Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi All ,

I've got a Lennie Rogers bike . I can't post pics yet 'cause 8 out of 8 camera batteries are flat .

I'm curious about the lettering on the top tube and thought some of the Sydney folk might have some answers .

The bike has Nervex lugs and Campagnolo fork ends . Also it has round section fork blades with double plated fork crown . It's a five speed with Suntour shifter and deraileur and Austral cranks with a single chain wheel . Normandy hubs and Fiamme rims , Wienmann centerpull brakes .

That might sound like a dogs breakfast of parts but that's the way it came to me and I think that is possibly how it was ordered . It's been suggested to me that I should replace everything with period fancy pants Italian parts but I reckon thats a BS idea .

Anyone know anything about Austral cranks ?

The main point is . The Lettering on the top tube is - ''David Willmer D H A C C '' .

I'm a new comer to this stuff so I looked through the postcodes for a suburb starting with DH (assuming ACC stood for amateur cycling club ) . That led me to Dulwich Hill in Sydney . I now know that there is a DHBC .

Is anybody in Sydney able to confirm that the two clubs are one and the same ? Or am I on the wrong path ? Anyone heard of David Willmer ?

I look forward to posting some pics even though the wheels are off at the moment awaiting a respoke . BTW the bike is green with gold lettering .

Jon

Get in touch with Mikesbytes, he may be able to help

Hi Jon,

What year do you think the bike was made? i.e. following on your idea when would David Willmer have had it made?

Mark

Kidcarbine would be able to tell you more regarding Lennie Rogers bikes.
I have one here and it is gold with green writing.

Jim Bundy made most of Lennies bikes and mine also has a mix of components. Some bits are Campag, the rest I cannot recall, I would have to check.

It was quite common to use a mix of brands so I would leave what is on there.



Karen.

I managed to crank up the camera . Hope that you enjoy the pics .






Also , I reckon i need a therapist because I found the following link exciting .

Jonhttp://platedforkcrown.blogspot.com/

Lovely lugs, looks like quite a tall frame.He must have been a lanky fella that "David Willmet".

He's David Willmer . I double checked .

JB

I currently have two Lennie Rogers, one is a bike & the other is a frameset.
Lennie seems to have opened the shop in Aurburn in about the mid or even early 1960's. He utilised the services of two frame builders I believe, of which Jim Bundy was one.

My 1972 bike was custom built for my stepfather when he retired. He went to see Lennie [who'se real name seems to have been Laurence] as the two had been personal friends & fellow members of the Penrith Cycle Club during the 1930's & 40's

Lennie & his son Laurie ran the shop & seemed to have a preference for some of the exotic components of the day as this is what was stocked on their shelves.

Groupo's or groupsets were pretty much unheard of back then so one could select from such things as Italian 'Universal' brakes, French 'Stronglight' cranks, Spanish 'Zeus' headsets, English 'GB' handlebars & of course the famous Campagnolo range of components, & this is what was on my bike when it was new. [It's all Campy now]
Before anybody gets excited, the conversion to exclusively Campagnolo components was aided & abeted by Jim Bundy & Laurie Rogers back in 1982 & was in accord with what my stepfather had originally wanted but couldn't afford in '72.

That your bike has a strange mix of parts is not really strange at all.
I would suggest that your bike is earlier than mine.
These Lennie Rogers bikes are not at all common& of the half dozen or so examples that I know of so far, all but one seem to be custom built, high quality products.

Do your research on the age & quality level of the components & be proud of such a fine bike. It's a Sydney icon.

Thanks KC ,

I was thinking it's from the very late 60's/ early 70's . The derailleur is a Suntour V and I reckon that would be a pretty good indicator of the bikes age . The only things I've changed on the bike are the Diacompe brake cable hangers . The original Wienmann ones were rusty as but I've kept them .

