Bates of Coburg - Nouvo Record 1969/1970 Help needed

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Sun May 18, 2014 9:57 pm

Hi Guys,
I am about to embark on restoring a R.L. Bates of Coburg, road bike, that is running Nouvo Record Campagnolo 1969/1970. Unfortunatly the paint and chrome are now heavily flaking, so there is no chance to maintain as is, if this bike is to remain usable. As the bike is 95% original condition i think it is best that i try and retain as much of the history as possible. I therefor would like to try and match the paintwork and the orginal bates signage as close as i can to how it was orginally sold.

Also slideshow
http://s1033.photobucket.com/user/flash739/slideshow/
So current restore plan is;
1) Abbotsford Cycles to help with strip down/rebuild, as shifters and headset are close to siezed and i dont trust myself not to crack the threads.
2) Gerz Chrome Polising to restore to lift the remaining chrome and rechrome - pending a look at the minor pitting, though i believe salvagable.
3) Campagnolo Decal - if anyone can find an original matching decal please let me know, have seached for hours online, note the orientation of the world to the lettering.
4) Rode Runner for the base repainting - 2 Pac???? any thoughts on this?? dont know much about paint. Suitable for this restore
5) Pin Striping - Bates Lettering and Original Bates logos... This is where i am stuck. The Bates lettering is 50% gone on both sides and i cant find a matching lettering on any other bates bike to assist with the artwork.

I have seen in a few other Bates posts that Kenn Dickie is likely the best person to speak to regarding bates bike, and all maters regarding expert paint jobs. I am hoping someone here may be able to assist me in getting in contact with him. I have seen on the following site about a Barb restore that kenn has many of the original templates;
http://www.finlaybrothershistory.info/page63.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I am hoping Kenn may still have the original bates lettering templates from his time working there that match with this bike. I can see in the following photo that one of these templates appears to be the R.L Bates of Coburg Logo template that would be highly useful also (See second from top right)

Ultimatly the intention for this bike is to be my pinnacle bike for xmas rides and easter club rides or other more social club rides of the like. It is not being done up to be sold so i am happy to do what is needed to get this bike to be my top ride. Does not seam to be enough people maintaining the old Aussie bikes.
Anyway if anyone has can help me with connecting to Kenn, it would be greatly appreciated.

And for the last bit. The black club logo and fork crown/stem inlaied clubs ....I originally throught this bike may be a Colnago, that had been imported by Bates. However closer inspection has found that the English bottom bracket does not support this hypothis. Also the use of the clubs appears to predate the use of the club logo by Colnago by a few years, based on the dates of the Nouvo Record Gear-Set and Reynolds 531 Decal i am sure this is 1969 or 1970 build.

Am wonding if any of the victorian cycle clubs were using a Black Club as thier club logo in the early 70s that could explain this logo choice? Possibly a club up near bendigo? as this is where i brought this bike from.

Or has anyone seen a Bates of Coburg Bike with a black club before??

PatrickB · Postby **PatrickB** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:01 pm

I'll be following closely mate. Good idea to get a good bike shop to help with strip down if you're not confident. Hope you can find new decals etc for it as will be so cool to keep it original. If you're going to paint it your self I would suggest doing a practice job on a cheapie frame to get the hang of it. Otherwise get the pros onto it

singlespeedscott · Postby **singlespeedscott** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:12 pm

Just as long as the shop doing the stripping is one run by guys who use to ride and maintain bikes in the 60's and 70's.

I'll be watching this with interest.

Imwit · Postby **Imwit** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:48 pm

flash739 wrote: Anyway if anyone has can help me with connecting to Kenn, it would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... s&start=25

The last post in the thread has an email contact for Kenns son, Glenn.
I've tried it with no response but I was only looking for info.

Good luck. Let us know how you go.

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Mon May 19, 2014 11:08 pm

Imwit wrote:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... s&start=25

The last post in the thread has an email contact for Kenns son, Glenn.
I've tried it with no response but I was only looking for info.

Good luck. Let us know how you go.

Tried emailing a few weeks ago also, but also no response, so not sure if still an active email. Hoping someone in the Melbourne vintage scene will be able to help.

