FALCON ROAD BICYCLES - INTRODUCTION

A few Falcon road bicycles, entry to mid-level, have found their way into The Old Shed over the years.  To me, there is something mystical about the bicycle even though I have never found one with a ride quality that I appreciate.  That statement is not meant to be a reflection on the bicycle.  Keep in mind, I did not appreciate the ride quality of either this gorgeous early eighties Basso Gap or this 1958 Carlton Flyer.

No one Falcon struck me as something out of the ordinary, and that is saying a bit since most of the bicycles I compare rides to are pretty much top of the line or special issue machines.  Additionally and as mentioned, most of the Falcons I have been lucky enough to come across and ride have been close to entry level steeds.

The Falcon bicycle came into being in the 1930's.  Built in Coventry, England the bicycle was first known as the Coventry Eagle.  During the fifties and sixties, under the leadership of Ernie Clements an accomplished racer of the day, the Falcon bicycle came into its own.  In the early sixties, Clements introduced the Falcon San Remo, a top of the line, no holds bared quality bicycle.  The San Remo was to be both a performer and a looker.  In Clements own words, the top Falcon dog was both "exciting to ride and to look at".  I agree with the appearance statement and hope to one day to see if Ernie was right about the ride quality of that truly beautiful old road bicycle.  But I guess that I will have to find a "San Remo" to achieve that goal.

The San Remo flagship of the sixties and seventies line offered credibility to other, lesser Falcon bicycles.  Falcons became know as quality bicycles, usually made of Reynolds tubing and more often than not fitted with forged drops.  Even the entry lever Falcon Black Diamond was a pretty nice bike, though one that could hardly be considered sophisticated and it was the only Falcon encountered to date that was not Reynolds 531 based.

Of the half dozen, or so, Falcons that have found their way to The Old Shed, only a couple were really tempting to keep.  The first, a seventies something mid-level ride that I decided to convert to Single Speed design.  That bike, an early example of a mid level offering was, to say the least, a nice bicycle "as found" but nothing compared to the one featured here that almost attained "Keeper" status in my small collection of nice old road bicycles.

NEXT - FINDING THE FALCONS