Retro graham weigh bike, looking for info.

[Joel93]

Just looking for some info on my recently acquired graham weigh road bike. It has a campagnolo group set, it's an Italian aluminium frame, the frame is stamped with 'ALAN' any info anyone can give me would be great age etc. I'm going to restore the bike and get it back in use.

[Vorpal]

Welcome to the forum. Have you tried contacting Graham Weigh Cycles? https://grahamweighcycles.com/about/

[pwa]

By the look of those levers I'd guess maybe 1996. What does the Campag stuff have written on it? Is it 8 speed?

[Brucey]

ALAN is a well known make of aluminium frameset BITD. A sort of Italian Vitus if you like.

Bike can be dated by reference to the components and the frame number. We know the details of neither.

From the photo it looks like about 1993 or 1994 vintage, but it is impossible to be more precise than that on the basis of one picture.

cheers

[531colin]

I dunno what Graham Weigh's name is doing on it, its an Alan.

[Brucey]

he slapped his name on anything. Most Alan frames I have seen that were sold in the UK were given 'shop branding' IIRC

cheers

[Joel93]

Thanks all this is great info, here more pics!!!!

. Already learning so much

[Joel93]

[thatsnotmyname]

Aluminium tubing bonded into cast alu lugs. Nice frames in their day and by the look of the rest of the kit, I'd say early/mid 90s vintage. Graham Weigh (along with a lot of other shops at the time) sold these frames with their own branding, so while it's an Alan frame, the Graham Weigh branding would have been legitimate. It looks pretty original, I'd be inclined to hang onto it..

[Joel93]

Iv been given the bike, somone (origin owner) was throwing it out, it's been sat on a turbo trainer for 10 years but he was having a clear out. I'm just getting into cycling after a few years off, I have a Cboardman for normal use. I was thinking this bike could be polished up and keep all the original gear on it then stick some retro 28mm tyres on it for canal use and steady use etc.?

[Joel93]

It needs new decals do I go ALAN or Graham weigh decals? Hmm.

[peetee]

If it has been on a turbo I would get the joints checked for integrity. Aluminium and salt (in sweat) are not good bed fellows, doubly so when the joints are glued not welded. Any separation on the road could be pretty instant and have very serious consequences.

[Des49]

Looks a decent bike. Alan frames seem to last ok, were quite popular with some local racers back in the late 80s or early 90s. Only bonding problems I knew about was the carbon fibre tubed version.

I have a cyclo cross version, still ride it as my winter/mucky weather fixed gear. To be honest I am surprised the frame hasn't broken but it all seems sound still. Last year one of the fork dropouts cracked, but got a nice 2nd hand steel fork from this forum which rides fine.

Just remember about the Italian threaded BB, right hand thread both sides.

[The utility cyclist]

Sell it on and get yourself something else retro/vintage that is less of a worry regarding the bonded tubes, let it be someone else's problem.
You could simply sell the frame if the Campag kit is in good order and keep it for something else or split it and sell it all on and get another whole bike or frame+components.

[thatsnotmyname]

If it has been on a turbo I would get the joints checked for integrity.

The integrity of the joints will be impossible to check in any meaningful way. Providing nothing is moving when it shouldn't, then that suggests the joints are still ok.

There isn't really any worry regarding bonded tubing. Gluing tubes together is not a new concept. Alan and Vitus pretty much pioneered it in cycling, Colnago still does it and most, if not all current CF framesets are bonded in some way, shape or form.