1973? Jim Brittain Criterium Special

I sold this bike in March 2007.

Note the last image in the gallery, a blurb on Brittain from a 1975 issue of Bicycling!, presumably from info provided to the magazine by Brittain himself.

Here's the description I wrote for the eBay auction:

As I understand it, Jim Brittain was a bicycle mechanic and framebuilder that lived and worked in San Francisco and/or Spokane, WA in the early 1970's. He apparently built about 10 or 15 frames, one of which is the subject of this auction.

I showed this bike at the Velo Rendezvous in Pasadena this past October, where I was able to discuss it with Brian Baylis, who confirmed that it was built with Reynolds 531 tubing, and that has several hallmarks of the bikes that students of Albert Eisentraut were building, such as the sloping fork crown. Brian also guessed that the bike dated from about 1973 because it features clamp-on top tube cable routing and shifters, but has braze-on guides at the bottom bracket.

The bike appears to have been assembled for criterium racing. For instance, it features a Campagnolo Nuovo Record crankset with 49/52 chainrings (if the buyer prefers, I will substitute a 42-tooth Super Record inner ring at no charge). Another indicator of the bikes purpose is the minimal fork rake, and the fact that the builder elected to use the largest-diameter part of the raw Reynolds blade, perhaps to increase the stiffness of the fork. Additionally, the rear drop-outs are Campagnolo vertical, which allow a shorter wheelbase. The bike is very quick-steering.

I purchased the bike as a box of parts, without wheels. I selected the wheels to compliment the apparent racing intent. This bike features an extremely cool set of Hi-E sealed bearing, ultralight racing hubs, laced to a pair of gold anodized Mavic Record Du Monde De L'Heure (translation: world hour record) tubular rims. Spokes are radial on the front, radial on the non-drive side in the rear, and tied-and-soldered cross-4 on the drive side rear. Also note that the rear hub is high-flange on the drive side and low-flange on the other. This is a very light, very fast period wheelset, and is 100mm/120mm, or 5-speed spaced. Quick releases are Zeus. The tires are toast and must be replaced before use.

Other noteworthy parts include the early 'star' version of the Simplex Retrofriction shifters (clamp-on style), and a very clean set of Suntour Superbe brake levers. The NOS Superbe lever hoods and cable housing came from my private stash.

This is a chance to own a bike that is a historical reminder of the early era of American custom framebuilding. I had fun bringing it back to life and hope you'll enjoy owning it as much as I did.

Frame: Mix of Reynolds 531 and Columbus, per the previous owner, Campagnolo Vertical Drop-Outs
Fork: Reynolds 531
Headset: Campagnolo Record
Stem: Cinelli 1A, 100mm
Bar: Cinelli 64/40
Tape: Tressostar Cloth
Brake Levers: Suntour Superbe
Brake Hoods: NOS Suntour Superbe
Brake Cables & Housing: NOS Suntour Superbe
Brake Cable Clamps (TT): Zeus
Brake Calipers: Wienmann 605
Shift Levers: Simplex Retrofriction, Early Style, Clamp-On
Front Derailleur: Suntour
Rear Derailleur: Suntour Superbe (1st Gen)
Hubs: Hi-E Sealed bearing, Low-Flange Front, Hi-Lo Rear
Spoke Pattern: Radial Front, Radial Non-Drive Rear, 4X Tied & Soldered on Drive Side
Quick Releases: Zeus (Flat)
Rims: Mavic Record Du Monde De L'Heure, Gold Anodized, 36H, Sew-Up / Tubular, 700c
Freewheel: 14-15-16-17-18
Tires: Tired...
Crankset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record, 49/52
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Record, I assume it's English
Seatpost: Rino, 27.2 Fluted w/ Black Accents
Saddle: Unicanitor copy, 'Hecho en Mexico' - cool!
Seat Clamp Bolt: TA
Pedals: MKS Sylvan Road, Silver, Old Style
Toe Clips: M?
Toe Straps: Lapize, Blue Leather

Seat Tube: 58cm Center to Center
Top Tube: 56cm Center to Center