Hi,
My name is Andrew. I've been cycling on and off for 40 years and have a renewed interest for a bunch of (some understandable in the current circumstances) reasons. Starting off with a Moulton (how I wish that hadn't been stolen) in my teens, then an Elswick (in my twenties) for ages, then a massive upgrade in 1982 to a 24" Holdsworth Mistral touring frame bought from Overbury's in Bristol (now sadly demised) which I built up into a tourer for excursions and tours in UK and across Europe with my now other half. The Mistral got retired as I aged and curiously got shorter for the frame (but I kept it stored because maybe one day it would come in handy) and was replaced by a series on more modern, exciting looking, up-to-date bikes (eg Raleigh, Specialised, Pashley, MTB etc) yet all were ultimately disappointing in nearly all respects when compared to that Mistral. I still have that frame, too big for me so not interested in restoring/rebuilding but as it's structurally (sadly not cosmetically) very sound wondering what to do with it as it seems much too good to skip it. I might raise the issue one one of the forums when I've learnt my way around.
But, I've recently found and bought bought a lovely 'refreshed' 82 Holdsworth Mistral in my frame size and am looking forward to getting out and about again on its and enjoying (rather than grumbling about) my rides with the missus, children and now grandchildren... There may be questions ahead!
Best regards...
My name is Andrew. I've been cycling on and off for 40 years and have a renewed interest for a bunch of (some understandable in the current circumstances) reasons. Starting off with a Moulton (how I wish that hadn't been stolen) in my teens, then an Elswick (in my twenties) for ages, then a massive upgrade in 1982 to a 24" Holdsworth Mistral touring frame bought from Overbury's in Bristol (now sadly demised) which I built up into a tourer for excursions and tours in UK and across Europe with my now other half. The Mistral got retired as I aged and curiously got shorter for the frame (but I kept it stored because maybe one day it would come in handy) and was replaced by a series on more modern, exciting looking, up-to-date bikes (eg Raleigh, Specialised, Pashley, MTB etc) yet all were ultimately disappointing in nearly all respects when compared to that Mistral. I still have that frame, too big for me so not interested in restoring/rebuilding but as it's structurally (sadly not cosmetically) very sound wondering what to do with it as it seems much too good to skip it. I might raise the issue one one of the forums when I've learnt my way around.
But, I've recently found and bought bought a lovely 'refreshed' 82 Holdsworth Mistral in my frame size and am looking forward to getting out and about again on its and enjoying (rather than grumbling about) my rides with the missus, children and now grandchildren... There may be questions ahead!
Best regards...
