I thought an update was due. Harry Quinn passed away last month, as you will see from his son Peter’s comment below. He was an exceptional framebuilder, and the cycling world is a poorer place for his passing. It has to be said, however, that the cycling world is also a much richer place thanks to the existence of so many of his wonderful frames. Chapeau, Mr Quinn, and rest in peace.

It’s been a while since I finished the blue bike, and I’m still riding it nearly every day. It’s changed slightly in that time, mostly trying different handlebar setups.

I managed to find an amazing red track frame, this one a genuine Liverpool-made Harry Quinn. I will take some photos and post them on this blog pretty soon. I have been trying out different components on it. I want to find some 165 Campag Pista cranks. I’ve got size 11 feet and the toe overlap is hilarious, so 170s probably wouldn’t cut it.

Because I have the track frame to be sporty on the blue bike is reverting to its natural tourer state. It’s rocking a set of North Road bars now, which suit it perfectly, it’s getting mudguards this weekend and when I can find the time the fixed wheel is being replaced by a Nexus 7 speed with a coaster brake, keeping the clean lines, but giving the bike more versatility. I may keep the existing wheel though. Fixed is just so much fun in town.

So, the Harry Quinn is finished!

A couple of days off work, some splendidly efficient postmen, and lots of elbow grease and I have my fixed wheel! A couple of shakedown runs in the park, a few adjustments, and here we are at the end of the project. And I must say, I’m loving the finished result.

So, here’s how it went:

The old bottom bracket had to go, but one cup would not be removed by persuasion and I didn’t have the right tool to shift – some kind of unique hex tool, so off to my favourite bike shop/cafe, Lock 7 at the bottom of Broadway Market, where they did the deed. Now I could put in my FAG Nadax B.B. The sealed bearings and titanium axle are a vast improvement. Once this was done I could finally fit my Campagnolo Super Record crankset. Then I fitted the wheel and cut the chain to size. I should be able to go up a few teeth on the back as the wheel is so far back in the dropouts I had to remove the adjusters. Using a technique called cold setting, or in practice, big heavy feet, I respaced the rear of the frame from 126mm to 120mm and set about adjusting the chainline using a spirit level and a plum-bob. No need. The chainline is absolutely perfect!

I had a stem but no bars. Hubjub had run out of Nitto bullhorns, so I had to pop out to Brick Lane bikes to get some, at considerably higher cost unfortunately. They did sort me out with some grease for the headset though, so I cleaned up and reassembled that. Then the Brooks Bar tape went on. It’s expensive but it’s good quality, looks and feels good and if it lasts 4 times as long as cloth then it’s no costlier in the end. And instead of looking knackered it will “acquire patina”! I bought a pair of the Specialised brake lever extensions, simply because they were the best looking brake levers I had seen. I was not prepared to have black though, so I spent all morning stripping the paint off one of them and polishing up the aluminium. 

So there we are. One finished Harry Quinn. Time to go out for a ride. And take all these pictures of it.
Click on the thumbnails for bigger pictures.

Enjoy! I will…

2 parcels arrived: My Brooks B17 saddle, and a box full of tyres/tubes/tape, my stem and some tools.

As soon as I got home I fitted the tyres, and put the new seat on – now it looks like this:

Stem, seat and tyres!

Well, being an old frame things aren’t so easy with parts. My spare 27.2 seatpost was too fat to go in. Turns out I needed a 27.0. They are not so common as you might think. Anyway here’s my System EX seatpost. I removed the logos by polishing with sugar. (yes, really – dip some masking tape into sugar and you have sugar sand-paper, removes paint, but polishes metal.)

System EX 27.0mm seatpost. Logos polished off

The Selle Italia seat on there has only been used a couple of times and won’t be used on the Quinn. It came from my mountain bike. After 3 rides in total agony I pulled into a bike shop and replaced it with a Specialised one. A Brooks B17 is on its way to me as I write this, for style and comfort.

The other thing that arrived today was my front brake. I am a bit disappointed that my fork requires a 57mm drop on the brake, which puts Campagnolo brakes right out of the picture. I’m not about to change the fork on this build, so on goes a cheap Shimano dual pivot brake. It will work well and it’s not too ugly, with a nice hidden fixing.

