HOLDSWORTH home

Updated 2.4.2008

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Holdsworth was a name to be known, founded in the 1930s by W.F. "Sandy" Holdsworth in Kent, it expanded to a multi-shop enterprise. By 1960's & 70's, the main stores and factory were in London. Holdsworth bought the Claud Butler brand name in 1958 after Claud Butler had gone bust. They bought the Freddie Grubb name around 1952 after Grubb had died and then the business went bust. The Macleans name was bought around 1963.

The Holdsworthy empire was bought up in the middle/late 80s by the same group that owned Falcon and they became part of the big Townsend group of which the only survivor is now Falcon with the Claud Butler brand name. The Putney shop W F Holdsworth has had nothing to do with the original company for many, many years and their frames were branded Roy Thame. These have not been built for at least 15 years.

In the 1970s The British Pro team, co-sponsored by Campagnolo & Holdsworth, was dominant on the domestic UK front...and the company was a prime agent for many important brands, both as retailer and wholesaler.
Thanks for additional info from Hilary Stone

W.F. "Sandy" Holdsworth

Catalog sheets for La Quelda
and Zephyr models

A great dedicated web site by Norman Kilgariff Here

Advertisement for "La Quelda" model, which was launched in 1936 and Doug Smith's actual bike.

Michael Lebrón's 1971 Pro bicycle.
"Stopped in a shop on Battersea Rise in South London to buy a bike for my 2,300 mile ride through the U.K., Ireland, Belgium and France. My eyes popped out over the orange and blue bikes on the rack in the front window, and popped even more when I saw the price, so I settled for the silver and blue Holdsworth Record, which rode beautifully for the entire trip.

That was in September of '75, and that has been my one and only bike and dearest companion until recently, when I said to myself, 'time to go back and get the orange and blue one" Michael Lebron

Left: Roy Thame, in front of the London shop in the mid 1970s.
Right: 1972 team member Gary Crewe at speed on the cover of International Cycle Sport...

Darlene Pitman's bike
" .....we bought (the Holdsworth) in 1984 when my wife was
still my girlfriend :). Many of the Zeus 2001 parts that were originally on the Cuevas (crank, bb, brakes, hubs) found their way on to the Holdsworth. Recently, I suggested we restore it with all Campy parts. Man, I won't do that again. She has a serious sentimental attachment to the bike AS IS. But maybe I can talk her into replacing those Shimano shifters." Greg Pitman