http://www.flickr.com/
Doug Van Cleve Chandler, AZ USA
On 1/26/07, Norris Lockley <norris.lockley@talktalk.net> wrote:
> It recall it was a very tall order coming from a very short man! Neve
> rtheless the short man was used to getting what he wanted..and more to the
> point what he wanted, he was usually very willing to pay very well fo
> r.
>
>
>
> Jack Quayle, a legendary figure up in the submarine manufacturing town of B
> arrow-on-Furness, near the Lake District, was well on the wrong side of six
> ty when he manoeuvred the two steps down into my barrel-vaulted showroom. H
> e had to manoeuvre carefully because under his arm he was carrying an immac
> ulate "Bespoke" twin-tubed Saxon -replica frame that I had built for him a
> couple of years earlier.It was still resplendent in its Ferrari red enamel,
> Emerald green head and seat panels and acres of chrome-plate.
>
>
>
> Pulling himself up to his full five-feet six inches he fixed me with an imp
> erious stare that rendered nul and void my superior height of five-feet eig
> ht and a half inches . "It's a superb frame this one..but I need to go even
> one better!"
>
>
>
> He explained that the new frame would probably be his last and as he put it
> "..it will see me out!" "So...it will have to be the best one I have ever
> had..and the best one that you have ever built!" Jack was a difficult perso
> n to argue with.
>
>
>
> He went on to reminisce about the 1930s when, as an impressionable teenager
> he had witnessed two of the UK racing giants Jack Fancourt and his mate Ho
> lmes (Harry H?) battling it out in a pre-Berlin Olympics selection race for
> the British team. He had been mesmerised by the bikes they road that day -
> a pair of Baines Model VS37 "Gates". On his way back to Barrow, he deviate
> d from his usual route to visit the Baines bike workshop in Eccleshill, Bra
> dford, to order his own VS37.
>
>
>
> Long since sold on was the Baines..but Jack wanted another..and Jack intend
> ed, that day in my cellar, to order one. But I knew better..because around
> that time Trevor Jarvis had just bought out the rights to the "Gate" design
> ..so I would not infringe those rights. The VS37 follows the popular Baines
> design of a vertical tube supporting the top-tube, with a short piece of s
> eat tube protruding through the seat-lug, and two pairs of "seat-stays" run
> ning up from the rear drop-outs, one to the seat lug, the other to the T-ju
> nction of the vertical and the top-tube.
>
>
>
> The lesser known V38 frame dispensed with the short length of seat tube and
> with the second pair of stays. It had a very "open" appearance. I stuck to
> my guns with Jack and told him that I would not, even for a persistent and
> wealthy customer like himself, copy either of Baines' designs.
>
>
>
> And so it came to pass that the Bespoke VS37.5 was born! A variation on bot
> h of the Baines' designs, it had the short seat tube, but not the extra pai
> r of stays..but in order to fill up the void..and to stiffen up the rear pa
> rt of the frame main triangle, a strut was brazed in between the seat-tube
> and the vertical.
>
>
>
> Sounds messy ! Jack was delighted with the finished frame..again resplenden
> t in its red and green and chrome. He declaired that it not only rode bette
> r than his VS37..but that it had turned out to be his best bike ever, As I
> said earlier..what Jack wanted, Jack always got...
>
>
>
> Unfortunately Jack passed away just over a year ago, having cycled into his
> mid-80s..dying from an absolutely painless heart attack. His widow has bee
> n loathe to part with Jack's treasure..he was out on the VS37.5 only the da
> y before he died..and he had remembered to polish it before taking it up th
> e narrow stairs into the front bedroom of his cottage.."..the best deserves
> the best!"..another of Jack's irrefutable statements..just as "..ashes to
> ashes, dust to dust, Bespoke to Bespoke.." he had always promised me.
>
>
>
> And so it has fallen to me to try to find it a new home. To this end some f
> riends have let me place a few photos of it on their new web-site for all t
> o examine.
>
>
>
> The frame is built from that wonderful Ishiwata O19 tubing, with Reynolds 5
> 31 round track blades. Lugs are a fancy variation of Nervex Pro..to Jack's
> design. The bracket shell and the T-lug at the junction of the top and vert
> ical tubes are bilaminated, while the twin-plate fork crown has been frette
> d into a pleasant almost Gillott-like shape. The rear drop-outs are Super C
> hampion original "Osgear" ones but with a gear hanger brazed on to take the
> later model accessories that Jack wanted "..in order that an old sta
> ger can move with the times and keep up with the youngsters".
>
>
>
> The frame is a 21" centre-to-top with a 21.5" top tube. Rear triangle is ju
> st under 15". (37.5cms).with the front end being just about 23". Mudguards
> are fitted with full toe-clip clearance. The paintwork and chrome are unbel
> ievably IMMACULATE.
>
>
>
> The bike can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/
> settle
>
>
>
> No asking price has been given so offers are invited. If anyone would like
> more jpegs..or info, please contact me Off-List.
>
>
>
> One last thing..the frame was built in 1982...so it fits the CR time-line