Sartor Cycling Jacket 1950’s

A friend recently found this beautiful Sartor cycling jacket for me.

The Manchester based company used to advertise in the Cyclist’s Touring Club (CTC) magazine back in the 1950’s. The jacket is their top of the range M65 ‘Alpine’ in very good quality lovat coloured lined gaberdine cloth, costing £4.9.0d in 1954, as in the advert from the October 1954 CTC Gazette below. If you were a CTC member you could give Sartor your details and they would send you a jacket, without pre-payment. If you were happy with it you paid by cheque within 3 days, or you could return it….Things were different then!

It’s a nice alternative to the more usually seen Bertram Dudley Greenspot jacket.

It has raglan sleeves, 4 pockets, 2 with zips, and a drawstring waist. The standard of construction and finish is high, and the jacket pressed very easily after washing.

I added the beautiful and very rare original National Clarion Cycling Club badge which is quite appropriate for the period. The Clarion, linked to Robert Blatchford’s ‘The Clarion’ socialist newspaper, is a most interesting club, founded in 1895 and spread countrywide, it was a for cyclists who had socialist ideals. Regrettably the club recently removed reference to the word ‘socialism’ from their club constitution…to make it more ‘inclusive’… presumably. A similar travesty to the re-branding of the Cyclist’s Touring Club as Cycling UK. You can read about the history of the Clarion here.

Reyhand Tandem c.1936

In the world of the French constructeurs, André Reiss is held in the highest esteem. The Lyon based maker of Reyhand bicycles was an innovator, and was instrumental in setting a new course for other makers to follow.

In 1934, the Groupe Montagnard Parisienne established the Concours de Machines, or technical trials. Dissatisfied with the heavy, run of the mill machines of the big makers, they encouraged the construction of a new breed of touring bicycle, light and nimble, utilising the newly emerging duralumin cycle components. The trials tested the competitors machines over a punishing hilly course, and points were deducted for any failures or breakages of components. Lightness earned higher points. This event established that it was possible to make a much lighter bicycle, whilst still retaining it’s strength and reliability.

André Reiss started constructing bicycles in 1934, and won the Concours de Machines three years in a row from 1935 to 1937. Further successes came in the Critérium des Alpes, and Critérium Cyclotouristique de “L’Auto”. Of course that was a great advert for him and they became the most highly desirable touring machine of the period. Sadly, Reiss was killed in action in the War, in 1940. Few of his bicycles and tandems survive, and they are as highly sought after today as they were in period.

After his death the marque continued for a number of years under Etienne Bernadet (who also rode for Reyhand) and Louis Villemus, who was responsible for the birth of the Lewis brand of components. There is a connection here to the history of this machine, which we will see later.

Of course the successes of the Reyhand marque also benefited the makers of the new lightweight components, and Stronglight (chainsets), Jeay (brakes) and Durifort (tubing) all used Reyhand’s competition successes in their advertising.

This tandem has an intriguing history. I think it likely that the aluminium owner’s plaque might be for the first owner of the machine. M.Richard’s address is only 15 minutes walk away from the atelier of André Reiss in Lyon. The tandem has two frame numbers stamped on it, one on the head tube, and another on the top of the seat tube. They are clearly some time apart, and undoubtedly indicate that the machine was returned to the Reyhand workshop at a time after Reiss’s death for some upgrades, and refinishing. It would have originally been fitted with Jeay brakes, but now sports Lewis cantilevers, patented by the aforementioned Louis Villemus in 1942, who was now running the Reyhand shop with Bernadet. So it was likely constructed circa 1936, and updated in 1942/44. It only had one transfer on it, on the lower horizontal tube.

One of Reiss’s innovations in tandem construction was the double triangulation latérale system which was patented by him. This is the use of two pairs of small diameter tubes, running diagonally front and rear. There is evidence that his system pre-dated the similar design by Bugatti. Also utilised was the 4 point construction where the rear seat stays cross the seat tube and are attached to the top tube. These features, executed in Reynolds tubing, combine to make a light, rigid and strong construction, helping to eliminate twist in the tandem frame. The frame is electric welded probably combined with some fillet brazing. There are many nice details, including internal cabling for the rear drum brake, and the standard of construction is very high.

