Blakey has been sending me updates on the progress of this restorative journey since he procured the frame back in 2007. The Hetchins was acquired thanks to a chance encounter in a Fremantle bike shop. The stars were aligning.
Blakey has put his own spin on the project, some details had to be foregone due to the original condition and numerous facelifts the frame has gone through.
Rather than wax lyrical, here's the story from the horses mouth.
Andy,
Some background on the Hetchins. As received.
The technical term used to describe it's former state is TURD.
Here's the unabridged version of how it fell into his lap / his thoughts on it.
After spending a week in sunny, windy Perth, on my last day I stumbled upon a bike shop in Fremantle with an Abbotsford vibe. While chatting with the staff an old bloke on a carbon Merckx came in wanting to know if the shop would be interested in purchasing a Hetchins. My ears pricked up, especially after the guy wasn't overly keen to buy at the time. It was apparently a track frame that was converted by the previous owner for timetrialling, so it had road dropouts, bottle cage mounts, shifter mount etc brazed on. The current owner had planned to restore it, but ran out of time (did I mention he's 83?).
I went to have a look and saw this as he opened the garage. With the exception of the clunker in the middle, it was all class.
I was running short of time before my flight home, but considering it was my size and I didn't know when I'd next get an opportunity like this I bought it and high-tailed it to the airport, getting stuck in Red Bull Air Race traffic. Had to change my flight and buy a Qantas bike box (~$17, very big, nice and sturdy), but managed to pack it up and get it home safely.
~1946-1951 Hetchins Super Special frame, probably Reynolds 531, vibrant/curly stays, twin plate fork crown with round blades. Not as ornate as the Magnum Opus, but still nice.
Belled head lugs with internal races (Only 50 years ahead of its time!), rear track ends (with serial number) replaced with semi-horizontal dropouts, bidon mount/shifter mount added. Given the light mount on the rear seat stay, this may have been a club racer instead of a pure track machine.
Quick parts wrapup: (Purists look away)
Dura-Ace cranks/rings, heavy strap wear
Huret front derailleur
3TTT fluted seatpost
French (spidel?) headset, not sure how the cups work with the belled lugs, will have to investigate Campy Record hubs, 5sp freewheel, Mavic clincher rims
Suntour Cyclone 7000 rear derailleur
Suntour symmetric 'aero' shifters, auto trimming (entire assembly moves as you adjust rear cogs, moving the front derailleur to avoid chain rub). This dates the frame conversion at ~1983.
Turbo saddle
CLB brakes with flint catchers
Cinelli bars/stem
Campy quill pedals with dustcaps
Given the unique shifter mount, the symmetric shifters will have to stay, unless I go with retro-friction bar-cons and a clamp on cable stop. Not overly keen on the derailleurs or brake levers, any suggestions on what to build it up with? The frame is crying out for a proper repaint with decals and box lining / pin striping, but for now it will only get a cut and polish and an internal rust proofing.
Blakey got the frame refinished in Gios blue by Joe Cosgrove of Cycleart (painter for Llewellyn). White panelling (House of Kolor), and Joe redid the enamel in the headbadge by hand along with the lug lining. Decals by SSS Ink after two sets of H Lloyd ones went hazy under clear. Talk about a frustrating and bumpy restoration road.
Once committed to this line of paint, the 'good' condition parts which had been slowly acquired would no longer suit. It had to be NOS or as close to as possible.
The lug pattern is probably a 1946-1951 Super Special based on belled headtube lugs and double plate fork crown.
I decided not to chase 50's parts as the frame had undergone some hatchet mods (track ends (Serial#) --> road ends, bidon mount, steerer chopped, suntour symmetric boss) and horrible powdercoat to set it up for TTs in the 80s, so I went with some of the best functioning parts available at the time.
Good things come to those who wait / hang out on ebay for long enough.
The groupset is complete NOS Superbe acquired from Italy (tipoff from FOA), apart from the headset (belled lugs and chopped steerer mean no external clamp OG headset and won't take a modern one properly.)
The Rivendell ratchet shifters required braze on mounts which were added by Joe Cosgrove. The stem was pilfered from Erle's Michalo. Bottom bracket had to be a Campy cartridge as the shell had width and threading issues. The original Superbe Headset / BB / band on shifters all safely packed away.
The steerer was chopped down and made using the Suntour headset impossible, so it's stuck with the weight weenie Hinault model Stronglight.
Rims are Sun M13II which are the closest new item that is a shallow, eyeletted, polished box section, (H+SON weren't out at the time) without paying NOS Mavic money. I haven't gotten around to removing one of the rim stickers. Rubber is Grand Bois Cerf 26mm gumwalls.
Wheels and frame assembled by Commuter Cycles. Completed Feb 2011, bit over 3 years after I first acquired it.
