bates volante

[AgilisMerlin]

being sold buy a guy I ride with: my size, and gorgeous but no need at the moment

top tube ?

funky!

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Bates-Volante-55cm-steel-road-frame-and-fork-purple-700c-reissue-antique-classic-/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjgw/$(KGrHqZHJDQE9!B+JF4EBPS9UZ7q3!~~60_57.JPG

:D

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bates-Volante-55cm-steel-road-frame-and-fork-purple-700c-reissue-antique-classic-/230753557315?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item35b9fbdb43

snipped:

"REGARDING THE BATES CANTIFLEX ON EBAY, I CAN CONFIRM THAT THIS WAS BUILT BY RON COOPER IN 2001.
BV INDICATES BATES VOLANTE....OI 2001....LL APPROX BUILD MONTH/CODE....RC...RON COOPER.
THE FRAME HAS HAND-CUT ORNATE LUGWORK BY LEN PHIPPS (U.K.)
LUG THINNING and BRAZE-ONs WHERE DONE BY MYSELF (CLASSIC BIKES....MY BUSINESS THEN)
PAINT ORIGINALLY FROM ARGOS RACING CYCLES BRISTOL."

[Dave Wages]

It isn't just the top tube that's funky, all three of the main tubes are flared in the middle to oversize dimensions on a Cantiflex tubeset. Back in the day when the only lugs that existed were for standard gauge, this was a work around for oversize tubing, but a bit anachronistic now, (or even in 2001 when the bike was built), IMO.

Interesting piece of history though, and those lugs are are something else!

Cheers,
Dave

p.s. Notice how I didn't even bring up the funky fork blades.... ;)

[fiamme red]

Great info here: http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/bates.html

[AgilisMerlin]

thanks for the link.

[BumbleBeeDave]

I wonder who would ride that?

BBD

[Joel]

Oh man! Always wanted one of those...

Just my size and begging for a gruppo in storage.

But the price for the frame is way-the-heck up there...hope the buyer enjoys it!