Rory O'Brien - or is it?

[mikeymustard]

I've been give this frame by a friend to identify, stickered up as a Rory O'Brien and yet it's got a "Q" prefixed frame number. I've heard that bikes resprayed by O'Briens would have O'Brien decals added if the owner didn't make it clear how he wanted the frame finished, so could this in fact be a Quinn? If it's been resprayed it must've been a fair while ago, it has a nice patina on it!

Only thing is, on the http://www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Harry_Quinn/HQuinn_registry.htm site, there's already a bike with the serial number Q2593, but I think the owner may have got that wrong and his is actually 2598 because other 3's on frames are in the same type as this frame (also, the head tube lugs and shot-in stays are almost identical to the bike on the register).

It's way too small for me or my partner, though it looks like it should clean up quite nicely. I don't know if I could get terribly enthusiastic about a bike I wouldn't be able to ride, so this may need to be passed on to someone who might give it the attention it deserves!

 

[biggs682]

That's a Quinn frame number i would say , drop the guy that runs the registry an e mail and see what he says
Nice find

 

[mikeymustard]

That's a Quinn frame number i would say , drop the guy that runs the registry an e mail and see what he says
Nice find

I sent an email to Dale Brown (in N.Carolina!) who's reply was about as non-committal as one could be:

Hi Mike:
From my limited knowledge, I can't see any definitive solution to that question. There have been counterfeiters too, which further complicates things.
Sorry!!
Best wishes,
Dale​

So back to square one really. The more I look at it, the more I realise what a beautifully made frame it is - such a shame it's so damned small!

My mate bought it from a local chap with a couple of pairs of very nice Campag wheels and some other quality bits that he said had been his uncle's who had known Rory O'Brien quite well. He'd claimed the bike had belonged to Rory's wife, which is why it was so small. I've thought this through a lot over the last day or so and have come to the conclusion that it's probably complete rowlocks - whether deliberate or "family legend" I don't know. I just can't see how he would have a Quinn frame when he had some of the best frame makers in the biz at his beck and call!
However, I would say that some time later in its life it has had some braze-ons added, and this must've been when it changed its identity

 

[biggs682]

The Q is done with an 0 and a number 1 punched through it to look a Q in the same way as any other Quinn frames , so i would think it was refinished by O brien's at some point .

Like you say shame it's such a small frame

 

[midlife]

Look on the Quinn registry Web page and see if it's been registered.

Its a Quinn made after he bought his name back from Falcon.

 

[mikeymustard]

There is one registered with the same number but I think the owner has mistaken a badly stamped 8 as a 3. The fastback stays and head tube lugs are pretty much identical