All the finest new duraluminium components of the period were used: Stronglight chainsets, Lyotard 45 pedals, Cyclo Rosa chain rings (steel here rather than the original duralumin), Cyclo 5 speed rear derailleur, AVA stems and handlebars, Lewis cantilever brakes, Mavic rims on CAR hubs, and CAR annular bearing bottom brackets. The alloy ‘honking stops’ on the rear handlebars are lovely, and I’ve never seen them made by Record (who also made wheel rims). The ensemble is completed by Mavic Inal mudguards, Ideale 47 and Sportiva duralumin framed saddles, and a lightweight rear rack (not original).

There is no front derailleur, which was common at that time. To use the smaller chain ring you simply hooked the chain across with your finger, remembering not to pedal at the same time! Even in the 1938 Reyhand catalogue, a front derailleur was an optional extra.

The tyres would have originally been Mouette Barreau, which were very light, so Grand Bois extralight 650B x 42 tyres were used as a modern equivalent. The eagle-eyed of you may note that the rear lamp and dynamo are missing, as I haven’t found suitable ones yet…usually Rotophare or Soubitez.

The preservation of this very rare machine was problematic in some respects. The original finish (or rather period re-finish) was silver. Unfortunately someone in their great wisdom decided to paint it over with varnish. The varnish, probably polyurethane, has discoloured and has proved impossible to remove without damaging the lining and finish beneath. I thinned the varnish in places where it was particularly thick and ugly but have left it otherwise. I also removed the varnish runs, which were running upwards, as the frame must have been varnished upside down! I’ve grown used to it now, and it doesn’t trouble me. I didn’t consider refinishing since it was clearly painted at the Reyhand shop and has some lining and vestiges of the transfer.

The duralumin parts had almost all been criminally attacked with a electric wire wheel which makes a terrible mess of the surface (never, ever do this!!). Some parts were so badly damaged that I replaced them with exactly the same parts in much better condition…the AVA handlebar stem for instance. The parts have taken me years to locate. The results of bad and unsympathetic ‘restoration’ make life very difficult for those who come later!

Above all, it is difficult to believe how very light this machine is, compared to the very heavy tandems of the time. I weighed it and was surprised and delighted to find that it corresponds to the catalogue weight (see below) for the top of the range ‘Road King’ tandem, at 16.5 kgs or 36 1/2 lbs, which is even light compared to the tandems of today! It is a remarkable testament to the skill and invention of the great André Reiss over 80 years ago.

Pictures of this machine before preservation, as I found it some 10 years ago, can be found here.

Sources:

https://anciensveloslyonnais.weebly.com/reyhand-andreacute-reiss.html#

I want to acknowledge the help of Raymond Henry in the preservation of this tandem. He was very generous with advice, photo’s and encouragement. I sent him some pictures of the finished machine recently and was surprised not to hear back from him. Then I heard the shocking news, via Jan Heine’s blog that he had passed away. Please do read Jan’s tribute to him here. He was a remarkable man!

‘Cycles de France’ Book Review

Cycles de France has been available for just over a year, but it occurred to me that a lot of people may well not have come across it, since it is privately published. It deserves some recognition!

The book is written by Patrick Munoz and Philippe Montagné and consists of a large private collection of French bicycles, ranging from a 1900 Hirondelle to a 1984 René Herse. The text is in French, but if you can’t speak the language, then the excellent photographs more than compensate. The text is not extensive, so is easy to translate if you wish to learn more. The book is almost 200 pages long and there are 90 bicycles illustrated in detail!

As you would expect there are a number of bicycles from the great makers like Herse, Singer, Routens, Charrel and Barra, but there are also many much less known makers like Ferdinand, Maury, Sablière and Bourdel. The distinguishing important characteristic is that almost all of them are in highly original condition, quite often even down to period tyring and handlebar tape.

The book is a large format 30 x 23 cm, and a double page is devoted to each cycle. A photograph of the drive side of each machine is supplemented by several details, all well chosen and illustrating the many fascinating features of these unique bicycles. Additionally there are related illustrations from cycling journals, pricipally Le Cycliste, and Daniel Rebour’s wonderful period drawings of novelties from the very bicycles that we are looking at in the photo’s. The standard of photography is excellent, and the print reproduction very good too. There are also some related period photographs, advertising signs and posters, which further add to the interest.

