Thanks for all the comments I have received on and off the List about the frames that I have listed on the MSN site..they have been very welcome and make me wish that I had taken better photos at the time
Now at least you can add "Bespoke of Settle" to the list of north of England frame-builders, alongside but not half as prolific as Bob Jackson, Maurice and Stephen Woodrup, Ellis-Briggs, MKN, Wes Mason, W.R Baines, Whittaker and Mapplebeck, Pennine, Macklam, Chevin, Temple, Elsegood, Delta Sportive, Thompson, Hilton Wrigley, Steve Elsworth..and that is just in the Leeds-Bradford-York area.
Of the frames shown, the one that seems to have sparked off the most comment is the "Bespoke-Quayle"..so called for the sake of the photo because it was built for an "old-timer" ( and he won't mind me saying that ) Jack Quayle. In the pre-WWII years Jack had raced on Baines "flying gates" - the unusual SWB frame - and had developed a liking for fast very responsive bikes. In his mid-60s he asked me to build him a 30s- style frame and biuke, but built to early 80s angles and dimensions.
The result of this request was the "Bespoke-Saxon" double-seat tube frame shown in the photos, with the green, red and chrome livery On approaching his 70th birthday Jack walked into the shop one day and told me that he was about to order his "final" frame..and that he wanted something unusual again..to take him back to his youth. He actually asked for a copy of a "Gate" but I preferred not to copy Baines' design tube-for-tube so to speak..so came up with the variation on the Baines VS38..the Road Model that did not have the second pair of seat stays, and only managed a very short stub of a seat-tube. The 1936 Baines catalogue described this madel as " The Really Rapid Hill Climber".
My version of Jack's 1930s mount simply extended the seat tube and placed a strut between that and the vertical tube. All the joints were reinforced with "rosettes" to strengthen the joint area, as I had noticed that the unsupported joint between the vertical and the top-tubes on many Baines tended to develop a bend downwards towards the seat lug. Jack is no heavyweight so the frame was built in Ishiwata O19 tubing using a blend of lugged and bi-laminated structures, with "embellished" Nervex Pros on the head tube and seat lug. and bi-lams elsewhere.and a pair of delightful round forks.
The choice of the rear Stallard-pattern "Osgear" drop-outs was just 100% nostalgia...and did provide some problems when the bike was built up with Suntour Superb Pro equipment. As Jack admitted...he loved the old-style frame but just couldn't hack it any more with the old Super Champion Osgear 4-speed gears that he had raced with in his hey-day..."You have to move with the times...sometimes.." he cautioned me.!!
Norris Lockley..Settle UK