Shimano BRR450F dual pivot brake

Wheels have arrived! It would take me so long to decide on the right rims and hubs that I have jumped straight in and bought a wheelset already made up. They are Remerx Taurus deep-V 36 hole rims, with SJS aluminium double fixed track hubs, and an anonymous 18t cog and lock ring. At worst they are a decent stopgap, and best they will be perfectly good wheels. They are certainly very light, true and round, and look well-made. If the hubs turn out to be crap I can always have them rebuilt with Campagnolo ones. Size is 622×14.

Here they are.

Remerx Taurus front wheel

Remerx Taurus rear wheel, with 18t sprocket

“SJS Cycles front track hub

SJS Cycles double fixed rear track hub

In other news I went with Mrs HQF to watch the Brick Lane bike polo. Bloody hell those guys have the skills. I expected a lot more crashing and falling off. It was awesome and I really wouldn’t mind a go myself. I suspect, however that I would be really crap.

So the postman brought my new Ebay purchase today:

Campagnolo Super Record crankset

170mm Strada time trial crank, for single chainring. Made in 1981

47 tooth chainring (and a 53 I shall not use)

FAG Nadax sealed BB with short titanium axle. I’m not even sure my rear stays will allow an axle this narrow.

Suntour Superbe Pro pedals

So that’s a very nice bit of kit for starters, but there is more than meets the eye:

This crankset was used by Ken Bird – Tommy Simpson’s mechanic. He countersunk the chainring bolts so that they don’t spin. So you don’t need the Campag spanner on the back to change the ring – just an allen key.

And what is this? “SY” painted on the chainring in red nail varnish. That’s because the previous owner of this chainring was Sean Yates. How cool is that? He’s left it in very good condition. Thanks Sean!

Here it is. Resplendent in pale blue and silver. The paint is good enough that I’m not going to respray it. We shall call it “patina”.

I bought this from a cycle recycling social enterprise in Leicester, called Bikes 4 All. 

The Harry Quinn badge. I think this dates it to the short time that Falcon owned the brand in the 1980s

It is made from Tange Mangaloy double butted manganese alloy tubing. Not Reynolds 531, but certainly not gas pipe either.

Serial number is M2M73983.

This is a blog about my attempt to build a fixed wheel bicycle out of an old 80’s frame and a collection of parts.

Firstly the frame: This is a Harry Quinn “Crusader” touring frame. I don’t know much about it, but it seems to have been built in the dark years under the short period when the once mighty Quinn brand was under Falcon/Townsend ownership. It is made from Tange Mangaloy 2001 double butted tubes, including the forks, and has Prugnat lugs. The tubing is Manganese Molybdenum – similar to Reynolds 501, but fairly thick, so the frameset weighs a massive 2.5kg. This is heavy for a lightweight frame, but still pretty light. It has braze-ones for the rear brake cable, mudguards and a rear carrier, but not for derallieur levers or pump pegs. It has Shimano forged dropouts and the forks and stays are chrome plated under the paint.

A touring frame does not make the ideal fixed, but it’s a good toe in the water exercise for me, as I like the relaxed frame angles more than those of a track bike or racing frame. It was also cheap.

Here is the final spec:

Frame: Harry Quinn “Crusader” touring frame, Tange Mangaloy 2001 double butted tubes, stays and forks. Prugnat lugs.

Wheels: Remerx Taurus 5014 deep-v section aluminium rims,622×14, SJS Cycles track hubs, ‘flip-flop’ double fixed rear. Schwalbe Stelvio TYS2023 slick tyres

Drivetrain: 1981 Campagnolo Super Record 170mm time trial Strada crankset with 47t Super Record chainring. FAG Nadax sealed titanium bottom bracket, 18t cog, KMC Z510HX silver 1/8inch chain. Suntour Superbe Pro track pedals.

Headset: Tange Levin NL500 Steel.

Stem: Nitto ‘Dynamic 10′ 1 inch/100mm quill stem

Bars: Nitto RB-018 aluminium 38cm bullhorns with Brooks Honey leather bar tape.

Seat: System EX aluminium 27.0 seatpost and Brooks B17 Honey leather saddle.

Brake: Shimano BRR450 dual pivot front brake with Specialized extension lever.