# A Falcon-produced Holdsworth Profesional replica?



## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Peter Brown posted this on the CR mailing list & thought some may be interested--a Falcon-produced Holdsworth Professional that mimics the glory days of their early 70s frames.

(Two of my racing buddies raced on the originals...)


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

meh, carbon/black bits and modern wheels don't scream retro to me...


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

A steel fork and it would be a winner.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

zmudshark said:


> A *chromed* steel fork and it would be a winner.


There.  
And yes...agree with FTF...polished alu would be nice here. Though I wouldn't mind having one even with the bike as configured.


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

Painted to match steel fork, 1" threaded, polished alloy quill stem and seatpost, and some 32x3 wheels.

And speaking of Falcon, I just scored an NOS TTT 120mm quill stem off fleabay for a very good price. Kind of a "smoke gray" anodized (maybe that's why I got it cheap) that will look very nice with the anthracite frame/fork. Finally getting that baby right.

The 110mm Modolo is cool but just too short.


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## DannyBoy (Feb 19, 2004)

I like it as is, but agree, steel fork and quill stem and all alloy would be much much better. Time to find out more.


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## Dave IV (Jan 20, 2009)

For a comparison, here is my recently restored '74 Holdsworth Professional. It was imported as a Hill Cycle and sold through Hill Cycle Shop in Phila. PA.


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## DannyBoy (Feb 19, 2004)

Wonderful!


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

DannyBoy said:


> Wonderful!


Couldn't have said it better myself. Stunning!


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

I would rather have the original. Nice.


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

A from Il said:


> I would rather have the original. Nice.


Absolutely--but there are not a lot of them around.

I've watched auctions for a couple on eBay UK--and at least in one case, it was not a true "Professional"--it had been tarted up with the paint and decals to look like one.

FYI, for those who have not run across it, Nick Kilgraff's site tells you more about Holdsworth, F. Grubb and Claude Butlers than you probably want to know--and he has all the skinny on the complicated history of the "Professional" models of the early '70s.


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## verktyg (Dec 10, 2009)

*Ersatz Holdsworth Professional*



paredown said:


> I've watched auctions for a couple on eBay UK--and at least in one case, it was not a true "Professional"--it had been tarted up with the paint and decals to look like one.


I'd been lusting for a Holdsworth Professional for many years - in fact anything in Molteni orange and blue would do! 

Several years ago I bought a 1973 Holdsworth billed by the seller as a Professional. Despite numerous messages by Holdsworth cognoscenti that the seller posted in the listing saying it wasn't a Professional,

He steadfastly insisted it was a Professional but without chrome and the Professional decal on the top tube.

After getting the bike I finally concluded that it was a W.F. Holdsworth Competizone in Holdsworth Team Kit not a Professional. 

It's a little clunky. The W.F. Holdsworth catalog says "Built with good quality tubing" what ever that means, probably straight gage Reynolds 531 at best.

I bought it because of the colors knowing it wasn't a Pro but with the knowledge that I could always part it out and recoup my cost. I sold the Ti railed saddle already!

Anyway a few months later I got a real 1973 Holdsworth Professional from the original owner.

Chas-C Verktyg


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

That real "Professional" looks really sharp--and I even had a twinge of nostalgia seeing those gas works in the background.

Two of my friends raced on those bikes c. 1971-74, & I always thought they were the best looking bikes in the peleton. (I was on my team kit Falcon San Remo team replica....)

(I saw one Holdsworth on UK eBay (18 months--2 years ago?) that the congnescenti were saying was not a true Professional--was that the one that you bought? I know the one I saw looked dead right as far as paint & a team kit WF Holdsworth would explain it.)


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## verktyg (Dec 10, 2009)

paredown said:


> (I saw one Holdsworth on UK eBay (18 months--2 years ago?) that the congnescenti were saying was not a true Professional--was that the one that you bought? I know the one I saw looked dead right as far as paint & a team kit, WF Holdsworth would explain it.)


I got the WF Holdsworth Competizione pictured above on US eBay, It came from Oregon.

I've seen some other Holdsworths on eBay over the last several years that sellers were claiming to be Professionals but weren't. 

Here's a link to pictures of 2 Holdsworth Professionals on the Classic Rendezvous website that don't have any chrome on the frames.

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Holdsworth.htm

White lug lining and fancy pinstriped wrap around seat stays tops are several features for identifying Holdsworth Professionals. The Professional decal on the top tube is another. Some Professionals had red, white and green Italian shields on the forks too.

My Competizione came with a Campy NR, headset, seatpost, derailleurs, pedals and low mileage Campy NR high flange hubs with Mavic MA40 rims plus almost new Continental tires. The cranks were the the somewhat rare 3 arm alloy Gran Sport models from the mid 70s. 

The brakes were the very nice Suntour Superbe Pro, Campy NR knockoffs. The levers were early 80s Gran Compe Aero levers which the seller said were original to the bike (ya sure). The stem was an undersized .833" diameter Grand Compe from the early 70s. 

I sold the Ti railed Brooks Swallow saddle. It wasn't comfortable and kept sagging no matter how much I adjusted it.

I installed a Cinelli 1a stem and mod 66 bars, changed the levers to Suntour Superbe Pro models and switched to a standard Brooks Pro saddle.

All of the mishmash of components from different eras lead me to believe that it was a pieced together bike with a 1973 frame.

It looks pretty from 10 feet though!

Chas-C Verktyg


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Not sure how I missed the announcement, but Planet-X acquired the Holdsworth name and has been producing a nice interpretation of the classic frames (in Reynolds 531).

I went to the UK Planet X site and searched--they don't appear as a separate item. The Pro runs about $1100 ex-VAT:


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