Going to look at a dubious Ron Cooper today and wondering if there are any hallmarks I should look for to ensure authenticity. It has an ostentatious paint job so that further deepens my doubts. As well as a fork that does not look original.
by Effective_Oil1078
2 Comments
He had a lot of different designs and stuff over the years. The paint on the head tube kind of covers the lug designs that would be hallmark of some Cooper bikes. I believe I see some ornate lug designs under the checkered paint, but hard to tell. Try to get some close ups of the lugs. I’ve only seen 2 Coopers in the states in person. On both of them I have noticed that he liked to almost completely wrap the top of the seat stays up and around the front of the seat tube and top tube (Or at least give the appearance of from the side profile with the seat stays more seamlessly integrated into that lug), which I believe I see here too. Just looking at pictures of his designs though, that doesn’t appear to be something he did all the time. I’ve only just dabbled into his designs, so hoping someone with much more knowledge than I comes in here so I can learn a thing or two.
That bike popped up over on the “Fans of Ron Cooper” FB page and elicited some short discussion but nobody doubted the attribution. I’d look for a lower serial #, and if the buyer will indulge you, a matching number on the fork’s steerer tube. It looks very well-made regardless. Worst case scenario you get an Eisentraut disguised as a Cooper ;). RC’s serial number were just numbers on the portion of the BB shell that receives the down tube. He made several thousand frames but I think only a couple+ thousand under his own name, which he seemed to number sequentially. the FB crew seemed to think this was ~70s, so a little earlier in his timeline.