So, as mentioned up thread I have a new bike, who has been christened Dakota as she is one shade of grey. Dakota Johnson played Anna, the female lead character in the film adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey” - my new bike is a toothsome lass both lithe of limb and body, much like Ms Johnson – I hope she’ll be pleased if she ever finds out.
During the summer of 2015 I finished building Fred my Surly Disc Trucker, here he is on comedy off-roading mode …
… and Fred’s steel frame proved to something of a revelation as the last steel framed bike I rode was in the mid-80s. Suddenly my alloy framed Ribble 7005 winter trainer / audax machine felt choppy and rough, even with carbon forks and hand built wheels. Despite Son of Oscar the Ribble being a trusty friend since 2009, since which time we have traveled many thousands of miles together over all manner of terrain and at every hour of the day and night,
my mind turned to replacing him with a steel framed bicycle that was substantially lighter than Fred.
The thread I linked to in the previous paragraph prompted that nice man Torslanda of John’s Bikes, Manchester to offer me a Reynolds 653 lugged frame built by TJ Quick in 1990 for Robh of this parish. Even from the photos the frame looked lovely with its Stronglight headset, shot-in seat stays (now I know what they are!) and dropped crown fork. John said he also had a nice pair of wheels with Ambrosio Evolution rims and polished Ambrosio hubs – a deal was done!
The frame and wheels seemed to offer the chance to have a bike that was different from the Ribble and markedly different from the Surly, which in heavy duty tour mode weighs in at 18kg! To make the difference all the more marked I decided to go for the SRAM Apex group set. I have never used SRAM kit and none of my bikes have ever had a compact double. It’s also been a long time since I rode a bike with integrated brake levers and shifters; both Fred and the Ribble sported bar end shifters. With mudguards (PDW Full Metal Fenders off the Ribble) and pedals Dakota weighs a bit over 10kg.
And here she is …
It wasn’t just Dakota’s looks and potential that attracted me, but also her heritage. She was clearly built by a craftsman so I have researched TJ Quick. Tom, or Tommy as he appears to be also known, Quick had his first shop in the early 50s having been a frame builder with Holdsworth beforehand. They offered him a job after he’d asked them to check over a frame he’d built in his garden shed. After a couple of moves he ended up with a shop in Stansted Road, Forest Hill. Tom developed a reputation for lightweight road bikes and track bikes, the latter no doubt helped by his proximity to the Herne Hill Velodrome where his bikes were often seen. There are reports of him building a few mountain bikes later in his career and he also built the triplet used by The Goodies on their BBC telly programmes. Tom undertook general engineering jobs as well as building frames sold under other brands. Apparently he retired in 2000 to enjoy his golf and in 2013 was reported as being in his 80s, I hope Tom is still going strong – I’d love to meet him.
An article written by Magnus Miles and published in The Independent in April 1993 gives you a sense of what Tom Quick and his shop were like:
I am not a serious cyclist in the competitive sense, but I like to do a 50-miler now and then, and when I do I want a decent set of wheels under me. I have done a few long trips on my mountain bike, but it is hard work, so I decided to treat myself to a hand-built road bike, a fast tourer. A lot of bike shops are a bit flash for my liking: I wanted a more traditional type of place. When someone recommended TJQ in Forest Hill, south London, run by Thomas Quick, who builds bikes on the premises, I liked the sound of it and one day I decided to call in.
Behind the counter was a young man in glasses. I told him what I required and he prepared an estimate. It was soon obvious that he knew what he was talking about. It was also obvious that the bike would not be cheap: he came up with pounds 700 for a fully-fitted machine.
While we were talking I became aware of a lurking presence in the room behind the shop. I had heard that Mr Quick was a modest man. 'Er . . . is that the workshop through there?' I asked. 'Yes,' replied the young man, in a way that prevented further questioning. Mr Quick was clearly not going to make an appearance on this occasion.
But when I went back a couple of weeks later, they were both in the shop. Mr Quick looks like a cycle engineer should look. My decision was made. 'I've decided to have my bike built here,' I announced. And at that moment, I realised that the decision was not up to me. It was up to Mr Quick. He looked at the young man; then at me again. Yes, he said, he would build me a bike.
'I understand you make the bikes on the premises,' I said.
'Yes, I build the frame and paint it, and young Neil here will fit the gear.'
'Right,' I enthused, 'I'll leave it all up to you, then. I don't know anything about bike-building.' Mr Quick did not pass comment but merely glanced at Neil, then at my primitive mountain bike, which I had parked inside his shop. Mr Quick is of the old school and I do not think he likes mountain bikes much.
He produced a tape measure. 'First, we'll have to see how tall you are and measure your legs.' He said 'legs' as if the word were in inverted commas.
As Mr Quick measured me, I said: 'I'd like the colour to be British Rail red.' Mr Quick and Neil glanced at each other again. He wrote something in his notebook, then crossed it out. You could have Post Office red or signal red, he told me; there was no British Rail red. I chose signal red.
'And everything else black,' I added. They both looked at me. 'Everything?'
'Except the chrome bits,' I corrected.
My only other specifications were a Brooks racing saddle and Cinelli handlebars, which have an attractive sweep.
'It will be Reynolds 531 Competition Tubing,' Mr Quick informed me.
And that was it. A couple of weeks later I received a polite letter: 'The cycle which you ordered is now complete and ready for collection. The price is as quoted pounds 700.'
I went up on the bus to pick it up. A beautiful red machine stood in the middle of the shop. Mr Quick seemed pleased with it.
I thought I saw him smile as I rode away. And it goes like the clappers.
The chap called Neil mentioned in the article is Neil Manning who is now Condor's Production Director.
I'm extremely grateful to Torslanda for offering me the frame and doing such a good job building it up. He also got the rear triangle resprayed, you can't see the join!
