A seriously gorgeous curly Hetchins

[Apollonius]

I bought some blue Bluemels mudguards from Sid Mottram himself in the shop in 1969. They are still on the bike.

Went to the Eroica Brittania today at Bakewell. Superb even - wish I had ridden in it. The Best inShow was a curly Hetchins.

Loads of beautiful Italian stuff too.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I hadn't noticed..... I was just looking at its gorgeous curves......

Burn me as a heretic, but like Mozart or the Beatles, Curley Hetchins just don't do it for me at all. They have nice paint jobs though. But as for the bendy rear stays ... forget it.

 

[simon the viking]

Burn me as a heretic, but like Mozart or the Beatles, Curley Hetchins just don't do it for me at all. They have nice paint jobs though. But as for the bendy rear stays ... forget it.

The world would be boring if we all had the same tastes and opinions..........

But in this case I think you're wrong....... its fab.....

 

[raleighnut]

I bought some blue Bluemels mudguards from Sid Mottram himself in the shop in 1969. They are still on the bike.

Went to the Eroica Brittania today at Bakewell. Superb even - wish I had ridden in it. The Best inShow was a curly Hetchins.

Loads of beautiful Italian stuff too.

Mottrams were the 2nd best bike shop in Leicester and were my LBS until they closed ( late 80s- early 90s) I was then a bit lost , using Julies and others until I found the best bike shop in Leicester, Bob Warner Cycles. John still runs it solo and anything later than 1960 is new stuff to him not that he doesn't understand and stock things just that its the "new stuff", mind the NOS stuff I,ve had from him for resto work is top notch. For example, I wanted to fit "Wing nuts" to a front wheel and knew he stocked Chrome ones so went in to buy some but they were for SS rear wheels, "No problem". Says John and ferrets in a draw to produce some alloy ones "" These are what you want". "How much" I ask, to be told "I've been stocktaking them for 50 years I'm glad to see them go to a good home"
BTW Bob Warner used to build frames Syd Mottram had his built by various firms so a Syd Mottram bike will not necessarily be a Mercian though his top frames were, cheaper models could well be generic frames bought in batches and painted then badged in the shop John was Bob Warners Wheelbuilder and was given the shop on Bobs retirement ( well into His 70s)

 

[Apollonius]

Mine is the full-monty double butted 531 et al along with the fancy Nervex lugs, which are stamped 59, which is why I think it is from about 1959. It was quite old when I got it second hand in 1969 and had an odd mix of parts on it. It still has its original transfers (just) and is named L'Independente.
It has a Stronglight 49 chainset and a Benelux front changer. The shifters are the 1950s type Campag bar-enders which I rather like. It had a 4 speed sprocket block then shifter by a Huret changer. Webbs pedals. Universal 61 brakes. I will have to dig out some photos if people are interested in such strange old iron!

 

[Apollonius]

 

[Apollonius]

Ah, so the picture appeared! I do not seem to have the skills to put words into the same post.

This is the good old Mottram after a bit of a refurb. My father had this bike off me when I bought my "new" bike back in 1979 and rode it 22 miles return journey to work until he died. It languished in his garage for 20 years and I collected it and his Higgins Ultralite when I retired as I then had time and money to spare. The Brooks pro saddle is still going strong and must be 50 years old at least. It eats a lot of Proofide these days. The wheels are not the original ones but everything else goes back to 1969 when I bought it second hand for £16 from a small ad in the Leicester Mercury after my original Viking Severn Valley was stolen.

Since this, I have also acquired a replacement Severn Valley which I have kitted out with all the lovely Campagnolo stuff I could only dream of as a kid. I couldn't afford gears back then and rode my first Severn Valley on a single fixed. This did not prevent me from cycle touring with a tent all over the European mainland on it. I still have nightmares about that climb out of Metz!
I will also confess to a Bianchi Sempre, which is a sort of winter bike to look after the old ones.

 

[stedlocks]

This is my hetchins.....something of a 'unicorn' for me......



Set up here for L'eroica in Tuscany 2013..... I can vouch wholeheartedly to it's riding characteristics! I have to do at least 75miles before it lets me put it away!

 

[midlife]

Do I spy Pelissier 2000 Professional gold hubs

Shaun

 

[raleighnut]

And tyre combs/ flint catchers Really nice bicycle

 

[John the Canuck]

my i suggest
as was noted to me when i bought my flint catchers......

the front one should be through the forks
should it 'ever' catch on the tread [unlikely ] - it will be mangled

 

[stedlocks]

Thanks guys....they are 'exaltoo' hubs.....campag copies, apparently. Thanks for the input on the flint catchers.....I don't ever have them properly adjusted anyway! They just sit there and look authentic :0)

 

[alecstilleyedye]

the curly stays are a marketing piece; back in the day, it was forbidden for the name of the bike's manufacturer to be present on a frame in a race, so to stand out, the manufacturers had to innovate. Hence hetchins' curly stays, and bates' diaderant forks…

 

[John the Canuck]

1st one i've seen -- rather unique --- and lovely
nice bike overall

is that a stopwatch clamp on the bars..?
my brother threw mine away.....
now worth £60-70

 

[G3CWI]

I too am occasionally troubled by hetchins in the curlys.