Hewitt Chiltern, Cheviot, et al

[Brucey]

For a few years these framesets (mostly TIG welded in 631 tubing with 525 forks) were popular enough for audax (Chiltern) and touring (Cheviot) purposes. I believe that similar frames were sold badged as 'Byercycles' and 'Pearsons' amongst others. However Byercycles closed, Hewitts have changed tack. and the remainder of these frames (from Hewitts?) were sold by Spa cycles as '631 special audax' and '631 special touring' models a couple of years ago.


'Chiltern'


'Cheviot' fitted with flat bars.

Needless to say the internet was positively awash with geometry tables etc for these framesets at one time, but no more; if you search Hewitt's website for 'Chiltern' or 'Cheviot' you get zero hits and Spa no longer have any framesets left and don't have the geometry tables on their site either.

So has anyone got a copy of these geometry tables they would be willing to share here?

cheers

[colin54]

I take it you've seen your own post here from a while back Brucey, where you list a fair amount of geometry detail from when Spa were selling them ?
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=109714&hilit=hewitt+cheviot&start=30#p1060663

[Brucey]

thanks for the reminder; unfortunately the links to Hewitt's site are now dead. I did put more into one of my posts than I remembered, but it'd be nice to have the full geometry tables. I might have had the foresight to download them, but that was about three computers ago....so goodness knows if I'll be able to find them even if I did.

cheers

[PH]

There's a Cycle review from 2015, an SE but apparently the only difference was the tubeset.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/sites/default ... 511072.pdf
it doesn't have the same detail as the one CJ did a decade before.
I have an earlier model, the first of the SE which has a 1" headset. The fitting drawing from Paul Hewitt has it down as a 73 seat tube angle, an XL. I think that's right, the review above has it at 74, though the geometry could have changed over the years.

[Mark S]

[Brucey]

some more details here;

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=53446.0

These frames apparently were imported into the UK by 'Autostrada' which was a company run by Mike Kowal, who is/was a prolific framebuilder in his own right.
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Kowal_Mike.htm

He announced his plan for these frames in 2001;

https://www.bikebiz.com/autostrada-to-major-on-touring-audax-frames-as-racing-market-shrinks/

I guess they had a pretty good run with them; from comments elsewhere I'd suppose that retirement caused the end of this line of framesets. However there are zillions of them out there, and if the geometry information can be collected, it may be of help to anyone buying one used.

cheers

[PH]

These frames apparently were imported into the UK by 'Autostrada' which was a company run by Mike Kowal, who is/was a prolific framebuilder in his own right.
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Kowal_Mike.htm

cheers

Originally, he imported them unpainted and with only the basic braze ons and finished them himself, so there were a lot of options including an unlimited choice of colours. It also explains why there are slight differences between those sold by different suppliers. I think as the volumes went up, he stopped doing this, or maybe they were done in batches to stock spec and colours. He did have good run with them, but that no one stepped up and took over shows how things have moved on.
I really like my Cheviot SE, it's been built up in different ways and is currently in Audax spec, as this was going to be an Audax year...

[Vorpal]

Geoff Smith used the frames, as well. Maybe Hewitts, Geoff Smith Cycles, or one of the others that used those frames can supply the geometry, even if they don't have them on their website, anymore?

[iow]

I have a set of original drawings (audax) from Mike for sizes 17" 19" 21" and 23" - If you PM me your email address I can forward them to you.

[markjohnobrien]

I have a Pearson Compass but to my own spec and Guy Pearson did a good job on the build:

Centaur ergo’s
Deore 22/32/44 chainset
XT hubs
Tubus rear rack
Hope bottom bracket
Brooks bar tape
Brooks B17
Marathon Supreme tyres 700 x35

So comfy, I did the Coast to Coast from Whitehaven to Tyneside on it

Cycling Plus review from 2009 - https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes ... ng-review/

