Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I have been lucky enough to score a new, yes new, Hetchins frame custom made. Most of the frame parts the "Curly Stays" came from Australia.
"Hetchins" are making a few modern frames with carbon forks & non curly stays.
My frame has been made from NOS from the 70s/80s. Double crown forks are certainly rare.
This will be my swansong bike when I,m too old to ride the carbon.

Enter the maker in UK;


Some will poo hoo me for this but I have blended the old with the new, campy "Athena", the only modern alloy Campy available;


The bike has been shipped in proofcoat grey untill its chromed & painted, proof that an ugly colour can even make a Hetchins look ordinary, I decided to build it first to make sure I have all the parts required & that everything fits with a minimum of fuss when the expensive paint is on.


It was to have a braze on front derailleaur, something overlooked (amoungst the 50 odd emails) I'm now having trouble finding a clamp in 28mm.


Its great to ride, but I need a 50/60mm Quill stem to shorten the reach to the hoods, any one want to swap a Velo Orange brand new 80mm? I can get a 50 mm from the US but they want $44.00 shipping (B**l sh*t) I'm not that happy with the Cinelli bars, the drops are too low for me.


Fitting the headset, to a hand made frame was a task & cutting the tube on the forks to size was heart in your mouth stuff, measure 10 times cut once!!!!! F**k this up & there are no more parts!!!


The Curly Stays are my love of the brand, they are unique to the brand & I cant wait to have the project looking as it should.

PS: I need a pair of levelling screws to fit in the rear dropouts.

Due to the small frame size, a badge was unable to be fitted between the lugs, so they made a unique "H" to fill the gap.


Now to choose a colour...???? suggestions welcomed!!

More Images;
Hetchins Project
Hetchins web site;
Hetchins Site

gorgeous bike, mate, and as for colour, i think you should just go for what your gut says. you'll get 20 different suggestions and either like none of them, or like several, still leaving you at square one

you could put matt poo brown on that frame and it'd still look gorgeous.

i'd go a tangerine pearl, as shown on this ernie ball guitar:

The perfect "swan song". I hope, no, I know you will enjoy riding it. Thanks for showing me the photos as it inspires me to follow my dreams.

Colour - I suggest a traditional Hetchins paint scheme - you choose.

Beautiful, even in the undercoat. I think red for sure.

grantw wrote:Beautiful, even in the undercoat. I think red for sure.

Ferrari Red with a pearl iridescent on the steerer tube/BB is my wifes first choice??

Mustang wrote:
.... the new, campy "Athena", the only modern alloy Campy available;

Campagnolo Veloce is also available in a silver alloy finish. Not as nice as the Athena but the 10 speed chain and cassette is a lot cheaper than the 11 speed Chrous cassette & chain that the Athena uses.


Re: the seat tube adapter for the front derailleur. They're around but getting harder to find ... btw you're after a 28.6mm clamp (not 28mm)
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/d30.htm

Mustang wrote:

grantw wrote:Beautiful, even in the undercoat. I think red for sure.

Ferrari Red with a pearl iridescent on the steerer tube/BB is my wifes first choice??

Sweet! Whatever you do it's going to look fantastic.

spirito wrote:

Mustang wrote:
.... the new, campy "Athena", the only modern alloy Campy available;

Campagnolo Veloce is also available in a silver alloy finish. Not as nice as the Athena but the 10 speed chain and cassette is a lot cheaper than the 11 speed Chrous cassette & chain that the Athena uses.


Re: the seat tube adapter for the front derailleur. They're around but getting harder to find ... btw you're after a 28.6mm clamp (not 28mm)
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/d30.htm

You really are the Guru!! I searched the net for ages & ended up ordering a 31.8 with the hope of shimming the clamp to size. Rivendell is OFS at the moment, but its just what I want , thank you.

Mustang wrote: ... Rivendell is OFS at the moment, but its just what I want ...

Call around your LBS's and see if any of them have an account with SCV imports. They stock a clamp made by IRD for a 28.6mm seat tube (like most classic steel frames) ... comes in black and silver
http://www.scvimports.com.au/search.php

You can also use a 31.8mm clamp like you've ordered and shim it to fit. I used to use specific shim that Shimano used to package and that were alloy but there's also some plastic shims but I haven't any experience with them.

