Cycling UK Forum

Hi,
I have a Falcon Frame from the late 70's (I think), designed by Ernie Clements.
It was purchased second hand by my old man when I was just a glint in his eye (pre 1980's).
I am trying to find out a bit about it before I decide to renovate it or not. I know who Ernie was, but I think that it's an off the peg frame, I don't have any delusions about that!
To further complicate matters, I think it has been resprayed at some point in its life, the remnants of the reynolds sticker on the downtube, I'm sure says "respray" at the top left. From what else I can see, the sticker 'seems' to be 531 in an old style with reynolds struck through the 531, but from pinging the frame, it doesn't sound as though it is butted (like a 501 frame I had once).
Numbers on the fork and bottom bracket match (771) so that's something. Sliding, forward facing dropouts, with adjuster screws and derailleur hanger. The ride is quite twitchy, and it only has one set of bottle bosses, so I'm guessing it was originally a 10 speed.
What I'm looking for is a model name and any details that go with it. Because even if it (maybe) has a 531 sticker, it don't necessarily mean that it's 531!

I have further pictures of the lug work if they would help.

if a 27.2mm seat post fits it will be 531 butted.

I once owned an alleged 531 frame that had a 27.0 seatpost

No idea what the frame is, but with those dropouts and lugs it won't be gas piping.

I don't remember Falcom making anything that nice at the time, other than the frames their pro team rode, so it could be one of those or something totally random with Falcon transfers.

No mudguard eyes points to a decent-ish, frame if it weighs around 5lb it will be pretty decent, better close ups would help! are the dropouts Campagnolo? Falco DID 'produce' a couple of very good expensive machines in the 1970's I seem to recall ...I wil lokk in a 70's copy of Cycling for an add.

My only memory of Falcon that I can put a date on was in 1972 recovering a stolen one being ridden down the road with two lads on. A colleague thought I must be blessed with some sort of sixth sense because we were a long way off when I decided we needed to investigate but its whole appearance said really nice bike and it was. (Even in those days, two on a bike didn't attract much attention in Leeds.)

Have a look at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/falcon.html

If your dates are right - and it sounds as though they are - your frame comes from a classic Falcon period.

(One set of bottle bosses is not surprising. Even the maillot jaune would have carried a pump and spare tub in those days. The second bottle would have been in a handlebar cage.)