Holdsworth Italia Professional - 1967
Posted: Thursday 13th August 2020
| Frame | W. F. HOLDSWORTH Italia Professional, c. 1967 serial no. 674706 23½" seat tube, centre to top; with 22½" top tube and 40" wheelbase; 10½" bottom bracket height. 73 deg parallel angels. Reynolds 531 DB frame and forks with Campagnolo ends, heavy 5/8th wrap over seat stays and fully sloping Cinelli fork crown. Gear cable braze-ons on the down tube and chain stay. The 1969 model had only the chain stay braze on. |
| Wheels | Mavic Monthlery Pro rims on 28 hole Campagnolo Record large-flange hubs. |
| Chainset | Campagnolo Nuovo Record Strada 53/42 170mm |
| Pedals | Campagnolo Record Strada |
| Gears | Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear and Record front. Regina Gran Sport 13-23 six speed freewheel. |
| Brakes | Universal 61 centre pull with Universal levers. |
| Stem/Bars | Fiamme 12cm stem with GB Ventoux bars and Campagnolo bar end shifters. Campagnolo Gran Sport/Record headset |
| Saddle | Milremo/Arius professional saddle and Campagnolo Record seat post. |
| Extra details | Milremo Silca pump with Campagnolo frame fittings. |
Built in the Putney shop by master frame builder Reg Collard for Bob Addy, this actual frame was the first frame ever finished in the iconic orange and blue.
Bob rode this bike in the 1967 and 1968 seasons and highlights included being in the winning breakaway at the ’67 World Pro Road Race in Holland (See image below with Merckx)
He Completed 11 stages of the ’68 Tour de France (See image below of Bob being hosed down!) on the bike as part of the British Pro Team before injury forced retirement from the event. At the end of the 1968 season the bike was relegated to a spare until sold by the Putney shop to a local amateur rider in the mid 70s.
Richard Brodrick (Holdsworth Team mechanic from 1967 to 1972) bought the frame from the ‘local amateur rider’ and restored it to the original specification as ridden by Mr Addy. The respray was by Mario Vaz who mixed up the original shop orange not the brighter factory Holdsworthy colour!
I bought this bicycle on Saturday (25/05/13) from Brod and intend to partake in the 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris on it.
Posted: Thursday 13th August 2020
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