Neil McGowranCarlton Capella lugs seem to be everywhere in my SBDU collection at the moment. They are always nice to have, and when they appear on…
“TI-Raleigh Tour de France!” It only really dawned on me the day after I bought it, but this bike could be something amazing, a special…
This was a quick decision, a moment of thought before pressing the button. It was a lovely Raleigh SBDU track bike. I knew this bike…
What happens when a frame looks like an SBDU build but you aren’t too sure? A frame may have several features that match an SBDU…
Although an SBDU frame may be best known for the oversize seat stay cap design, it was the SBDU fast back that landed with a…
It was a Thursday evening a couple of weeks ago, and as usual I was sitting in front of the laptop, half watching TV half…
SB518 is the third frame I have lined up this year to be painted in the TI-Raleigh colours (it’s nice to start the year with…
I have a few 2019 projects to complete and this is the second such project that happens to be a track frame and the second…
While I’m patiently waiting for the final few Dura-Ace 7400 series 6 speed components to arrive, I’m going to begin the paintwork restore on SB6560,…
I haven’t written many ‘New Arrival’ posts this year after slowing down my collecting habit and being a bit more picky, so it really is…
Frame weight… it’s often talked about, requested and used as a measure to try and determine tubing type. From my own experience I can see…
It’s just over six years since I fastened the first component to this frame and four or five years since I completed the first build…
Having a large collection of SBDU frames means that I’ve accumulated most of the various features that they built with. Fork ends are one such…
eBay! Love it or loathe it, every now and then it does serve a purpose. Personally I loathe it and while I’m definately not a…
SBDU frames and the TI colours have become hugely popular. More people are seeking to buy an SBDU frame and recreate the red black and…
It was just another night in front of the television when an email dropped into my Inbox regarding an SBDU frame, this is a situation…
Following the change of cables on SB4059 there is now only one thing that I need to do, one more thing to sort out, one…
Every new addition gets a good clean and although it was already looking quite good, SH377T still needed a bit of work. Wet oil and…
eBay… it is a place I try to avoid. I like to find bikes and frames that haven’t had much exposure to the internet. eBay…
The process of purchasing SB3505 was super smooth… a late Friday evening email, additional images on the Saturday, deal done on the Sunday morning, packaged…
I’ve been searching and looking to expand my collection into new areas for as long as I’ve been collecting these frames. Up until now I’ve…
In the beginning there was Metric Reynolds 753 tubing, and then later in 1982, a new Imperial Reynolds 753 tube was introduced. The new tube,…
There is no long winded waffle from me on this post, at least that is the intention… it’s hopefully just a short introduction about a…
Finding bikes built by the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) that aren’t what they appear to be is part of the appeal of bike hunting…
Back at the beginning of May, I had a weekend of frame repairs! SB4409 had new transfers and a bit of clear coat, while SB6560…
After selling one of my frames a few years ago (SB447), I promised myself that I wouldn’t sell another. These frames are sought after and…
The last time you saw this frame, it was dirty, greasy, dusty and covered in spider’s webs. The parts were rusty and some were even…
The Easter weekend has given me some free time so I decided to work on a couple of projects. SB4409 was the first frame to…
Sometimes my frames come to me without any signs of originality meaning that I can’t accurately identify them. There is seldom a known history to accompany…
A little bit of a quick random post but inspired by a recent online ‘incident’ from a seller of a bike frame.