Good news for the night, have found my Campagnolo Decal, is a NOS unused, however 75USD so will have think overnight on it and try a bit more looking now I have a few more search words to find it. Budget on this is already hurting a lot. But feel its original or not at all.

norton75 · Postby **norton75** » Thu May 22, 2014 7:15 pm

I have a BATES bike with pretty good paint/graphics if you are down South Gippsland Phillip Island area give me a bell and you can photograph. PM for mob. No. I was riding it recently when a friend of mine said "I know Norm BATES" he took a photo and sent it to Norm. Don't know the outcome but there are still some BATES out there

Tinker · Postby **Tinker** » Thu May 22, 2014 7:29 pm

Here's a few pics of my mates Bates bike which I believe Ken Dickie did back in the day when this ride was new. Hope that helps a bit.

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Thu May 22, 2014 9:15 pm

Tinker wrote:Here's a few pics of my mates Bates bike which I believe Ken Dickie did back in the day when this ride was new. Hope that helps a bit.

Tinker, you are awesome. Bates frame with matching lugs to my bike (excluding forks) first I have seen like that. Key point of difference on your frame and mine is the seat stay, where you have a the red/black highlight. I looked at two Bates frames last night in Fitzroy where both seat stays were flattened as they run into the seat. So now have to ask....

Any chance you can flip that over and have a look for some serial numbers on the bottom bracket... I have R followed by two numbers that are either 50,60,58,68 . Last night the bike I saw, a Bates frame with "J Forbes" rider name that had R221. The other frame was on display but I will see if I can get it flipped over on Saturday when I head back.

Any chance you know a date on when that frame was made??

Also, cinelli Stem?? any chance you have a photo front on of the stem & bars. Im wondering if you have Mod Champione Del Mondo on the right cinelli logo?

Sorry for the questions, pretty happy to now have all parts of my bike confirmed as bates. Master6 confirmed my forks today, he has the same crowns type as my bike, and has owned since 65. Only outlier is why do I have inlaid black clubs/different paint scheme to everyone else.

Tinker · Postby **Tinker** » Thu May 22, 2014 9:29 pm

I believe this bike was made in the 60's. There was a story it has something to do with an Olympian but I'd take that with a grain of salt unless some defining proof was brought forward.

If you PM me your email addy I'll send you through all the images I have of the bike.

tedsbikes · Postby **tedsbikes** » Fri May 23, 2014 3:32 pm

flash739

I have contacted Kenn Dickie and he says he would like to look at the bike first.

Please PM me so I can pass on his contact details.

Ted

Clydesdale Scot · Postby **Clydesdale Scot** » Tue May 27, 2014 8:25 am

close enough?

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Wed May 28, 2014 11:22 am

Clydesdale Scot wrote:

close enough?

Clydesdale Scott, thanks for the post. Appreciated.

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:10 pm

It has been a while, but restoration is not a one day event. Will be posting some pictures shortly of the frame which has completed the chroming process today. Lugs have been polished and the tubes prepped ready for the next painting stage.

Exciting information is that the bikes exact serial number has come to light during the chroming process. This frame is R39, and there was a matching serial stamp concealed on the fork inside the head tube.
Anyway pictures coming shortly,

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 12:25 am

The restoration on this has taken longer than expected, but almost there...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kXXNv0 ... sp=sharing

Imwit · Postby **Imwit** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:32 pm

Looks pretty sensational. Who did you end up getting to do the line work?

MichaelB · Postby **MichaelB** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:56 am

Imwit wrote:Looks pretty sensational. Who did you end up getting to do the line work?

Understatement - looks brilliant

nemo57 · Postby **nemo57** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 3:25 pm

That looks like Mr Dickie's work. Lovely! More pix please!

singlespeedscott · Postby **singlespeedscott** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:54 pm

Looks sensational. +1 on more piccies

Imwit · Postby **Imwit** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:29 pm

singlespeedscott wrote:Looks sensational. +1 on more piccies

And if you have the time, would love to hear some stories of the bike and restoration etc.

flash739 · Postby **flash739** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:21 pm

After two hours I can finally post images properly again

more to come.

To answer a question from above, yes that is Ken Dickies amazing paintwork. It was likely this was the second time Ken had painted this bike, after found he had the original stencils for when he worked at Bates. More to come... just trying to recover the restoration photos, ill feed them in from the start to where I am at now.