam running the length of the tube. If it hasn't it could be 531.

 

[Bozdoonican]

Thanks all for your input
Thinking about it now ( as you say in your excellent info Spokesmann ) I am pretty sure the tubing decal said Tru Wel 205 ( it definitely had numbers and as I said previously I was gutted at the time it didn’t say 531 !!). Trying to find an image of a bike of the same era with the same type of logo - there is a photo of a Carlton with the same colours of logo and it was Tru Wel tubing but it is badly worn off.
Looks like the only decal available for Tru Wel 205 is a different type ( from H Lloyd’s ) - i Will use one of those as a finishing touch if I can’t source one like the original.
Again, many thanks for all your input - much appreciated

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I'd expect a 531 frame to have a 1 1/16"/27.2 mm seatpost, my 3 all are because I can interchange 27.2 seatposts between them. Tru-Wel, AFAIK, will take a standard 1"/25.4 mm size post, like a Raleigh made of 18-23 tubing..

 

[Bozdoonican]

Thanks for that - will get my callipers out and do some measuring! And have a good look down the Seat post...

 

[carpenter]

...........
Looks like the only decal available for Tru Wel 205 is a different type ( from H Lloyd’s ) - i Will use one of those as a finishing touch if I can’t source one like the original.
............

I think H Lloyd are very helpful - if you ask they may well be able to make up a decal in the colour combination that you want, worth asking?

 

[Bozdoonican]

Thanks for that - I sourced the other decals from H Lloyd and I have just taken your advice and sent the photo asking if they have any info about the tubing decal and if they could make one up.
thanks for your suggestion

 

[Bozdoonican]

Restoration complete - really pleased with the result and will enjoy on Sunday morning rides ( on dry days !)