The majority are classic touring bicycles, but there are also some town bikes, porteurs and a number of racers, including Jacques Anquetil’s aluminium 1953 Barra, on which he won the Paris-Normandie time trail in August of that year. The bicycle weighed just 7.75 Kg! This machine is deservedly honoured with four pages of the book. Jean Wauters 1934 Tour de France cycle, and Luis Ocana’s Zeus from the 1975 season, are 2 more racing bicycles.

There are many terrific examples of Herse and Singer, but just a few of the stand out bicycles for me were the two early rare Hirondelle bi-chaine machines; a late 1930’s Schultz tandem, a most innovative and extraordinary machine in outstanding original condition; the beautiful ladies Camille Daudon with his characteristic curved front rack and tool kit concealed in the handlebar stem; a magnificent Hugonnier Routens tandem weighing just 19.6 Kg, that looks fast standing still; the Narcisse of Henry Janot, and a unique Cycles Innovation with triangular tubing!

One outstanding detail is on a lovely little Alex Singer porteur. Attached to the front mudguard is a small plaque with some text from Dr.Ruffiér’s 1929 publication ‘Vive la Bicyclette’. Roughly translated it concludes: ‘It is a complete and definitive invention. We found it, it’s a wonder, and we will never replace it.’ What a wonderful and highly correct sentiment, which is amplified by the magnificent bicycles found in this very fine book. I highly recommend it.

The book costs 72 Euro plus postage (which you can negotiate with the seller for your location) and is available on ebay here. It’s worth every cent!

This post is published with the kind permission of the author. The writer of this article bought his own copy.

René Herse Tandem c.1944

During the occupation of France in the Second World War, cycling was still popular, in fact even more so given that fuel for cars was difficult to come by. The Technical Trials continued and people often rode out of the cities for the day, hurrying to get back before curfew. René Herse managed to avoid being utilised by the Germans. If they had been aware of his background in aircraft engineering things might have been very different. So, with a steady demand for them, he continued to make his made to measure machines throughout. During the latter part of the War he had 5 employees. This Herse tandem was built during that period c.1944/5. Subsequently it was returned to the Herse shop for some ‘updating’ c.1947/8, when it received a new 109 serial number, denoting a repair or modification.

I travelled to France to collect it some years ago, and it certainly looked as bad as the photo’s when I saw it! It was in a sorry state but I could see the potential, and knew it could be returned to use, which was important to me. I have featured it’s preservation before in a previous post so I won’t dwell too much on those details.

As usual my guiding principle is to retain originality wherever possible. This is often a more lengthy and painstaking (and painful) process than ‘restoration’, but I believe we are the custodians of remarkable historic machines, and have a duty to retain their originality and should make great efforts to preserve their unique details for future generations.

It is fitted with many Herse specialities…Touring racks, Chainsets, stems, gear changer, modified Cyclo Derailleur, ‘Speedy’ brakes and cable hangers, and modified large flange front hub. It’s likely that the chainsets and 5 speed Cyclo derailleur were part of the slightly later modifications. Other parts include Maxi drum brake, Tank pedals, Bell bronze wingnuts and Ideale alloy saddles.

*Click on image above to open gallery view*

The racks were originally chromed, but the majority of the plating had peeled off and the tubing was pitted. Chroming over pitted metal looks terrible and is a sin against the bicycle Gods. Most chrome platers are capable of ruining items like this. The very best platers (of which there are very, very few) will plate with copper first and then polish, repeating 2 or 3 times, to fill the pitting before nickel and chrome. However, this is very time consuming and therefore jutifiably expensive. At the end of that lengthy process you have perfect chroming which would stand out like a sore thumb against distressed paintwork like on this machine. Most platers would polish away some of the metal, weakening the item. Since they are made of quite thin walled material, a decision was made to remove and neutralise the rust and paint them black. I think they work tolerably well.

