Ian May cycles

[sittingbull]

Hi Gareth and to the forum.

That's a fabulous looking bike, probably one of the older Ian Mays I've seen, in excellent condition with much of the original quality finishing kit. I wouldn't even consider re-spraying the frame. It would lose some originality and it really doesn't need it.

I could hazard a guess to age but would rather say it's similar to that of Mr. @biggs682 immediately above. Has it got a frame number on the bottom bracket?

As you say, the front wheel looks to have been replaced with a smaller 700c wheel. The rear dropout spacing will dictate to some extent the available options on new wheels and gearing. It looks quite rideable as it is, I'd rotate the bars down though

Thanks for posting

 

[biggs682]

@gareth01244 that looks superb and well found and welcome aboard , not a lot more i can say over what i have already said , just get on and ride it you lucky man

 

[IncoherentJeff]

welcome to the forum Gareth, very nice looking bike. Nice to know abit more about another Ian May as that preloved ad was abit lacking in detail.

 

[gareth01244]

Thanks for the replies, yes those bars were the first thing I altered, the last owner suffered a motorbike accident and had metal plates in his wrists so thats probably why they were set so high. The rear dropouts are 126mm. Its the first bike I have owned that's not been made in a factory so its intriguing to try and work out what was original finishing kit and what was added by its owners. I really like the pinstripe in the lugs, anyone think that it might have been added later or do other Ian May bikes have similar?

 

[DonSchwann]

Lovely bike that, Gareth!

I'd get an original 80s saddle rather than sourcing a new one. I have a San Marco Rolls on mine, which does the job nicely. Vintage wheels can be surprisingly expensive - it's not a big deal to true the back one and if it's original then that's what I'd do (you can sort it yourself with a cheap spoke truer from Halfords or pay your LBS to sort). The front wheel ideally should be replaced, so I'd keep my eye out for a similar one to the rear but ride happily with what you've got until a decent price one comes along).

Oh, and please don't repaint the frame! It's lovely as it is, even with a couple of nicks here and there. It's the originality that appeals.

Enjoy and welcome to the Ian May 'club'! Can't believe you got that for £80!

EDIT:

Just checked your 531 stickers - their style seems to indicate 1977 to 1981. Ian's shop opened in 1981, so it could be one of the earliest Mays out there:

 

[biggs682]

Thanks for the replies, yes those bars were the first thing I altered, the last owner suffered a motorbike accident and had metal plates in his wrists so thats probably why they were set so high. The rear dropouts are 126mm. Its the first bike I have owned that's not been made in a factory so its intriguing to try and work out what was original finishing kit and what was added by its owners. I really like the pinstripe in the lugs, anyone think that it might have been added later or do other Ian May bikes have similar?

luglining is easy enough to do at any time , neither of my 3 have it

at 126 mm rear drop outs wheels could be expensive as per @DonSchwann comments , i managed to pick up a complete donor bike last week for my latest frame for a lot less than a pr of wheels would cost me , so that might be the way forward .

dont forget to stick the pics up on the " In Appreciation of Merseyside Bikes " face book page please

 

[gareth01244]

Quick update on my Ian May, spent an afternoon stripping down the frame to allow me access to give it and its components a good de greasing clean, the frame was covered in grime and oil as was the derailleur and cranks. I used a product I had not heard of till now, its called Meguirs showroom glaze No.7. According to a site I came across its supposed to be really good for old paint on vintage cars as it contains oils that are supposed soak in and to bring life back into faded paint, I ordered some as an experiment and I applied it after the clean down( which left the red paint looking really dull and flat) it has put a shine onto the frame that was sorely missing but I guess ordinary polish or wax would have also worked. The brake calipers hardly needed any work unlike the levers, cranks and stem needed a fair bit of work to revive as they had lots of deep scratches, I have in the past polished up Raleigh parts but these had a coating/ anodized layer that took some work to improve on. The stem looked like someone had previously tried to polish out the scratches as you could see the different surfaces, anyway after lots of elbow grease I'm happy to say that they look far better. I'm new to bikes with Campag components but from looking online the levers look like super record ones as do the derailleurs, can any one help with that? I looked at replacement hoods but they averaged around £40 for genuine ones so I have ordered a set of Dia Compe 204 hoods at £6 as they are supposed to be a good match, will see when they arrive. Hopefully going to see some wheels tomorrow so fingers crossed I can put in a ride soon.

 

[sittingbull]

Very nice and well worth the effort

The paintwork does look more vibrant compared to the original pics.

Put some more pics up when you get some wheels.

 

[biggs682]

@gareth01244 looking good , just got back from a short 8 miles on my red Ian May

 

[fixedfixer]

Great thread. Went to school in Bebington in mid 70's. Remember Dave Lloyd shop. Ian May opened his shop after I left area. I bought a peugeot AE8 from Peter Toner's in Hoylake. Anyone remember Pete Matthews bikes? Mate at school had one of those as his best bike. Pic of the AE8 on this forum somewhere.

Edit Wallasey not Hoylake (was getting a bit posh there!)

 

[sittingbull]

........ Anyone remember Pete Matthews bikes?........

I bought a Pete Matthews frame for a friend a couple of years ago, it's not been built up yet. It's a nice frame but suffered some paint loss in the course of removing a stuck seat post They appear on eBay from time to time.

There were a multitude of quality frame-builders and associated bike shops in this region (both sides of the river). Tierney Cycles was my LBS, sadly long gone

 

[biggs682]

the all elusive shop front picture still to be found , surely there must be one

 

[fixedfixer]

Gareth01244 In the third photo you have put the brake pads in wrong way round. Open end of shoe should face rear of bike or else pads will shoot out of shoe .... Otherwise a great looking bike there.

 

[biggs682]

Just a few pictures of IMC044 my latest Ian May frameset that turned up this week.

Not sure of plans yet in terms of build specification.

Quick update as just been to collect IMC044 up and its getting there slowly

 

[DonSchwann]

Good progress there, @biggs682 - as a shiny quill guy, I'm trying not to look at the stem!