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TECH NEWS
Sneak peek: Holdsworth to launch steel Heritage range
Planet-X acquired the British brand Holdsworth last year and will be launching a new Holdsworth 2015 Heritage range at L’Eroica Britannia vintage bike event in the Peak District later this month.
The Holdsworth brand was established by Sandy Holdsworth in London in 1927, and began making steel frames in 1933.
The new bikes are being developed by Lorenzo Altissimo, a 30-year bike industry veteran who is an expert in steel tubing and steel frame production. He was the export manager at Columbus, manufacturer of steel tubing, for 10 years. Former US Postal Service pro rider Jamie Burrow has also been working on the project.
According to Holdsworth, the new 2015 Heritage range is, “A range of handmade, lugged steel frames that honour Holdsworth’s greatest achievements; the Cyclone, the Mistral, the Zephyr, the Professional.
“These are the names that stood the test of time. The 2015 Heritage range honours these classics, remaining true to their identity and historical context. You will find historically accurate geometry, paint, lugs and tubing. And, of course, to complete the series, the iconic orange and blue Holdsworth-Campagnolo team frame. For years it was the dominant force on the UK race scene, winning numerous national and international events, national titles, and was even used to compete in the Tour de France.”
Four of the five bikes are made from Reynolds 531 steel, the exception being the Professional Italia.
Holdsworth say that the Cyclone is designed for all-day comfort. They also say that you can add mudguards and a rack and use it as a tourer.
The Mistral is, according to Holdsworth, “a very light and lively all round frame”.
There’s also a Lady Mistral with a mixte rather than a conventional diamond frame.
The Zephyr is a fixed gear track/urban bike so it has rear facing horizontal dropouts and no mounting points for bottle cages, racks or mudguards (although there is clearance for mudguards).
The Professional is a road race bike with horizontal, adjustable rear dropouts, a 1in threaded headest, a BSA bottom bracket and clearance for 25mm tyres. You also get Holdsworth and Campagnolo handcut brass signatures/badges.
The Professional Italia is the top end model made with Columbus SL main tubes and polished XCR stainless steel dropouts and chainstays. The fork is stainless too.
Each of the bikes come in five sizes from 49cm to 60cm.
We don’t have prices yet although they could be around £799 apiece (to be confirmed).
As mentioned, the range will be launched at L’Eroica Britannia in Bakewell, Derbyshire, 20-22 June. As well as L’Eroica Britannia rides, there will be a free three-day bike festival.
For more info on Holdsworth bikes go to the Holdsworth website.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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25 comments
Well Panet X just sent out the promo emails for this and prices are starting at £800
I will pass on that thanks as I can get a Mercian for that much.
So.Much.Want
Agree with hexhome, if these go out at £800 retail, there will be an order book stretching from here to the end of 2015..and my name will be in it.
Churning out old technology for modern prices? Call me sceptical but whilst they all look nice, you'd think they'd perhaps update the frames with current headset sizes etc?
Old technology? Diamond frame, chain drive, materials, design? Prices yet to be confirmed but reported to be extremely attractive. The headset size is entirely appropriate and 'current' for the design and material. Different materials may require larger headsets but not steel! There is most definitely a market for classic frames and I predict a fast sell out.
If the frame and fork are priced at £799, these will indeed be a bargain. But I don't believe that will be the MSRP.
The interesting history of this brand and of Claud Butler is not mentioned here. Both brands were bought by Elswick Hopper of Brigg to add lustre to their relatively higher quality bikes. There were some pretty cheap bikes put out under these labels, or at least bikes which would not fit in with the marketing hype in this article.
Loveley looking frames. Bought the Holdsworth Pro. replica from Planet X a couple of months back, and it does ride superbly.
Frame is made in South Korea I'm told (?) - wasn't worth the £2.5k original asking price, but worth what I paid for it!
I suspect these will be pricey when they come out.
Ha ha, got an original just like the one pictured in monochrome. It's actually a Claud Butler Avant Coureur with so-called 'bi-laminate' lugwork (the fleur-de-lys shape is planted, not structural). Holdsworth acquired the brand, back in the mists of the C20.
Heritage frame with an ahead set instead of a threaded one, odd.
Beautiful frames, brings back memories of the hours I spent staring at the shop window and pestering Roy and Alma as a teenager. Happy days!
One in Gios blue and i'm there...
Great to see steel frames again that offer fixed, free or gear options in one unit, if only I could afford.
Very pretty. Hand built frames that are not bespoke to the rider is an interesting concept, if the market is there it should prove to be an interesting exercise to see if cycle manufacturing can return to being a sustainable industry in the UK. I am not saying the Raleigh plant will re-open over night but a small to medium sized company turning out a few thousand a year would be great.
Does it say exactly where these are being manufactured at the moment? as I am guessing not the UK but somewhere in the EU with lower living costs but a very skilled workforce.
Not really, given that all frames are handmade (yes, even the carbon ones). It's a term that's overplayed in the cycle industry by the marketing folk.
There is always some hands on with any production process but good quality lug work and brazing is still a very skilled hands on trade just like Ti or ally welding. No one is disputing a lot of work goes in to carbon with hand applied processes, it's just not quite got that artisans quality to it that good lug work has.
Beautiful. If I have the money I'd be very tempted, to compliment my 70s-something, Holdsworth-made Claud Butler (still a fine training bike!).
Very nostalgic. My very first decent bike was a Pro, bought from the shop in Putney...the orange colour is classic.
My dad did too, WAY back!
I got a bottle from the shop just before it closed down.(now being converted into a house)
Christ - that bottle must be enormous !
Wow.
Seriously good looking bikes.
Oh
My
Goodness
What a great set of frames, the cyclone is a real beauty, a worthy addition to any fantasy bikes list.
Second that, I want that frame.