Some of the ‘before and after’ photo’s are quite dramatic. For instance the front hub and spokes. The hub is a modified FB item with the flanges turned off and Herse’s large alloy flanges riveted on using 36 rivets. I cleaned it up entirely by hand with no polishing wheel employed. This gives a much more original looking finish. Some people seem to think that these parts were mirror polished when new: They were not, but instead had a nice satin sheen.

*Click on image above or below to open gallery view*

The modified Lefol brake lever is a thing of beauty and shows Herse’s attention to detail. A portion of the lever was cut away and replaced by a beautifully formed alloy section with 2 cable ports to activate the front and rear rim brakes together:

Riding a tandem is a joyful experience particularly when it’s an intelligently engineered machine which does everything well. As usual Herse does not disappoint. Once you are able to achieve synchronicity between captain and stoker, it is a uniquely wonderful ride. I highly recommend it!

Sources: Jan Heine – René Herse – Bicycle Quarterly Press

Lea & Francis 1909 Roadster and 1929 Lea Francis Hyper S

Today I had a unique opportunity to photograph two Lea-Francis machines!

In the long and chequered history of the Lea Francis company (founded in 1895), which quite remarkably exists to this day, the manufacture of bicycles quite naturally led to motor cycles and thence to cars. Their products were always of exceptional quality.

The most expensive bicycle of the period, in my opinion the Lea & Francis was the bicycle equivalent of the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. The quality of the fittings and finish is truly outstanding.

This completely unrestored and extraordinarily well preserved example was in one family ownership before I acquired it, and it was always kept inside the house when not being used… as it is today! Dating from c.1909, it is fitted with the Lea & Francis 3 speed gear, L & F patent alloy pedals, L & F alloy rear carrier, and patent L & F ‘Reflex’ reflector. Lea and Francis in fact invented the reflector, which was later used to great effect on road warning signs.

*Click on an image above for gallery view*

There is no rear step for mounting since it is fitted with the patent ‘trip motion’ device which locks the left hand crank in the 4 O’Clock position for mounting from the pedal, releasing automatically when riding forward.

The concealed roller lever brakes are a work of art, the front one being easily adjusted by removing the cap at the centre of the bars and turning the adjusting bolt. The gear change is topped by an ivory knob. There are phospher bronze bushes in all the brake pivots. The nickel plating on my machine is entirely original and like new.

The finish is very modest with no fancy lining to the black enamel, except for a thin red line on the rims, between the black enamel and the nickel. There are two transfers, one at the top of the head tube, largely missing, and the other on the rear mudguard in fine condition. Brooks saddle with oiler in seat pin, puncture repair kit concealed in handlebar grip, and correct period Lucas ‘Acetyphote’ Acetylene lamp. It also has the original tool kit.

The bicycle has clearly had little use… the mileometer reading of 5780 miles (about 600 are mine) is probably correct, and it still rides like a ‘Rolls’! Undoubtedly my favourite Edwardian bicycle.

In August 1928 Lea Francis had an astonishing overall win at the Ulster Tourist Trophy race, the equivalent of a Grand Prix at the time, in front of a crowd of some 250,000 spectators. The winning car was driven by Kaye Don. There is a fantastic silent film of the race here.

In the supercharged Meadows engined 1500cc ‘Hyper’ he beat all the large engined cars including Bentleys, Mercedes and Bugatti. This win put Lea Francis on the map as a sporting car manufacturer, and as a result the company made a small run of TT-bodied replicas of the winning car. The Hyper was the first production supercharged vehicle, albeit that production was somewhat limited. This Hyper ‘S’ is one of these few.

Uniting these two creations of the Lea Francis company was a thrill. Twenty years apart, they are both the finest examples of early 20th Century British engineering.

Sources: The Lea Francis Story by Barrie Price

Alex Singer Randonneuse 1947

I realised that I have never featured one of my favourite bicycles, which was also the one that introduced me to the wonders of the French constructeurs. About 12 years ago I visited Neville March and his family near Bordeaux. I was already collecting Victorian and early 20th Century machines, and Neville had a great collection of these. But he also showed me his French touring machines of the 40’s and 50’s, and I was hugely impressed. It was the first time I had seen bicycles made by René Herse, Charrel, Barra and Alex Singer. His son Alexander, and daughter Helen were also very enthusiastic about them and they have continued the family collection after Neville’s passing. A number of the family’s beautiful machines are featured in Jan Heine’s essential book The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles.

