Falcon bikes

[pcolbeck]

I am toying with the idea of collecting bits to make a retro style bike. Thinking of something a bit sporty but still able to take mudguards and possibly a rack. In my youth I had a Falcon and kind of like the idea of getting an old Falcon frame to base this on. I was thinking of something reasonable at least 531. Did Falcon ever make any decent frames of this type ?  What age should I be looking for if I want to fit modern wheels as I just want it to look classic but have quality modern components (though I will probably use Campy down tube shifters and a quill stem to keep the look).

[clarion]

Falcon did make a few 531 frames, but most of their production in the 70s & 80s was up to 501 level.  Can't think of any great frames from their past, though there were some designed by Ernie Clements.

San Remo rings a bell.

It may be worth looking at Elswick-Hopper bikes.  They were pretty good, and they merged with Falcon in the early 1980s.

[ed_o_brain]

I think you need to have a chat to Torslanda of this parish.

[Tom B]

Sure I've seen some nice-looking Falcon 531 framesets on ebay

[pcolbeck]

It may be worth looking at Elswick-Hopper bikes.  They were pretty good, and they merged with Falcon in the early 1980s.

I had an Elswick Hopper too so that's a possibility.

[should be cycling]

The 1979 edition of Richard's Bicycle Book lists the Falcon Olympic model as "Reynolds 531 plain gauge".  Odd, I had assumed 531 was always double butted

[clarion]

No.  531 was originally plain gauge, with 531DB being the first IIRC double butted.  I think my Rudge is plain gauge 531.  Lateron, hte butting was taken as read, so the DB would be labelled 531, while 531c and 531ST were variations.

There's more detail in a different thread on here somewhere.

[robbo6]

Fred Whitton was sponsored by Falcon and had a very nice 531 butted frame with Campagnolo. The model was the "San Remo".

[Zoidburg]

Fred Whitton was sponsored by Falcon and had a very nice 531 butted frame with Campagnolo. The model was the "San Remo".

And Tom Simpson rode a "Peugot"

 

[giropaul]

Whilst there were some OK frames actually built by Falcon, the team frames were from, typically, Terry Dolan at Cougar. Some team frames were also early proper Eddy Merckx (Falcon rebadged some real tat as Mercx and so had a relationship)

[clarion]

Wasn't Cougar in the very late part of Falcon's history, when Joey McLoughlin got involved?

[robbo6]

I think so, Fred used to tell me about visiting Ernie Clement's house, that would be in the 60's, before Cougar.

[clarion]

I remember wanting an Ernie Clements frame years ago.  It was beautiful.  But Tony Butterworth thought that adapting an undersized (or compact?) CX frame for road use was insane.

I was just a visionary

[drossall]

Sheldon Brown (who else) has some information.

[blackburnrod]

Falcon bikes were also marketed under the Barry Hoban label.

[alecstilleyedye]

Fred Whitton was sponsored by Falcon and had a very nice 531 butted frame with Campagnolo. The model was the "San Remo".

And Tom Simpson rode a "Peugot"

 

well it was a massi painted up as such…

[fred the great]

But nobody has mentioned Raleigh

I think a Classic road bike of that ilk would be a better idea. They were into racing in the 50's and 60's. I rode and raced a Claud Butler with sprints and tubs and that was a lovely bike.

Just my two pennorth

[clarion]

Yes, and there are a wide choice of classic frames from the period to choose from, but we are all allowed our own nostalgia, and the OP was about what should eb considered if he were to get a Falcon as in his youth.

I have a Carlton.  With wrapround seatstay.  It brings me joy, just as my earlier Carlton with wrapround seatstay did in the 80s.  No logic to why it's Carlton; I just found it in the cellar, and it served me so well I became attached to the marque.  Similarly, Falcon churned out a lot of decent bikes, and very little of great interest, but there are good ones to be had, and that's what is to be hoped will be the outcome of this thread.  A happy rider.

[giropaul]

Wasn't Cougar in the very late part of Falcon's history, when Joey McLoughlin got involved?

Terry Dolan only built (when at Cougar) some pro team frames; no other links. Joey was a partner in Cougar, but never rode for the Falcs. His Brother in Law, Phil Thomas did.

[drossall]

My first sports bike was a Falcon. Can't remember the model but it was white. My brother saved up for a Black Diamond, so we matched at one point. Sadly, a parked car drove into me on my paper round

[walker]

At my school in the mid seventies (admittedly among people who knew diddly about bikes, including me), the dream bike was a Carlton Cobra. Beyond even dreaming was a Puch Prima. Possibly picking up on this, my dad got me a Puch Maxi moped as a 16 birthday surprise. I thought he meant well until that Christmas he got me a Johnny Matthis Christmas compilation album. The relationship never really recovered after that.

[drossall]

Gosh, I remember a friend's Puch. There were a group of us starting cycling, and it weighed more than all our bikes put together

[walker]

My memories are really hazy but it must have had something going for it - it seemed seriously expensive (and thus desirable). But then again,  I suppose they're a bit like wide mouthed frogs...

[Rhys W]

Gosh, I remember a friend's Puch. There were a group of us starting cycling, and it weighed more than all our bikes put together

I had one of those. Not helped by the fact I'd been persuaded to go for a larger size, in anticipation of a growth spurt that never arrived.

[joe1983]

 Hey I've got a Falcon (designed by Ernie Clements) for sale in the classifieds atm. Size is 57cm and it's set up as singlespeed if anyone is interested