One thing that I find interesting is that it's a 5 speed . After ordering what would probably have been quite a pricey bike , David Willmer opted for only 5 gears . I guess in those days a 10 speed wasn't a given . Anyway , to me it only adds to the character of the machine . It should be properly assembled soon and going . It's near the top of the ''must do'' list .

Jon

Looks like a quick wash and polish and some TLC will see it scrub up quite well.

Can you get any history on the rider ?

Hi ,

Thanks for your input everyone . Michael , I've given the bike as much polishing as it will take without removing any traces of it's old transfers . It's just that the paint hasn't aged too well . God knows what it's been through in the last 40- 50 years .

I love the bikes on the link below (thanks to an earlier thread ) . The French bloke knows to leave em alone , just give them a tidy up and oh , what a beautiful collection he has .

I'll get in touch with the DHBC and ask if they have a record of the mysterious , lanky David Willmer .

Jon
http://velosvintage.ultim-blog.com/

Just wanted to share some pictures of the Lennie Rogers frame I got last year. I thought it had English origins until I saw this thread. (I am in Melbourne, with next to no knowledge of Sydney bikes!!.....my excuse)
It was an incomplete bike with Campagnolo components, but missing wheels, seat post, seat, h/bars, and pretty grotty.
The date on the rear derailleur indicates it was a circa 1974 frame. It does have a name on the top tube.
Frame no. and fork no. match. It is a quality frame of 531 with BCM lugs and Campagnolo fork ends.













cycles gitane

cycles gitane wrote:






cycles gitane

Wow, thats the first time I have actually seen a frame with Campagnolo Racing ends instead of the standard 1010 Record ends.

Hi everyone,

I am brand new here - found the forum by googling "Lennie Rogers". I bought mine in the late 70's from a Sydney professional. (I've forgotten his name, sadly, but he lived in Auburn, not far from the Lennie Rogers shop). I don't know how old it was, but I think it was probably about 6-10 years old at the time, making it late 60's or early 70's. I rode it until 1983 when I hung it up in the workshop and did not ride it for the next 26 years.

I have just finished getting it going again and it is still the beautiful bike it was back then. The frame is 531, as I imagine most of these were, although I don't see any Campag stampings on the dropouts. It has a mixture of components - Weinmann rims and brakes, Cinelli stem and bar, Zeus headset, Campag Record hubs and derailleurs and Suntour cranks.

The clsuter had clagged up over time and had to be replaced, along with the chain. Both derailleurs were pretty worn and difficult to shift, so I have replaced them with period components, only I think my rear derailleur might be 80s rather than 70s. When I get the pics up somebody might be able to tell me. New singles went on and that's about it. I have put on Shimano 530 pedals which are a huge improvement over the toe clips, but of course they are not in keeping with the period. Oh well, I still have the originals ...

I will get some pictures and post them when I get a chance.

Shaun

Shauno, welcome look forward to seeing pics.

Karen.

HI all,

just bought a new frame from eBay! Received in the mail- am very pleased.. Campag ends and included Campag seatpost. No dents.. looks very nice. Maybe too nice...

As you can see from photos, name on the top bar is 'Jeff Rice' - did a bit of brief research and he is an older rider from Sydney. Makes sense because the frame is also from Sydney.

It looks as tho the frame has had a repaint, but I'm not sure. Can anyone with any Lennie knowledge have a look at the photos? Does the paint look original? The only reason I think it may be is because of the Lennie Rogers decal.

Also, not sure what the steel is.. but the ends suggest something pretty good?

Any help would be very much appreciated. Will be my first build, so I'd like to know as much as I can.

I was goiung to post photos, but am a new member. However, they are on flickr.. just do a search for mr.pack13 's photostream.

Don't bother ringing the number.

Hello Jon,

On Friday evening I read with excitement your post, and the thread that
followed, concerning the Lennie Rogers bike frame you own. My son came
across your post and without giving me any clue about the content, he told
me to look it up. I am David Willmer and the frame was built for me in
1971 or 1972. I purchased it from Lennie Rogers as a frame only and then
assembled the bike from components that I could afford. I was sixteen at
the time.

