Saxby's

Now fast forward to around 35 years later where I saw an advert in the Classified section in the “News &  Views” for a Saxby’s track frame for sale at £50.00 posted by Chris Hewitt (who I now know as the Hodge Marque Specialist) it was my size so, with renewed memories of my old 1960’s steed I went over to his gaff at St. Albans for a “butchers” thinking if it was in ok condition I’ll buy it and add it to my small collection of London-built lightweights.

You never can guess the rush I had when he took me out back to his workshop and there looking very forlorn was my old and very original Saxby’s frame under a cover with its now faded yellow paint looking in all the world like a lost puppy at The Battersea Dogs Home. The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I realised I was about to be reunited with my old trusty Saxby’s and if Chris had had the shrewdness to say it  was now £500.00 I would have still gladly stumped up the cash, apparently it turned out that Chris was a good mate of Ken Brooker who sadly was now terminally ill in a hospice and Chris had been selling a few cycling  bits and bobs of Ken’s to help a tight financial situation.

He didn’t know  anything about the frame’s make or its provenance so when he next visited Ken a few days later and told him about the transaction and the gobsmacked buyer Ken confirmed everything that Chris had heard from me and asked him to pass on his good wishes that the frame had  now gone back to it’s original owner in ‘Sarf London.  Needless to say it’s now restored with all the correct period components that I had first built it up with and it still rides a treat!

But no joy, they were for display only.  Not to be put off and with my first month’s wage burning a hole in my pocket I got chatting  to the owner/manager Ron Cheesewright and left him a £10 deposit after getting measured for a road/track time trial iron.  My  first ever frame built just for me!

We agreed that I would collect the finished bike in bits and that I would do the build up at home in order to save paying Purchase Tax.   Also, I could pay interest free the balance of £65-2s-6d over the next 12 months (like many others he wasn’t keen on keeping his accounts straight with the  taxman).  At that stage I thought Ron did the lot – design/build and paint – but it was a good few years later that I found that he like so many other small independents had his frame orders jobbed out (Witcombs/Holdsworth and even Gillots were his suppliers). In this case my frame was built at Witcombs but Ron did do the paintwork on his frames as he took me out the back three weeks later to a small workshop area where my newly built frame was awaiting its first coat of yellow enamel.  Pulses racing, I couldn’t wait for the finished article and agreed with Ron that I would collect the frame and Campag. bits in one week’s time from then.