Most of this edition consists of my ramblings. If you have anything you feel is suitable for publication please forward to the email address above.

One last snippet on the Titan bar/stem saga. At the Bates Weekend David Palk pointed out that a lot of these bars had a date stamp on the underside of the ferrule. I have checked ours, some do – some don’t. Sometimes components such as these can help to date a machine: as well as these bars Williams have a coded date on their chainwheels, etc. (I can send you a copy of the code if you don’t have it) and of course, early Sturmey hubs are clearly dated. Patricia has a 1951 Mal Rees (frame number 5211) which has the original 1949 Sturmey FM hub in it which is dated 49. I would guess the gear must have laid on the frame builders shelf for a couple of years.

Terry Pearce gives us plenty of notice that next year’s Reading Lightweight Ride 2011 will be a week later than normal on May 22nd,  and the theme will be the ‘H’ ride,  Holdsworths, Higgins,  and anything else beginning with  H. I looked at Readers’ Bikes on the website under ‘H’ and came up with: Harry Hall, Pat Hanlon, R O Harrison, Jack Hearne, Hetchins, Higgins, Hill Special, Hilton Wrigley, Hobbs, Holdsworth and Hurlow so you should be able make the grade this year. I’m sure Terry will let you ride though even if you don’t have an ‘H’. Patricia and I have six qualifiers to choose from so it’s decision time again. Perhaps wait until we’ve finished the Christmas pudding though!

A.F. Mills of 108 High Street Welling, Kent first appear in small advertisments in ‘Cycling’ in the 1940s but probably did not have frames made under their own name until the early 1950s.

Jack Hearne spent his childhood in the small village of Stoke Poges just three miles north  of Slough in Buckinghamshire. After World War II he had a newspaper delivery job with which came his own transport – a bike.

When Peter Underwood bought a 1973 Pat Hanlon several years ago it prompted me look at my own example, purchased from John Pavey in the mid 1990s. I knew nothing about the model nor date – only that when built up it was one of most delightful bikes I had ever ridden. With distinctive lugs, a 39 ½” wheel base and angles of 73 degrees parallel it was designed I supposed for time-trialling or road racing but handled comfortably on the poorest of road surfaces offered up on many an English country lane.

Len Phipps may not be a well known name amongst lightweight enthusiasts but he is responsible for many a fancy lugged frame that probably has pride of place in someone’s collection.

Chas Stevenson first came to my attention In 2012 when Steve Griffiths requested information about him through the pages of the VCC’s News & Views after he acquired an attractive bicycle frame by this maker. In the months that followed two further frames surfaced, one in the hands of Robin Walker with an attractive head badge and Ekla lugs, the other by Roger Stevens that had once belonged to a member of the Catford Cycle Club; the latter having ‘C S’ as raised letters in the head lugs (centre image below). I agreed to purchase this from Roger and began to do a little research through the Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre. Indeed they supplied me with the majority of information about this maker.

Claud Butler himself, never a man to understate the case when it came to promoting his own products, had this to say about bi-laminated frames: