Bill Bailey was 4 time world amateur sprint champion in the years immediately before the Great War. Through the 1920s he rode as a track professional, then when he retired he became coach to the GB team and also was taken on by Saxon Cycles as their chief engineer. His influence is clearly seen on this Saxon Bailey track bike. Its upright geometry and shallow fork rake gave sharp, nervy handling.
Frame: Saxon. Unspecified tube set. Saxon lugs.
Wheels: BSA hubs, ‘Continental’ 27″ cane rims
Transmission: BSA pedals, chainset, b/b. Inch pitch block chain.
Saddle: Brooks Sprinter, steel pin.
Steering: Unbranded steel bars, unbranded steel ‘Major Taylor’ adjustable stem.
Brake (when fitted). BSA
Frame restoration: JGB (repairs). Argos.
Wheel building: Mick Madgett, Diss.
Frame purchased on eBay, hiding under a rattle-can spray job – under which we found ‘Fred James’ decals. We were then advised it had been restored by Fred James may moons ago and that in it’s racing days it had been ridden to a 1-02 ’25’ TT. The V-CC ME helped us verify it was indeed a Saxon Bailey just as we had been looking for, so a good example of the bike used by Stuart Bedingfield for time trials in the late 1930s. (25m pb 1:06:00)
Rides: EGCC ‘Ten’ (as part of 3-up team); Lee Valley track. V-CC ‘Saxon’ rides. YouTube clip (Herne Hill March 2017):