What struck me about these bikes was the fact that they were envisaged as a completely integrated machine, designed as a whole rather than as a frame with an assortment of parts bolted on. Whilst British makers were selling frames to be fitted up with proprietary parts from Campagnolo, GB, Chater Lea, Williams etc.. the constructeurs were producing custom made racks, stems, gear hangers, front derailleurs and even brakes. There were many innovations, which came about largely because of the Concours, or Technical Trials, events of the 30’s and 40’s, where rival makers vied to make the lightest and most elegant bicycles and fittings. Those fittings weren’t just designed as novelties, but had to be practical and reliable over the rigours of the trials courses. Just look at the Alex Singer hanger for the Cyclo gear, not only beautiful, but strong and durable too:

They also made best use of the latest very light duralumin parts available from makers such as Stronglight, Mafac, Mavic, AVA, Lyotard etc.. The other feature that appealed was the fact that these bicycles are very subtle and understated in appearance. Lugwork was purely functional, without fancy decoration. Even colour schemes were restrained with some makers adopting a ‘house colour’, such as the Charrel Lyonnaise brown, and the Routens dark red metallic. I have often watched people on vintage bike rides not even give my French machines a second glance. It takes a keen eye to notice the beautiful details.

This Alex Singer was my first French bicycle of the Golden Age. It was built in early 1947 and it incorporates many of the innovations mentioned above. The frame is constructed from the superlight Super Vitus tubing, and is chrome plated. It has Nivex rear dropouts, with chain hanger on the drive side. The rear axle is split, allowing for easy removal of the rear wheel whilst leaving the chain in place on the chain hanger.

It has a Singer fillet brazed stem, clamped to the steerer tube like the modern a-head. It also has their own design of brake and hangers, with unusual arrangement for the cable anchorage at the back and an elegant little brazed on hanger under the handlebar stem. There are twin bolts for the seat pin, echoing the arrangement for the handlebar stem. The Cyclo derailleur hanger is a work of art in tiny tubing! Front and rear racks are custom made, and there are Mavic Inal mudguards and Mavic wheel rims. The spokes are the super thin and light Trois Étoiles, tied and soldered, laced to C.A.R. hubs (before the company became Maxicar). Tyres were supplied by Grand Bois in Kyoto, 650B x 42. Stronglight cranks are mated to Lyotard pedals, and the derailleur is the duralumin Cyclo 4-speed. Philippe Professionnel handlebars are fitted with Lefol brake levers. A very light Ideale 47 saddle with duralumin frame completes the picture.

It’s unusual that this machine doesn’t have a double chainset, particularly as the original owner came from an area not far from Lyon. As the bike is equipped with front and rear racks it seems to have been designed for touring. I can only assume that he was either a very strong rider, or that he avoided mountains when he went touring!

Chrome finish was usually reserved for the top level machines, and is a practical and hard wearing finish. However, after almost 65 years, some of it is peeling off, although there is no pitting to the metal beneath. I’m entirely happy with the patina and wouldn’t dream of re-plating it. From time to time I wipe over the peeling areas with an oily rag to protect it.

This is a fantastic bike to ride. Common to many of this period, the fork rake is very pronounced (and very elegant) and this leads to low trail geometry. Combined with large diameter tyres this contributes to a stable ride, with excellent cornering characteristics. To understand the theory behind low trail geometry there is an excellent article by Jan Heine here. The bike is very light, considerably more so than later machines of similar design by Singer that I have. The lightness is the more remarkable since it is equipped with racks, mudguards and dynamo lighting. I love the fat 42mm tyres, which I run at 55lbs. Rolling resistance is very low and it makes for a very comfortable and fast ride. It was my first French randonneuse, and it started something of an addiction!