[Brucey]

thanks to iow I now have more info. about the 'audax' version (e.g. Hewitt Chiltern) . My stab at a summary of all this is as below. Dimensions marked (*) are by calculation. The past confusion about different ETT values from different sources arises because the dwgs do not contain the normal ETT value ( which is measured from the intercept of the seat tube line and a horizontal which passes through the CC intercept of the top tube and the head tube). A little trig was required to come up with conventional ETT values.

cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Audax/Chiltern geometry:
Nominal frame size 17"... 19"... 21"... 23"
Seat tube (C-T) 431.8mm 482.6mm 533.4mm 584.2mm
Seat angle 74.5deg 74deg 73deg 73deg
Head angle 71deg, 71deg, 71.5deg 72deg
TT angle 10.41deg 5.98deg 4.45deg 3.37deg
TT length (C-C) 524.6mm (*) 530.89mm, 547.69mm, 573mm
TT length (C-C-H horizontal) 516mm, 528mm 546mm, 572mm
TT drop (*) 93.24mm 55.01mm 42.36mm 33.62mm
TT (C-C-H correction)(*) 24.9mm 15.16mm 12.39mm 10.39mm
ETT (*) 540.9mm 543.16mm 558.39mm 582.39mm
Head tube (total length) 110mm, 120mm, 155mm, 192mm
Head tube protrusion (C-T) 45mm 46.2mm 47.5mm 46.5mm
Wheelbase 1023.45mm, 1021mm, 1023.9mm, 1038.6mm
Chainstay length (C-C) all sizes 425mm
BB drop (all sizes) 67mm
Brake drop (rear) 362 - 311 = 51mm
Chainstays spaced 42mm apart where rear tyre is..
Fork offset 50mm in all sizes.
Crown clearance 358mm on forks
C-C seat tube length -40mm

Tube dimensions/gauges
Top tube 28.6mm OD 9-6-9 gauge
Down tube 34.9mm OD 9-6-9 gauge
Seat tube 29.8mm/28.6mm OD 12-6-9 gauge
Chainstay 22.2mm OD (26x18 oval) 0.9mm wall, tapered to 15.5mm dia
Seatstay 16.0mm OD 0.9mm wall, tapered to 12.5mm dia
Head tube 37mm OD, 34mm ID.

Braze-ons/fittings
Bottle bosses on seat tube and down tube
DT lever bosses
STI cable guides on head tube
Rear brake cable stops at '7-o'clock' position on top tube
Pump peg spacing on LH seat stay (all sizes) 355mm (compressed length of pump)
M5 x 0.8mm tapped hole in BB shell for cable guide, set 29mm in from DS of BB shell.
gear cable stop on underside of RH chainstay
Double mudguard eyelets on rear dropouts.
Vertical rear dropouts with gear hanger
Rack bosses on seat stays, set 400mm from axle centre
M5x0.8 threaded fittings in both chainstay and seatstay braces, for radial mudguard mounting.
Braze-on collar on top of seat tube.

[Brucey]

Regarding pump pegs and pump fitment. Simply because there are pump pegs on the LH seatstay, one almost feels honour bound to use them. However I confess I never have, not yet. By calculation a Size 1 Zefal HPX should fit the pump pegs, but I've never tried it.

What I have done is fitted a size 4 HPX under the top tube, using a zip tie in place of a front pump peg. By calculation S,M frame sizes should accommodate a size 3 under the TT and L, XL sizes a Size 4.

cheers

[PH]

Regarding pump pegs and pump fitment.

cheers

As I said above, on older models you could have a pump peg where you wanted it, or non at all. Likewise a third bottle cage or dynamo mount. A friend had a braze on front mech hanger on their Hewitt.

[Jamesh]

Just out of interest do the seat tube mesurements equate to a larger horizontal tope tube equivalent???

So a 53 might be a 55cm /22"

Cheers James

[De Sisti]

What I have done is fitted a size 4 HPX under the top tube, using a zip tie in place of a front pump peg. By calculation S,M frame sizes should accommodate a size 3 under the TT and L, XL sizes a Size 4.
cheers

I've done the same on my three bikes. Works well.