Llewellyn Bikes

[Major Tom]

Compensation:

Llewellyn @ Bespoked Bristol UKHBS 2016 by picnicker74, auf Flickr

Llewellyn @ Bespoked Bristol UKHBS 2016 by picnicker74, auf Flickr


Llewellyn @ Bespoked Bristol UKHBS 2016 by picnicker74, auf Flickr

LLewellyn @ bespoked Bristol UKHBS 2016 by picnicker74, auf Flickr

[Dazza]

"Referring to our talks in Bristol: Just wanted to state, that I was the one to invent the use of "Ethnocentric" font on bicycle frames"

I am lost, help me out?????

[WFSTEKL]

Just want to bring the green rando machine to the front. It is poetic.

[Dazza]

Just want to bring the green rando machine to the front. It is poetic.

It will be at the Brooks London B1866 store , July through to the end of August



I will be making another Rando some time this year, not sure of the kick off date on this one.

[Major Tom]

[SIZE=4][FONT=Georgia]I am lost, help me out?????

PMd you.

[Dazza]

The year 1993 was when I first escaped to France for a 6 month sejour to rebuild my emotional self-worth. I shared a house with Luke and James and tried to race my bike again. Nothing special or fancy, a lot village races and some 2-3 day stage races in a 300 km radius of LeMans. I loved the racing in France, it was an aggressive style and on good courses and I only wished I got there 3-5 years earlier when I was stronger. Later in the season I was moving a bit better and was trying to win some-thing besides chasing the 20 franc primes ($4.00) The locals would not bother with these pissy primes but I would. Some-times it would add up to 200 to 400 francs which would be the grocery money for the week. Prize money was received at the end of the year, but the prime money was paid when we handed our number back in at the finish and this was a vital supplement to our food budget each week, as well as the unknowing generosity of the French Farmers. wink emoticon The local riders would think I was silly, but they did not understand, they went home to Mum and Dad or their paying job, I needed the coin to eat with or my budget would be blown. After James and Luke went to their new Belgium base I was going live on my own, however, Samuel a local French friend we had gotten to know well at races and on training rides invited me to live for a while at his parent’s house. I had a little mezzanine space above their garage floor where I slept, read HG Wells, Charles Dickens and in the evening listened to the BBC on a little radio. Gaelle who took this photo was Samuel’s twin sister, I don't remember much of the day, or how I got a little climbers points trophy, I must have popped off to get points earlier in the race? But I remember being on the elastic when the front group was on the finishing laps of the arrivee town, I was in the grovelling off and back on again situation. Samuel was riding better than me that day, but as the front group propped before the last time up the hill into town, I did what one can only do when you know you will be toast in the sprint, I launched off with the strength of a wet paper bag. I do recall Christian my DS yelling at me from the side of the road in the last 300m. As the chase wound up for the sprint they ran me down about 100m from the line as I slowed as if a ship's anchor had been dropped. But a team mate won! Some-how I got some points for a little trophy. I seemed pleased and Samuel got a trophy as well. Maybe I am pleased because I had a secret crush on Gaelle who was taking this photo. Gaelle was also very patient and persistent with me as she attempted to insert some French language into my cranium, she also gave me regular haircuts so I did not look like a vagabond. Samuel, Gaelle and their parents were very kind to me. They were very nice experiences.

[Sascha Roszak]

This is great reading...keep it up Dazza!

[Dazza]

This is from something that came out of another FB page this morning. So before I forgot I posted it here. 1986 Brisbane Metro titles. I was off the front with Blair Stockwell and Steve Rooney for a bit and I got shelled out on the quarry hill coming out of Petrie. I was thinking that it was all over for me, sigh, failed again. Then along came Jeff Leslie and Greg Dwair, they had left the bunch and were going across at a great rate of knots to the Blair and Steve, I groveled and did as much as I could. We got to Blair and Steve not long after going through Daybora. "hi I am back" (on the Jeff and Greg bus!) We had the steep climb up Mt Samson to do before we doubled back to Daybora. I was concerned that hill would be the end of me (I know it well as I trained all my life on those roads) so I skipped turns for the last km drag to Closeburn before we turned onto the hill. (the shame of that eh!) We went onto the hill, with me last wheel and half way up Steve and Greg were losing the wheels of Blair and Jeff, I was actually thinking they were backing me off to jump again and so dagg me off so I went straight around them. They were feeling the effects of driving the race and the group hard and this I could not blame them, they drove the race all day so damm hard! I prayed that Jeff or Blair did not accelerate on that hill, because if they looked back they could see I was all over the bike like a thrasher to stay on. Three of us went down the other side of Mt Samson Jeff actually broke a spoke (24 spoke wheel) in his rear wheel and I thought the tyre was rubbing on the CS, I was pondering if the tyre would last and then it would be just Blair and myself to the finish. YAY! The tyre held on. DOH! The three of us swapped off to the finish, and I did what one does when they know they will be toast in the sprint, launch off before the real sprint got going, but not too far out, trying to bag it hoping Jeff and Blair would fiddle about looking at each other. Of course that was a snow flake in hell's chance, I was not kidding myself but what else could I do............Well, I had the grunt of a snow flake and the speed of a constipated snail and did not go far. Jeff went after me pretty quickly, they got me some 250m or so to go and they paused and then sprinted. I got up off the saddle again and gave everything for 50m with that awful sensation of giving it all, but seeing no result and thus I watched them sail away in the distance and then I sat down to watch my superiors race for the victory. I had a good line of cotton mouth and snot down the sides of my face at the finish that day. I never liked finishing last in a front group that I scraped along in, be it three for the dash and then be last, that is depressing for me, but I was very pleased that I survived that day. It was the best Qld racing for me when Jeff, Blair Stockwell and the lads drove it so hard in the lead up to the CG 1986. I just tried to be alert and on the moves when they occurred and scrape up some thing. The pic I think is by Steven Grice's Parents.

