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55.5cm Hetchins Italia c.1975 Vintage British Steel Road Bike Frame Set
£595.00
✓ Original vintage frame - built in the 1970s
✓ Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica
✓ Thoroughly checked over & photographed in detail
✓ Worldwide shipping
Perhaps one of the best-known of all British classic lightweight builders, Hetchins constructed their instantly recognised, elaborately lugged frames for over 60 years. Hyman Hetchins had a gramophone and cycle accessories shop in Tottenham in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, he was producing frames bearing the shop’s name. At this point, a partnership with one of his frame-builders, Jack Denny, was started, and a patent for vibrant rear stays was applied for. The curved shape of the rear stays was said to improve comfort on Britain’s rough roads; it also had the benefit of being easily distinguishable as a Hetchins-built frame, even from a distance. As well as the vibrant (or curly) rear end, Hetchins offered a huge range of frames, often with highly ornamental, heavily modified lugs, all with the option to further customise the final frame. The brand received further coverage with a successful export business into the burgeoning US market, where they are now highly collectible.
Though lacking the ornate lugs or shaped stays that other Hetchins sport, the Italia was a very finely made road frame designed to compete with the best Italian builders of the time. There were two versions of the Italia produced, with some made by a contractor in Italy from Columbus tubes, but the majority made in the Hetchins workshop from Reynolds 531. Built with shaped and filed Prugnat lugs and lightweight tubes, the frames normally featured the Italianate-style seat stay/seat tube junction and a more continental-style fork crown rather than Hetchins' twin-plate design. Like all hand-built, custom-order frames coming out of the Hetchins workshop, though, anything was possible, and there are many small variations and special features even on this supposedly simple frame.
This mid-1970s model Italia was probably built just after the shop moved to Southend, though it still sports the Tottenham address on the decals. Though less showy than some of the intricately lugged frames that were coming out of the workshop at the time, this frame still features carefully cut Prugnat lugs and a fork crown. This is a made-in-the-UK Reynolds 531 version of the Italia, which we believe still has its original paint and decals. Likely designed as a winter or training bike, the frame set has mudguard braze-ons and rear brake routing designed for a centre-pull brake.
If you're taking part in L'Eroica or a similar vintage event, this frame is of the correct age, so you won't be disqualified for being a rule breaker!
The frame's been carefully checked by one of our mechanics to confirm the alignment's correct and there's no damage to the threads. If there are any minor issues worth noting we will do so in the overview section below. Please take a good look at the detailed photos so you can see the cosmetic condition of the frame before you buy.OVERVIEW
Era - 1970s
Country - British
Frame Material - Steel
Tubing - Reynolds 531
Weight - 2.75 kg
Stock Code - U-F-R103V
SIZING
Size Guide* - Medium (Approx 32 1/2" Inside Leg)
Seat Tube (ctc) - 55.5 cm
Top Tube (ctc) - 56 cm
Head Tube - 137 mm
Chainstay Length - 42 cm
Wheelbase - 99.5 cm
*This is just a guide, not a guarantee the frame will fit as every rider is different. If you're unsure of your size we'd always recommend trying out a bike with similar frame dimensions first.
TECHNICAL INFO
Rear Spacing - 121 mm
Front Spacing - 100 mm
Seatpost Diameter - 27.2 mm
Wheel Size - 700c/28"
Brake Fixing - External Hex Nut
Front Brake Drop - 56 mm
Rear Brake Drop - 49 mm
Bottom Bracket Thread - English/British/ISO Thread
Headset Thread - Standard ISO (24 TPI - British/Italian)
Headset Stack Height - 32 mm
Fork Crown Race - 26.5 mm
Shifter Fittings - Downtube Band-On
Headtube Internal Diameter - 30.2 mm
Steerer Internal Diameter - 22.2 mm (Standard)
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▼SHIPPING, TAXES & RETURNS
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We've been safely sending orders around the world since 2010. There's a handy shipping calculator on the shopping cart page so you can see the cost of postage as soon as you've added it to your basket. Your order will be carefully packed and sent with tracking & insurance, we despatch most orders within 2-3 days but larger items and orders placed before the weekend can take an extra day or two to process.
We accept returns, please notify us within 14 days and ensure the item arrives back with us no later than 30 days after the order was received.
We don't charge VAT, however, if buying from outside of the UK please remember that there may be import fees to pay directly to the delivery company before receiving the order. Unfortunately we can’t advise on the exact costs as it varies from country to country, so please check your national rates before purchasing.
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▼HELP SECTION
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Seat Tube (ctc) - we measure from the centre of the bottom bracket shell up to the centre line of the top tube to give a consistent measurement regardless of frame design (ctc means centre to centre).
Top Tube (ctc) - this is measured from the centre of the head tube to the centre of the seat tube, along the centre of the top tube.
Chainstay Length - measured from the centre of the bottom bracket shell to the centre point of the rear dropout.
Wheelbase - measured from the centre of the front fork dropout to the centre point of the rear dropout.
Front & Rear Spacing - measured from the inside of one dropout to the other. The dropouts on steel frames can be stretched or squeezed a few mm but it's always best to avoid this if possible, aluminium or carbon frames should never be stretched.
Brake Drop - measured using wheels of the relevant size for the frame, as stated in the technical info section.
Headset Threads - although it's generally recommended to match threaded parts exactly, with headsets you can technically mix and match, unless you have French or the obscure old Raleigh threads, in which case you need to stick to that type.