Ex Roy Chapman (Redditch Road & Path Cycling Club)
A beautiful 19.5″ TT/ Road Race machine. The chromed half forks and rear triangle confirms its quality.
Reynolds 531DB tubing. The build is on extra long spearpoint lugs, probably Prugnat S4. It has a typical fine, full, long wrapover seatstay. The seat and chainstay bridges are curved, reinforced and straight respectively. The nice oval forks are on a semi sloping Zeus 2000 fork crown. There are limited brazeons, Derailleur BB cable guides and chainstay stop and downtube bottle pegs and the rear brake cable guides and stops are unusually on the near side of the top tube at eight o’clock.
The original finish and chrome looks in fair shape. On the seat tube there is a long orange panel in the black finish with white, black edge gothic script without the head tube shield and flags transfer for Durban Road, Smethwick. White, black edge gothic script on the down tube defined by champion bands. The wrapover seatstay topeyes have the double fishtail motif in white and all other lug lining is in gold.
The wheels are Mavic sprints on Mavic hubs, Cinelli Bars and stem, Shimano Durace 600AX Aero and Ultegra drive train and brakes. Stronglight A9 Headset, Campagnolo seat pin and Selle saddle.
There is no BB frame number so the fork stem will need to be checked but there is little doubt this is one of his finest and the provenance is good.
It may have been built as late as 1987 according to his son who has fond memories of washing it for TT days and a typical acerbic Major on the day his Dad, a MN enthusiast, ordered him his first Major Nichols bike!
Major Nichols lightweight racing cycles 