Rare Track Frames

Track frames I built are quite rare; this Fuso was built for the Shaw’s Cycles Team I co-sponsored in the late 1980s. The frame still has the original paint in the black and yellow Shaw’s team colors. There were only eight of these frames built for the team.

The bike’s current owner, Sean Plaice, emailed me the link to pictures he posted on Velo Space. He bought the frame on eBay last year. Sean's comment "The bike is amazing, I ride it
everyday."

Sean also sent me pictures of another ‘dave moulton’ track frame. There were only three custom track frames that I built in California and this is not one of them. However I do recognize my own work and this is one that I built while working for Paris Sport in Ridgefield Park, NJ.

The straight front fork is definitely not the original, and the frame has been repainted with a mish-mash of various decals. The bike would have originally had Paris Sport decals, and these frames are also quite rare. I don’t have exact records of how many I built but a rough guess would be about five or six.

Why are these track frames so rare? They were all built to order, for people who raced them on a banked Velodrome, and there are not many cities in the US that have such a facility; consequently not many were ordered.

Now with the current fixed-gear popularity, they are in demand to ride on the streets. Should you come across one of these I can assure you it is a rare find; I estimate a total from all sources about 17 in the US. My records show there were another 16 built in England between 1974 and 1978.

Comments

[Swami]

Thank you for that. Yes, amongst the growing sub-culture of brakeless track bikes for the street, the more over the top rare a frame is the better. (Of course, that entails the frame rides well to begin with) The fact that only a few of those frames were made= street cred for the rider. Strange system. Rare track bikes are worth their weight in gold.

I also enjoy the fact that you can recognize your work, even from 25 years ago...

[Anonymous]

Hello. I believe Shaw has at least one other track frame

[Hiram]

Hello all! The Dave Moulton Track bike belongs to my self.

Yes I did switch out the fork because along w/ riding on the track, I often ride it on the street and wanted a front brake for safety. The original fork is gorgeous and I wanted to preserve Dave's beautiful craftsmanship.

I was unaware that the frame was repainted. The pictures I have don't show how nice the new paint job.

The bike was acquired from Larry Hoffman, the former owner of "The Pedal Shop" in North Hollywood. Looking under the the bottom bracket shell I see "N 91 1" stamped underneath, so it appears to have been crafted November 1991.

I'll send more pictures, and maybe Dave could tell us what the original color was.

Jay Hiram

[Joel Druckman]

I believe that that track bike was made while Dave was in California. I ought to know because he buil it for me. When I quit racing the track, I sold the bike to Larry Hoffman at the pedal shop....
The origional color was silver grey and measured 51.5cm...I raced on that frame for several years before I sold it.
It was trly a great frame. I still have a Moulton road bike with exceptional lug work and beautiful fork crowns. Dave had the cable guides inside the top tube.
He was a true craftsman.

[Nick Delia]

Hey Dave.....just wanted to let you know you built a total of three track bikes for me, one I sold, one I traded back to you and the third I still have....Thanks

[John]

I have a Shaw's track frame I am looking to pass on to a Moulton lover; let me know if you are interested. My family acquired this bike while completing a triathlon in San Jose, CA in 1999. It has seen good mileage and is the smoothest ride I have ridden. Needless to say, once I discovered its history, it makes sense to pass it on to a loyal Fuso aficionado.