I also I remember a chap I know by the name of Bill, he said to me while I sat on the tail gate of my station wagon wiping snot off off my dial "when are you going to learn to sprint?" I nearly got up in a rage to give him a Glasgow kiss, but I would have fainted if I got up quickly, so I replied meekly along the lines of "yeah, but you first you have got to get yourself to the finish in the front group to fu--ing sprint for the win and you are right, today I was a second place loser in the front group". (please go away till I feel better)



The photographer had to try hard to get me into the picture. Most of the spectators were behind the line, not in front it, hanging about the car parking

[progetto]

How old was Blair then Dazza?

[Dazza]

How old was Blair then Dazza?

I think he was
37 give or take a year.

[Dazza]

A few builder mates encouraged and poked me for some time to to speak up about the following, so here I am, head above the parapet, willing to have my head shot off.
One can make a very pretty bike, sweet paint job, nice head badge, go to a bike show, and the kid press go "awesome". The builder goes away thinking "I am effing awesome"
but the builder has no experience of how to apply biomechanics, design the bike fit to all the various customers that will come through the door. The bike is not quite right but that is OK, I have got a LASER etched 3D printed head badge and the tubes are made of unobtainum...................

"I am a genius, look at what I have done!"

Do they never ponder
"I wonder why those old prehistoric life timers never do stuff like I do? never mind I am a genius, look at what I did!"

Bespoke shows are populated by the large number of enthusiastic new starters, they are seeking attention to get a start, which is fair enough
but the problem is the product is becoming more funk than time at the toil to make a reliable, proven reputation, giving good value to the customers hard earned dollars. That is hard to get up to speed with when one does not learn via the journeyman process under an established shop. This is a problem for the those starting out, no easy answer for them.

One knows there will be tears for some builders and their customers, example when you see the multiple piercing of main tubes, fork blades and chainstays, poking brass tube through for cable routing with a bit of silver around it in critical stress and strain locations with no reinforcements at all! Oh, that tube will never fail.................Actually these failures have started, but the press who told them they are a genius will never, and cannot report on the "that was a bad idea eh!" The builders who have been around or the ones that are intelligent with an eye on the long term all sound like we are just moaning curmudgeons or "prehistoric pretentious pr--ks". I and others are concerned that the rush to be a genius bespoke frame builder may do some harm to the niche industry. A new builder must have a vision of their path and that is understandable, I did when I was 16yo, but being hot with social media, and drilling holes and poking brass tube through willy nilly does not mean the builder has got there yet let alone make a product that returns the investment to the customers hard earned gold coin by surviving many of years of hard riding. Actually, one never gets there. One is always progressing.
OK, was that harsh? Spit it out if you think so. Different font today, for a different emotion to the day.

[Dazza]

It is bling bling, is it art? A Llewellyn Lugged Stem, using a pair of my first casting design. The stainless steel lug shore lines have been reworked by my hands, here is no loss of function. Just a lugged stem to compliment the lugged frame set.

[Dazza]

All our tubes come on a boat or plane

[Dazza]

Working up the for crown for Caroline's Lucentezza frame set.

[Dazza]

Sanding , in steps, to 1500 grit under balsa wood sticks
the polish is a breeze
the sanding and filing is the toil
NEVER CHROME AT LLEWELLYN!







weather report



Done

[Dazza]

the most beautiful tool (well worn 30 year old lathe) meets lump of 304 stainless, for Columbus Bio conical seat stays

[Dazza]

Braze, file, sand and sand and sand and
and and and sand and sand and
then polish






The shorelines reflect the dropouts, that is the intention

[Dazza]

No chrome here, never chrome

[Dazza]

little work

[Dazza]

Listening to Robbie McEwen chatting on the SBS coverage of the TDF reminds me of a day in 1995 at the end of The Tour de l'Avenir. Robbie was riding on the Aussie national team and I was the mechanic, Brian Stephens was the DS. All the teams had the TDF Fiat Team cars for the race, which was good, rather than the worn out Merc we had as our team car, but we had are usual well worn out VW transporter that was crammed with my gear, riders and baggage. Robbie won a stage in 94 and won a stage in 95. (he also won a stage in 96 as a pro and we had Jay Sweet win a stage that year) Along the way was the pro contract stuff. This pic is of Samuel (team assistant), Robbie and myself the morning after the race finished outside our hotel on the last night , the team had already left, crammed into the VW for some destination, probably Koblenz but I cannot recall. I had to drive the TDF Fiat to drop off in Paris and also drop Robbie off at Gare De Nord as he was catching a train north to meet Jan Raas to sign his first pro contract.
The next year he started his pro career and it did not go too bad for him.
When he was a young fella, every one was impressed with his acceleration from 90 to 100%, he also learn't how to use other teams and riders and find his own way many times to the finish as there was not many about who could help in during his pre pro days. I know some find him difficult, but I always got on well with him.