W.B. Hurlow
British frame builder who worked for Condor, Paris, Mal Rees, Grubb, Claud Butler, and also on his own. The Editor received the following email from John Hunt:
One of Bill Hurlow's personal time-trial cycles, and the only ornate-lugged frame he owned at the time of his death at Canterbury in 2010, is featured below; his son, Colin Hurlow, who lives in the USA, provides the following information: bicycle frame 233 was made by my father in the early 1960s at Herne Bay, Kent. His initials "W.B.H." are cut into the lugs. About twelve of these frames with the fancy initials lugs were made. Frame 233 was the one my father kept for himself. As the frame became quite old, the original finish was restored by an expert during the time my father owned it. My father planned to build the frame up again for riding, but age and illness didn't allow. I acquired frame 233 from my father's property when he passed away in February 2010. This is perhaps the best one he ever built. [Fotos below courtesy of the present owner.]
Below, W.B. Hurlow special order. It was ordered in November 1968 and delivered in August 1969. It was originally made for a dentist who, in high school and college, was a track racer in the Washington DC area in the mid 1930s and early 1940s. He and a lifelong friend, Bill Vetter, were cycle enthusiasts together. [The current owner believes] that Bill Vetter was acquainted with William Hurlow and acted as the mediator with regard to obtaining the bicycle. He himself owned bicycles made by Hurlow. Bill Vetter was well known in cycling circles for many years. He was an original member of the International Bicycle Touring Society along with Dr. Clifford Graves, Fred DeLong, and Captain Dan Henry. Bill Vetter also made some bicycle frames himself under his own name.
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The Editor received the following: [below] are some photos of W.B. Hurlow's last bicycle, which he rode until his death a few years ago. [The present owner] acquired it from his son. It came with a letter of provenance signed by his son [Colin Hurlow] which reads, in part: "Bicycle frame 1782 was made by my father in 1978 at Herne Bay, Kent. This "Italia" model frame was my father's personal bicycle. He rode it until his passing in 2010. He used it while cycling in the UK and he rode it in the USA on his trips to California. The finish on the frame is original and the parts on it are those my father chose and installed."
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