does anyone remember Westland bikes?

[Shaun Underhill]

This Westland bike - the red one, was advertised by David Gibson down in Axminster several years ago on Ebay. He might be able to shed more light on it's history.

He's currently advertising several Hobbs and a Jack Sibbit frame on Ebay.

Best wishes,

Shaun

[Shaun Underhill]

I thought this one might be of interest, another Westland frame resurfaced; from a vendor on Ebay.

Coincidentally the frame number for this one - stamped on the bottom of the BB is 53007 whereas my previously featured lilac one is 55007.

Fingers crossed I can upload a couple of pictures.....

This example belonged to the late Graham Newman who raced it with his club, Severn RC which is still in existence and based in the Bristol area. It needs barely any work on the renovation front and I hope to build it back up quite soon. The rear dropout width is a narrow 112 mm but I've got a suitable 27" wheel with a four speed block which fits. My search for the previous owners of No. 55007 petered out and I'm currently arranging a pro respray job in the same colour for next month.

What I would really like to find now would be a Pete Luxton frame - 22 - 23". After building Westlands with Sid West he went onto to build ones under his own name. Can anyone help at all please?

[rjb]

Pete Luxton was a member of Exeter Wheelers cycling club. I don't know if he is still around but you could contact the club via their website.
https://www.exeterwheelers.co.uk

[Shaun Underhill]

Thanks very much for the info and link.

Something in my mind suggests he passed away but hopefully I'm wrong. I'll give the club a call in any case.

One of his track / path frames was sold a while back on the LFGSS site together with a set of transfers so at least one is known to exist.

Shaun

[Shaun Underhill]

At last, almost four years on from buying the faded pink/lilac 1955 built frame No. 55007 featured previously here I have now completed its restoration and rebuild.

The stove enamel finish was carried out by a paint shop, Unimet of Cardiff Road, Reading who were recommended by my local bike shop. They tried to match traces of overspray still to be seen on the steerer tube and the result is very good but is probably more on the pink spectrum. The parts mainly mirror what was fitted during the 1960's; Campagnolo gears - the rear dropouts are Campag. Other parts fitted are a Brooks saddle, Mafac brakes and levers, GB bar stem with engraved Giro D'italia bars. The wheels are 27" Rigidas with Normandy Q/R hubs. Transfers were very nicely reproduced by a fellow V-CC member, I didn't fancy trying to use the old varnish fix ones that came with the frame. Photo hopefully attached showing the end result. I took it out this morning for the first time and enjoyed 25 miles around the pretty villages that lie between Reading and Maidenhead.

[Shaun Underhill]

...and the final chapter - is anyone out there still reading this thread?

The bright pink was just too much and really wasn't a match even allowing for the faded state of the frame. I wonder if this shade that was evident as overspray on the steerer tube wasn't a red herring, perhaps a combination of old paint and oil. So the bike was stripped down and treated to another session and here's the result all pieced back together. A lilac finish that doesn't need sunglasses and which looks closer to how it originally was.

[colin54]

Handsome ! I admire your dedication for having it re-finished a second time ; 'if a job's worth doing' etc...