Have you ever sold a bike and regretted it? If you found it again, would you buy it back? Well that’s what happened with this Ron Cooper-built bike!
The owner, Chris Law, originally bought the bike new in the year 2000 from Pearson Cycles of Sutton, around the time that steel framed bikes were being phased out by the brand. Pearson, who are the oldest cycling brand in the world, had decided to transition to their own-brand frame production using aluminium and carbon fibre. However, at this time, the Sutton shop still featured classic steel touring, audax and winter training bikes, and it is an example of the latter that we have here.
Winter training bikes or trainers were a staple of the racing scene. The idea was that you rode one through the winter, with the bike taking whatever was thrown at it weather-wise. Mudguards were de-rigeur on many club runs as nobody wants to sit on an open wheel having road spray in their face do they? You would often relegate your second best gears to that bike and run sturdier wheels that didn’t matter so much. A longer wheelbase also meant more stability too. All this allowed you to keep your best race bike and lightest kit fresh for when the racing season started in Spring. The move to a lighter and more agile bike was thought to benefit the rider too come race day.
Chris sold the bike after a couple of years to fund another frame build, this time by Cliff Shrubb. Cliff was a friend of his. and he jumped at the offer of a custom build when it was made – although it made financial sense to do this Chris did regret letting this bike go. An unexpected phone call ten years later from the buyer had Chris jump in his car. Forty minutes later the bike was his again! The buyer had decided to give Chris a call and first refusal as he’d decided to sell the bike. With that owner it’d certainly been ridden as it completed an ascent of Mont Ventoux with him!
The bike, which had originally been badged as a Pearson, was sent off to Atlantic Boulevard to have the rear triangle, head tube lugs and forks chromed, and the rest painted in white and black. Chris had discovered that the frame had been made for Pearsons by Ron Cooper, and this was confirmed by the shop. This was quite normal practice for shops from the 1950s until the ’90s to buy in or order frames to be built, and badge them as their own. Chris decided that he would badge the bike after the maker this time.
The wheels were handbuilt by Harry Rowland using Campagnolo hubs and Ambrosia Excellence rims. Chris swears by handbuilt wheels for a durable and long-lasting wheelset. The Ambrosia rims weigh in around 460g each, but are well suited for winter miles on salted roads. The brass valve hole detail is delightful and points to an earlier time.
The groupset is the Campagnolo Record Ultra 10. The mid-2000s 10-speed components feature refined shifting and plenty of carbon fibre and titanium sections to save weight. It suits the modern classic look of the frameset, and represents an ideal ‘second best’ groupset that has moved down the pecking order from a race bike to a winter bike. This is not a reflection on the Record kit, just that it is 20 years old, and 10 speed. A more modern gruppo would adorn a race bike wouldn’t it?
The 3TTT bars and quill stem suit this style and era of bike, and once the setup and reach have been decided on there’s no need to change it. If you do need to change it, it’s quite involved compared to an ahead stem, as bar tape and levers need to be removed to swap a stem out. At the other end a classic Selle San Marco Rolls saddle supports the rider for those long winter rides.
Chris says that the bike is a “very fast ride, surprisingly so” and I would agree with that when I’ve ridden alongside him, it (and he) are no slouch. With the mudguards and bar end light it is a perfect companion on those winter club runs, and you can sit on the wheel without getting a face full of road scuzz. Now, last one to the café buys the cappuccinos…