Hi, I've got a spare black 28.6 clamp if you want it, its not the most attractive but it works. What you can do though is take the anodizing off the clamp using sodium hydroxide/oven cleaner and then polish the clamp so you end up with a nice shiny one

Let me know if you want it,
Jürgen

LoveMiyata wrote:Hi, I've got a spare black 28.6 clamp if you want it, its not the most attractive but it works. What you can do though is take the anodizing off the clamp using sodium hydroxide/oven cleaner and then polish the clamp so you end up with a nice shiny one

Let me know if you want it,
Jürgen

Thanks for the offer Jugen, can you Pm me details?
Brent

spirito wrote:

Mustang wrote: ... Rivendell is OFS at the moment, but its just what I want ...

Call around your LBS's and see if any of them have an account with SCV imports. They stock a clamp made by IRD for a 28.6mm seat tube (like most classic steel frames) ... comes in black and silver
http://www.scvimports.com.au/search.php

You can also use a 31.8mm clamp like you've ordered and shim it to fit. I used to use specific shim that Shimano used to package and that were alloy but there's also some plastic shims but I haven't any experience with them.

The 31.8 Campy has arrived & is working fine with a shim fitted. But I should have a correct part?

That is going to be a sweet ride for sure when completed, paint whatever color you want as it will look great, and beauty isin the eye of the beholder......lol so poetic of me. Great job look forward to seeing the finished product

Looks great,
Cant wait to see it finished.

SL

Mustang wrote:
The 31.8 Campy has arrived & is working fine with a shim fitted. But I should have a correct part?

If it works it works

Dropped the frame off to Joe Cosgrove today, what a guy, such a wealth of experience & advice.
Colour will be candy apple red with a gold tone in medium fleck & white iridesent ivory with a gold tone on the head tube & seat tube banding, with much chrome
CAN"T WAIT

Hi,
I have a couple of Hetchins, one of which was repainted by Joe Cosgrove, and one which I am about to have repainted, possibly by him. Only "problem" there is people are critical of how bright that new paint looks on an historic bike. Tell them (to "shove it" ) and that Hetchins have always have had great paint as can be seen on my original paint 1972 Spyder
http://www.hetchins.org/504spy-04.htm

Anyway I hope you enjoy the new bike. I have the short stem you are interested in too but PM me about and other Hetchins stuff if you like.

Cheers

[quote="freshpatents"]Hi,
I have a couple of Hetchins, one of which was repainted by Joe Cosgrove, and one which I am about to have repainted, possibly by him. Only "problem" there is people are critical of how bright that new paint looks on an historic bike. Tell them (to "shove it" ) and that Hetchins have always have had great paint as can be seen on my original paint 1972 Spyder
http://www.hetchins.org/504spy-04.htm

Anyway I hope you enjoy the new bike. I have the short stem you are interested in too but PM me about and other Hetchins stuff if you like.

Thanks for sharing, mine is a 2012 model with fancy lugs, no history, so it will run a modern groupset (still alloy),modern colours.
If i had a 1972 like yours then it would be all period, try finding a vintage Hetchins in a 52cm???????????????
I think it would be a masquerade to dress a new "Hetchins" in period gear & pass it off as a historic?

The frame has been stripped of its battleship proofcoat & the polishing begins. I let it slip to Joe that I was from a jewellery background, next thing I,ve got the job of polishing the lugs & chrome areas, I think I can hear him chuckling as I walked down the drive????



Put in six hours today, seems very little gain. Joe is a hard task master

I have another project on the water & have looked at several parts on ebay, UK & US,freight is now a killer on small parts. Does any member know of a firm that will collate parcels & ship together as one?

I love that twin crown fork. My dream is a 24" 6 day Hetchins track frame.

Is it just me or do those lugs on the headtube look thicker than most?

Mustang wrote: I have another project on the water & have looked at several parts on ebay, UK & US,freight is now a killer on small parts. Does any member know of a firm that will collate parcels & ship together as one?

i have used http://www.shipito.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; in the past for items out of the USA.
not especially cheap, but they did the job.

munga wrote:

Mustang wrote: I have another project on the water & have looked at several parts on ebay, UK & US,freight is now a killer on small parts. Does any member know of a firm that will collate parcels & ship together as one?

i have used http://www.shipito.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; in the past for items out of the USA.
not especially cheap, but they did the job.

Thats the ticket, thanks Munga

[quote="Mustang"]The frame has been stripped of its battleship proofcoat & the polishing begins. I let it slip to Joe that I was from a jewellery background, next thing I,ve got the job of polishing the lugs & chrome areas, I think I can hear him chuckling as I walked down the drive????




After 15 hours of hand & hard work the curly stays & forks & lugs have a mirror finish, ready for chroming, (not photo above) dropped them off to Joe yesterday, & on my way home I realised I hadnt taken a photo
Expected chrome & paint about 4/6 weeks as he is snowed under.