wester ross bike

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
User avatar
freiston
Posts: 1500
Joined: 6 Oct 2013, 10:20am
Location: Coventry

Re: wester ross bike

Post by freiston »

With eileithyia's permission, here's a photo of her with her Wester Ross. . .
cov ctc002.jpg
Disclaimer: Treat what I say with caution and if possible, wait for someone with more knowledge and experience to contribute. ;)
thirdcrank
Posts: 36764
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by thirdcrank »

O tempora, o mores.

The Bicycle Belle competition at York Rally. How innocent we all were. (I was there but probably going round hunting for bargains, some of which are still in the garage.)
scribes
Posts: 22
Joined: 21 Feb 2020, 10:13am
Location: Wester Ross

Re: wester ross bike

Post by scribes »

Good afternoon all from a cold, wet and windy Wester Ross. In answer to dog64's question, there is at least one owner in these parts and that is Gairloch Museum. In 2019 I was invited by the museum's curator to tidy up number 407, made by Fergus Forsyth (his initials are stamped on the bottom bracket). After two or three days of dusting down said bike was considered fit for viewing and taken to the Museum. My orders had been to clean only and not to mechanically repair. The bike, originally made for a customer in Edinburgh, had apparently been well ridden on a daily commute and cycling holidays, and thereafter somewhat neglected.

The bicycle designer, John Connell, set up the Loch Ewe Cycles factory in Aultbea in 1974 with support from the Highlands and Islands Development Board. A staff of three produced Wester Ross bicycles until the early 1980s.It is believed that 478 were built over the nine years, including one tandem frame.

Gairloch Museum www.gairlochmuseum.org which was awarded Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 following its move to new premises has number 407 proudly on display. See attached photograph.
Historical background supplied by my stoker who just happens to be the secretary at the museum.
_DSC1379.jpg
eileithyia
Posts: 8398
Joined: 31 Jan 2007, 6:46pm
Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)

Re: wester ross bike

Post by eileithyia »

I took delivery of my WR in 83 which was from the Yorkshire workshop.
I stand and rejoice everytime I see a woman ride by on a wheel the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. HG Wells
User avatar
pedalsheep
Posts: 1324
Joined: 11 Aug 2009, 7:57pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by pedalsheep »

Enjoying this thread. I stayed in the Youth Hostel in Aultbea in 1979 and have had a hankering for a Wester Ross ever since (couldn't afford one at the time).
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
steve browne
Posts: 155
Joined: 8 Oct 2009, 12:30pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by steve browne »

Here are some pictures of the Wester Ross I ordered when I received my first pay packet in 1981. It was built to run with a Sturmey Archer SA-5 hub. The hub had a Dutch sprocket converter which took 4 sprockets, giving 20 gears (22" - 116") I think the largest sprocket was 32 tooth. The alloy hub eventually broke riding up a hill a few years ago.

John Connell made braze on fittings on the down tube to take the Sturmey Archer gear levers, and also did a neat braze on to secure the torque arm for the front hub brake. The frame was built by Fergus Forsyth. I think they painted their own frames, with John's wife doing the lug lining. They also ran a very good bed and breakfast establishment in Whitby which I enjoyed when I collected the frame and had a tour of the workshop.
Attachments
P1010518.jpeg
P1010511.jpeg
P1010509.jpeg
colin54
Posts: 2517
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by colin54 »

There's a hard riding Wester Ross owner in the Leeds area somewhere. I was driving back from Otley to Hyde Park Corner in Leeds 5 or 6 years ago, and passed a WR being ridden at a good clip just past the top of the long draggy hill up from the town centre. By the time I'd parked my car at my lock-up garage at Hyde Park, and was walking back to my flat, he came through the lights there, probably about 6 or 7 miles further on from when I first saw him, I remembered being mightily impressed at the rider's pace at the time.
It's a shame 'The Bike Brothers' site seems to have disappeared again - for the second time , they had a good selection of WR images with serial numbers and potted histories by the owners as I recall.
There was a thread about them a while back, but neither of the addresses there work for them now.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=135806&p=1473880&hi ... s#p1473880
Nu-Fogey
dog64
Posts: 61
Joined: 3 Dec 2021, 2:40pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by dog64 »

thfe blue one is same colour as mine different lugs and as white lug linning,frame 202
seph
Posts: 197
Joined: 3 Sep 2010, 8:22pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by seph »

That blue is a lovely colour, on a classy frame.
Dog64, you say yours may be for sale soon? 21.5” is just my size...
I’d be very interested, (esp just as a frameset).

Enjoying this thread :)
steve browne
Posts: 155
Joined: 8 Oct 2009, 12:30pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by steve browne »

The blue colour on my frame was colour matched by John to the blue on the cover of a Collins French dictionary - I cut a bit off and posted it to him. He provided a small bottle of touch up paint as well. Lots of attention to detail at Wester Ross cycles.
dog64
Posts: 61
Joined: 3 Dec 2021, 2:40pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by dog64 »

seph if i sell it its collection only i will take no less then £300
colin54
Posts: 2517
Joined: 24 Sep 2013, 4:34pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by colin54 »

dog64 wrote: 3 Dec 2021, 2:53pm are there any wester ross owners on the forum
Do I detect a neat piece of marketing strategy here? First create some interest, then; ' i've a 21.5 i may be selling in the future '
Capital!

Don't mind cynical old me, I'm only bitter because it's not my size dog64; good luck with the sale ! :)
Nu-Fogey
User avatar
pedalsheep
Posts: 1324
Joined: 11 Aug 2009, 7:57pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by pedalsheep »

dog64 wrote: 8 Dec 2021, 8:25am seph if i sell it its collection only i will take no less then £300
Where would it need to be collected from?
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
seph
Posts: 197
Joined: 3 Sep 2010, 8:22pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by seph »

..that’s what I was going to ask :wink:
dog64
Posts: 61
Joined: 3 Dec 2021, 2:40pm

Re: wester ross bike

Post by dog64 »

any one who does want it and is genuine pm me please
Post Reply