Ephgrave Lightweights Ltd
Author Peter Holland
He was to produce high-quality frames with the emphasis on finely filed and decorative lugwork although in common with other builders at the time he produced some sif-bronze welded frames. As with all other frame builders in this period of austerity Les was having great difficulty in obtaining the materials with which to produce his frames. To make the ‘welded’ frames more attractive to the dyed-in-the-wool buyers he decorated some of these frames with long pointed bi-laminated lugs with a curl on either side (see image below), a skill he would have learned at Paris and C B as they both produced frames using these methods. The welded frames had a 1 1/8” top tube, a practice most builders followed.
The lugged frames were known as ‘The No. 1’; ‘The No. 1 Super’ and ‘The No.2’ designs. The early lugs were cut from the Ecla Belgium malleable lugs according to his brochure. Later on they were based on Nervex lugs which were modified and improved in the frame-building workshops. The emphasis here was on quality, where the lugs were cut, filed and feathered to a very high standard and to this day this is what makes Ephgrave frames a favourite of the serious collector. The top of the range No. 1 Super had extra windows cut into the lug used for the No. 1, lug which in itself was more intricate than the No. 2 which was based on a Nervex Serie Legere lug. From about 1953 the headlugs of the No. 1 acquired a spearpoint on the front of the head tube (image top right). Some of the number 2 lugs were embellished by having 'swallowtails' added to the head lugs - these were behind the head tube, top and bottom.
In
the 50s two frames were produced using the name
‘Italia’. The first had a lug cut to the
pattern of
an arrowhead whilst the later ones,1960s, were produced using the
Prugnat lugs with the spearpoints split and curled in some
cases.
A number of the frames had decorations on the tops of the
seat
stays. Some had a simple metal strip (see images below)
whilst
the others from about 1953 could have what are popularly known as
‘Lollipops’.Left: The definitive Ephgrave 'lollipop'
The Ephgrave catalogue cites three recommended designs for Massed Start Racing, Track and Club Riding, which is surprising as time-trialling was probably the most popular use for the Ephgrave frame since road racing cyclists had a preference for the plainer, continental style lugs. It also recommends that frames are built square, i.e. top tube and seat tube of the same length.
Most of the headtubes were adorned with an ‘Ephgrave’ transfer but some had an aluminium plate which may have been printed or used with a transfer on them. The down tube transfers were Old English block lettering until towards the sixties when a script alternative was offered.
All Ephgrave frames are numbered with the prefix ‘LE’ both on the frame and the fork column, Peter Holland, V-CC marque enthusiast, can help with dating. Records show that L E produced in the region of 4000 frames before he died in 1969. A few of his frames were produced for other shops such as Rory O’Brien.
Alvin Smith has done some research into the early-days link between Purves and Ephgrave:
Ephgrave and Purves from advertisements in Cycling
The story from these few advertisements appears straightforward, but what the story I read doesn’t tell us is how these men worked together- for that Peter Holland’s and Mick Butlers’s accounts are far superior.
There are persistant accounts of how Ephgrave, when still in employment by Claud Butler, made frames for sale to clubmen (perhaps selected athletes whom he favoured) and sold them at competition events from 1946 onwards. When I bought my frame the original owner was said to have purchased it in 1947 – just unfortunately though it carries the number LE 1612 and must therefore be a 1952 frame- memories and vendors don’t always play fair! Incidentally, the first time I could find an Ephgrave cycle offered for sale was in Cycling’s secondhand sales column for 7 July 1948; isn’t that a more reasonable time to find such a machine?
In tracking adverts for Paris Cycles in Cycling a few years ago I came across the advertisements described below. They appear to tell a tale. The first one was on 14 April 1948. This was placed therefore placed some two months before Peter Holland says the firm was registered (June 1948). In it, Ephgrave Lightweights made their first announcement using a layout that seemed to become a house style with its inset text items, opening and closure by the firm’s name with overlarge initial capitals and the figment of bureaucracy implied by the “The Secretary”:-
Then on 5 May 1948 the following was placed:
One week later on 12 May 1948 was the next offering. This introduced a rather gimic-laden style to some of the same words:
And then finally in this series –which had probably been a starting up promotional expense- we had, a week later on, on 19 May 1948:
This series of advertisements never appeared again in Cycling and indeed was probably never needed – the small firm had more than enough work on. Who was the Secretary –was that Les Ephgrave’s brother? Or could it have been the butcher whose shop window also served as a display area just around the corner on Upper Clapton Road?
All these advertisements stand out from the rest of the advertisements in Cycling –they have an elegance of layout, an almost lyrical approach in their choice of words and phrasing but they stop short of just one attribute –rhyme.
Now look at a separate advertisement that can be found in Cycling for 25 October 1951 –and remember the rest of the world had moved on since 1948. But look at the layout, the capitals, and the ideas.
 |
STUART PURVES.
The election’s on its way now, and its time to think again, To decide who’s who from all the famous names, But there’ll be one vote that’s unanimous, from clubmen everywhere, For the finest British lightweight- Stuart frames. STUART PURVES.
MANUFACTURERS OF
STUART LIGHTWEIGHT BICYCLES,
17 STREATHAM HILL S.W.2.
Tulse Hill 7458
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Following on Alvin's piece above, two readers, Derek Athey and Mick Butler, have pointed ot that this advertising style is in fact an in-house style used by Cycling for many of its small adverts.
EPHGRAVE IMAGES
 Ephgrave No. 1 head lugs
with spearpoint
|
 Ephgrave
No. 1 Super head lugs with
additional cutouts |
 Ephgrave welded model head tube
a very rare model |
 Ephgrave
early No.1 head
No spearpont to front |
 Ephgrave No.1 seat cluster
with 'stick' on top of seat stay |
 Ephgrave No. 2 head lugs on an
all-chrome frame
|
 Head lugs on an Italia frame
|
 'Sculpted' rear ends
on an early chromed Ephgrave
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In his early years Les Ephgrave produced some bi-laminated frames where the frames were welded up
with 'bi-laminate lugs' brazed on. This is frame number LE400 made in 1948/9.
Some builders brazed the bi-laminates to mitred tubes and then these were brazed to each other.
Other builders, such as Paris, would have carried the bi-laminates around the head tube.
 Head lugs showing bi-laminates from rear and the fork crown
|
 Image showing clean lines of head tube with no lugs
|
 Seat cluster with Ephgrave topeye strip,
no bi-laminates |
 Smooth lines of welded bottom bracket,
no bi-laminates |
 Happiness is owning an Ephgrave
- a smiling group at the 2005 Ephgrave
Ride held in the Cambridge area.
|
SOME CLASSIC EPHGRAVES
Keith hellon's close clearance track machine
Webmasters road/path machine on fixed with track ends plus pump pegs and mudguard eyes
On to gears this time - Ephgrave No. 1 with 10-speed Benelux