I had been out of the Sydney cycling scene for a long time but in the last
year started riding again with my son-in-law. I bought the bits, to
restore another old bike to riding condition, from the son of one of the
possible builders of the frame you have. Peter Bundy is the son of Jim
Bundy. (Peter is an Australian champion cyclist.) Peter operates a bike
shop called "Peter Bundy Cycles" at Riverwood in Sydney NSW. I spoke to
Peter on Saturday and he said his father, Jim, or another famous frame
builder, Fred Cobcroft built frames for Lennie Rogers in that era. Peter
said if he saw the frame he could tell you whether the frame was built by
his father or not. Apparently, these old steel frames are fetching a
good price on the international market, certainly much more than the
$100 (1972 value) or so I paid for it.

Your investigation about the cycling club I raced with is accurate.
Although, I must apologise for the inaccuracy of the inscription on the
top tube of the frame. The club I was with is the "Dulwich Hill Bicycle
Club" but other clubs were entitled "Amateur Cycling Club" and
'DHACC' was used on the frame instead of the correct 'DHBC'. The only
entry of any note that would be found in the club records is that I won
the Juvenile Road Racing Championship in 1971 (but not on the Lennie
Rogers bike). At open competitions I was privileged to ride in the
slip-stream of cyclists that are famous - Gary Sutton (Commonwealth
Champion 1978) and Kevin Nichols (Commonwealth Champion 1978 and Olympic
Champion 1984), among others.

When I sold the Lennie Rogers bike to a friend in 1975 or 1976, it was
configured as my training bike with a light generator in the front hub, a
head light and tail light and light weight mud guards. My friend bought
it to commute and used it for some time before selling it to someone else
that we both knew. That was the last knowledge I had of the ownership of the
bike, until seeing your post.

So, thank you for reviving the excitement for me in the 'old' bike and I
trust you get great enjoyment from restoring and riding it!!

DaviDRW wrote:I am David Willmer and the frame was built for me in
1971 or 1972. I purchased it from Lennie Rogers as a frame only and then
assembled the bike from components that I could afford. I was sixteen at
the time.

Coolest post ever. Welcome back to the cycling fold Mr Willmer.

Wow, I am jealous, to post a pic of a bike and have the original owner turn up on the forum is great! Welcome David and I hope you stick around. I am sure you have many stories you can tell. Its a shame you werent here a few days ago as a number of us met up at Homebush and there were some riders who raced around the same time as you. Several old bikes were there as well.

So yes, you HAVE to stick around now so you know when we all catch up next.

Karen.

Hi David ,

Great to hear from you and to learn some more about the bike . It's a little weird because I now feel like I'm not the rightful owner . I bought the bike from an old chap in Nagambie , Victoria . He bought it at a garage sale but could no longer ride it .

It reinforces my thoughts on restoration too . My rule of thumb is to only repaint if the original paint is almost completely stuffed or painted over . As they say , it's easy to restore something but impossible to unrestore .

I wasn't intending to dispose of the bike but if I ever do , would like you to have first option on it . If you wish you can PM me with a contact number or email address and I'll keep it with the bike .

Due to many factors the bike is still as it was when I posted the photos . Now I'll make a concerted effort and hopefully have it together in a week or two .

Cheers ,
Jon

drubie wrote:
Coolest post ever.

+1

Owning a nice retro bike is cool...

Knowing its history and speaking with the owner - that's a real BUZZ!

Congratulations Jon,
welcome to the forum David.

Hello All, thank you for welcoming me to the forum.

Karen, thank you for the invitation to catch up with the group in Sydney, I would like to try and make it along next time you get together.

Jon, there is no dispute from me that you are now the rightful owner of the bike! Thanks for your kind offer of letting me know if you ever think of selling the bike. I will PM my details to you.

Regards,
David

What a cool turn of events! This forum is better than Can We Help!