Teesdale made Kona Hot. Non round downtube.

[Grant]

 

[MattiThundrrr]

That is a cool bike, really interesting past, with the Teesdale history. Post 3 in this thread lays it all out:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/ok-tell-me-about-the-kona-hot.32150/

 

[rickpaulos]

I'll add a bit.

I used to work with Tom Teesdale. Tom started building frames in his dad's barn near Macolm Illinois. I was working at a bike shop in Davenport Iowa. A shop manager was a college buddy of Tom's and convinced him to relocate to the back building at the bike shop. I was working there assembling bikes and doing repairs. Tom was only doing custom builds and paint * in Davenport. I would assemble his frames into bikes for the customers. At the end of his time in Davenport, he was building more tandems. The shop sold and relocated in about 1981. Tom wasn't included in the deal so Tom moved to West Branch Iowa (not Indiana) and expanded his operation. To keep busy, he started his own line of stock frames titled "Woody" named after his dog. Tom did a lot of design, prototypes and initial builds of new models for a couple dozen bike companies. One of his early contracts was with Gary Fisher bikes. GF would send large crates of pre cut and mitered tube sets. Tom would do the brazing and paint. It was a good deal because it reduced the shipping. He hired apprentices (Frank, Dean, etc). Tom's wife Cathy (one of my high school class mates) did some of the painting. Tom was one of few builders who could provide painted frames with a pretty quick turnaround. I don't know if he ever came up with a complete list of his bike company customers. There was a partial list on his website which is gone now. Perhaps that can be found on the waybackmachine. The best indicator of a Teesdale built frame is his initials stamped on the bb near the serial number T.E.T.

I would usually visit Tom at few times a year when I had small projects for him. One day, about 15 years ago, I got there early for a scheduled appointment and when he showed riding an old Kona Hot with the fluted main tubes. Most of the paint was gone, like someone tried to burn it off. He said "Of all the bikes I've built, this is my favorite". Wow. What a stunning recommendation. I bought a used Hot after than.

Tom went on Ragbrai 4 & 5 with our group. One year he decided to build a frame the day before we left. He was up half the night building the frame and assembling the bike. No paint, he didn't event clean up the brazing. Covered in flux and no filing. I think he was showing off his brazing skills. In 2014, the year he died, I took my mom's racing bike to him and asked him to build a ladies frame version so I could move all the parts over. My mom was in her 80s then and was having trouble getting her leg over the top tube. Tom got the frame done in time for Ragbrai and also decided to go on Ragbrai again. He had a major heart attack on the ride and they could not save him. I think my mom's frame set is the last one he built.

* When Tom moved to the bike shop in Davenport, the shop owner naively called the city to ask about requirements for a paint booth. Well, $6,000 later and there was a commercial paint booth installed in the repair and storage building. It took up about 1/3 of Tom's allotted space. The booth moved to West Branch with Tom later on. For comparison, the shop bought a brand new Dodge van for about the same amount.

Rick

 

[Grant]

I don't have the picture, but I do remember that there was a 61cm T.E.T. road bike with a full Dura Ace groupset and 180mm cranks. It was for sale at my co op for several years before someone bought it. At one point someone stole it and dented the top tube whime it was for sale at the co op.

 

[RustyGold]

I'll add a bit.

I used to work with Tom Teesdale. Tom started building frames in his dad's barn near Macolm Illinois. I was working at a bike shop in Davenport Iowa. A shop manager was a college buddy of Tom's and convinced him to relocate to the back building at the bike shop. I was working there assembling bikes and doing repairs. Tom was only doing custom builds and paint * in Davenport. I would assemble his frames into bikes for the customers. At the end of his time in Davenport, he was building more tandems. The shop sold and relocated in about 1981. Tom wasn't included in the deal so Tom moved to West Branch Iowa (not Indiana) and expanded his operation. To keep busy, he started his own line of stock frames titled "Woody" named after his dog. Tom did a lot of design, prototypes and initial builds of new models for a couple dozen bike companies. One of his early contracts was with Gary Fisher bikes. GF would send large crates of pre cut and mitered tube sets. Tom would do the brazing and paint. It was a good deal because it reduced the shipping. He hired apprentices (Frank, Dean, etc). Tom's wife Cathy (one of my high school class mates) did some of the painting. Tom was one of few builders who could provide painted frames with a pretty quick turnaround. I don't know if he ever came up with a complete list of his bike company customers. There was a partial list on his website which is gone now. Perhaps that can be found on the waybackmachine. The best indicator of a Teesdale built frame is his initials stamped on the bb near the serial number T.E.T.

I would usually visit Tom at few times a year when I had small projects for him. One day, about 15 years ago, I got there early for a scheduled appointment and when he showed riding an old Kona Hot with the fluted main tubes. Most of the paint was gone, like someone tried to burn it off. He said "Of all the bikes I've built, this is my favorite". Wow. What a stunning recommendation. I bought a used Hot after than.

Tom went on Ragbrai 4 & 5 with our group. One year he decided to build a frame the day before we left. He was up half the night building the frame and assembling the bike. No paint, he didn't event clean up the brazing. Covered in flux and no filing. I think he was showing off his brazing skills. In 2014, the year he died, I took my mom's racing bike to him and asked him to build a ladies frame version so I could move all the parts over. My mom was in her 80s then and was having trouble getting her leg over the top tube. Tom got the frame done in time for Ragbrai and also decided to go on Ragbrai again. He had a major heart attack on the ride and they could not save him. I think my mom's frame set is the last one he built.

* When Tom moved to the bike shop in Davenport, the shop owner naively called the city to ask about requirements for a paint booth. Well, $6,000 later and there was a commercial paint booth installed in the repair and storage building. It took up about 1/3 of Tom's allotted space. The booth moved to West Branch with Tom later on. For comparison, the shop bought a brand new Dodge van for about the same amount.

Rick

Thanks for this... great history!