Friday 18 March 2016

RJ Quinn restoration

Many thanks to Vaughan Ward, for the pictures and info on his lovely RJ Quinn.

I used to live in North Wales in the 60s and started dabbling in 10 mile TTs.  My brothers' old Falcon that I was using weighed half a ton so with my first few months wages I treated myself to a bespoke frame made by R J Quinn.  Sadly, we parted company when I left N Wales to seek my fortune (in the RAF!).  Almost half a decade later, I decided to recapture my youth and start a project.  Via eBay, I purchased this old warhorse last winter:


  It was being used by a chap in Liverpool as an all-weather somewhat battered and unloved commuter.  Nevertheless, a starting point.  So I ditched the various bolt-ons that were different to my original and did my best from memory to replicate them, including the colour scheme.  I don’t remember RJ giving me a choice……it was blue and white.  Was he a toffee supporter?  I seem to remember brother Harry’s bikes were often red.  Is this why they fell out?  I digress.

So here is the ‘copy', having finished it last month.  
I took up cycling again on early retirement 2 years ago and have really embraced it with a couple of modern carbon bikes to help get me up the hills (I live in the Chilterns).  I took the beautifully running (if I say so myself) R J Quinn out last week with my usual club, in a mid-stream group I usually have no problem staying with.  My goodness me: what a salutary lesson as to how far bikes have come in that time.  To the uninitiated, a ‘racing bike’ (as we used to call road bikes) looks just like any other.  The basic triangle with a wheel at each end and a pair of pedals in the middle.  So what’s new?  But I had to work so very hard on the Mighty Quinn to try and stay with these carbon/alloy/titanium-mounted guys.  I still love it though.

When I research online, I seem to be able to find a fair amount of info about brother Harry’s bikes, but little about the Edge Lane faction.  Any RJQ tit-bits from your readership would be useful.

Regards
Vaughan War
Happy Owner - Amersham Road Cycling Club

So any more info on RJ Quinn. Contact us at merseysidebicycles@gmail.com 

2 comments:

  1. Have a similar bike is it worth anything

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  2. I bought an R J Quinn of a workmate in 1968 it was purple with chrome forks 531 tube with campag lugs Gran Sport 5 spoke chain set and deraileur campag small flange hubs and Mafac centre pull brakes
    I used it to commute from old swan to Aintree and later from New Brighton to Aintree I still have the bike it was sprayed red by my son about five years ago but it is still roadworthy . Be interesting to see what you think it might be worth

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