Cooper brazing a frame on 27 October 2006. Photo by Flickr user hairyeggg.

Ron Cooper (1932 – 12 December 2012)[1] was a noted[2] British "master" bicycle frame builder.

Cooper began building frames when he was 15,[3] starting in 1947[4] when he began a full apprenticeship at A.S. Gillott Cycles, London, England.[5] He learned his craft from frame builders in England, most notably Jim Collier and Bill Philbrook.[5] He was a racing cyclist selected for the national team, the R.A.F., the Brighton-Glasgow and the London Centre in the 1952 Tour of Britain (Milk Race), before an accident forced him to retire from competition.[6]

In 1967, Cooper left A.S. Gillott to build frames under his own name, and by 1970 set up a small shop in Honor Oak Park, South East London.[7] Cooper then worked in Dartford, approx 18 km (11 miles) from his old shop in Honor Oak Park as sole fabricator, making bespoke[7] steel frames using the traditional method of free hand brazing rather than jigs, in order to avoid stresses to be built into the frame,[8] which calls for careful mitering and took about two days to make.[6] Some reviews claim Cooper's frame builds provide more stability, neutrality of handling, and responsiveness.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ron Cooper – RIP
  2. ↑ Turner, Lane (10 July 2006). "Frame Jobs". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  3. ↑ Thurston, Jack (July 2010). "Ron Cooper". Rouleur. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "A.S. Gilliot. A Brief History". Veloworks. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Ron Cooper on Ron Cooper". The Bike Show. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  6. 1 2 St Pierre, Roger (31 October 1964). "Trade with a Future". Cycling Magazine. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Opening Up on the Cooper Account". Cycling Magazine. 7 November 1970. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  8. ↑ McFadden, Jim (November 1979). "From England, with Love". Competitive Cyclist. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  9. ↑ Clements, Wallace (February 1976). "Road Tests Two from England. Ron Cooper & Bob Jackson". Bicycling!. Retrieved 10 January 2011.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.