Alan 'Pongo' Braithwaite - TT Master
Built by Alan 'Pongo' Braithwaite in the 1970s. This was an ex-race bike, ridden to many victories by a Lincolnshire time trial champion. The photos should speak for themselves, but this really does have to be seen in the flesh and handled to appreciate the genius of Alan Braithwaite, and more significantly to feel the weight of this baby!
This master framebuilder really was one of a kind. Hailing from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, he was a true master in building fast, aggressive time trial machines, built with one thing in mind; to go fast and win.
The design and colourway of this frame is actually quite simple, but the attention to detail is immense. With custom drilled lugs, dropouts, and even a perfectly drilled steerer tube. The paint is also very impressive, with an amazing fade that's happened over the years, plus the white lug lining & filling is stunning. As you can see, the frame is very aggressive with particularly straight forks with little rake, typical of a Pongo build, making it the ultimate time trial machine. It would make an equally impressive fixed gear/track build. The front fork is drilled to take a brake but the rear is not drilled.
As you may have guessed, we really do love this frame. For us it's the ultimate display of post 1960s British frame building, with a simpler approach to design, but ultimate dedication to pushing the boundaries of competitive frame building, to give the pro racers that extra edge.
A very rare beast, and in our eyes, much more unique than some of the more extravagant machines from over the pond that demand much higher price tags. Admittedly this is not a cheap frame, but it genuinely is one of a kind.
See the full spec & photos here.
This astonishing machine is now available to buy here as frame & fork only.
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