10 years ago today: British airspace lockdown…A ride to Stansted Airport on 1973 Alex Singer PBP

My recent post on Lockdown London reminded me of another unique situation 10 years ago. The Icelandic volcano of Eyjafjallajökull had been active since the end of 2009, but on 14th April 2010 the activity went into a new and more violent second phase when it began began to erupt beneath a glacier. The massive eruption sent an estimated total of 250 million cubic metres of ash as high as 9 kilometres into the atmosphere. It had a huge effect on air travel, and on 15 April British controlled airspace was shut down.

At the time, my wife was in Milan at the Salone furniture fair, the biggest of its type in the world. When initial reports said that the affect on air travel would be limited, I looked at the met maps and formed a different opinion. (I used to be a commercial hot air balloon pilot and have a good knowledge of meteorology). I suggested that my wife, who had return air tickets for a couple of days later, get home as quickly as possible. Flights were all full, and people were fighting over train tickets to leave Milan. She was lucky enough to get the last few tickets on a sleeper train to Lille, for herself and her staff. Thousands of other people weren’t so lucky and were stranded in Milan for many days when airspace closed. Some paid thousands of pounds to get taxi’s from Milan to the UK.

Unfortunately she couldn’t get Eurostar tickets home from Lille, so I took the car through the tunnel and picked them up, to great relief. I made a brief detour to my favourite Belgian beer shop, Nöel Cuvellier at Poperinge, to stock up, so the journey was beneficial in other ways!

Enjoying the absence of aeroplanes from the skies, I realised that it would be a unique opportunity to visit a deserted Stansted Airport, the nearest airport to us. So I rode my 1973 Alex Singer Paris-Brest-Paris model there and enjoyed the pleasure of viewing Norman Foster’s architecture with hardly a soul in sight.

British airspace was closed for over 6 days and caused travel chaos across Europe, The Ukraine and Turkey. For me, nature had provided some welcome respite from the crowded and noisy skies over London, which are otherwise always adulterated by numerous aircraft vapour trails.

A short ride through lockdown London on 1946 Alex Singer Porteur

As we are allowed an exercise ride or walk each day, I chose to have a quick ride through central London, making sure to keep well distanced from other cyclists and walkers. I equipped the Singer Porteur with my Sologne fishing basket to carry my camera and a drink. First stop was Trafalgar Square, which was deserted, with only a security guard visible in the above photo.

Piccadilly Circus was similarly very quiet, with only a handful of people walking and cycling. There were very few cars on the roads generally. Buses were quite frequent but carrying very few people.

Moving swiftly on, I rode back through Shoreditch where I passed through quiet streets, one lined with graffiti.

A graffiti lined street in Shoreditch, with an advert for Gucci from the campaign photographed by Martin Parr

In Brick Lane I was surprised to see the 24 hour Beigel bakery open, but then I suppose they would probably only close in the event of nuclear war!

Good to see that the queue was keeping well distanced.

Just around the corner, in Redchurch Street, is one of my favourite shops, Labour and Wait. It’s an old fashioned style hardware store, where you can buy all manner of traditionally made household items including brushes, enamel ware, tools, and even some very nice work wear. The outside is finished in beautiful Victorian green glazed tiles.

The porteur has everything you could need in a city bike: Good Mafac brakes with Koolstop pads, mudguards, mud flap, chain guard, and a big front rack! Four gears are more than enough for London, which doesn’t really have any significant hills. It’s light and quick too, on Grand Bois 700c x 28 tyres.

I found that quite a lot of cyclists, in our current unprecedented situation, have failed to grasp the idea of passing other cyclists 2 metres apart. Because of the very light traffic this was easy and safe to do, but a number passed me annoyingly close. I kept moving quickly so that it was mostly me doing the passing, at the required distance, hanging back if necessary until traffic conditions allowed.

London is looking very unfamiliar, but the most noticeable thing for me, apart from the lack of vehicles, was the difference in air quality… and the quiet. The air was very noticeably fresher, and the few vehicles and absence of aircraft overhead made it pleasantly though uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps we can learn some lessons about our environment from the current crisis. Personally, I think we should have one traffic free day per week in central London and other major cities, so we can enjoy the benefits of clean air and the quietness of being vehicle free, and some respite from the norm. This should have the added advantage of encouraging the use of bicycles, which is always a positive!

Cycling Heroes 3: Jack Rossiter ‘End to End’ Record 1929

The ‘End to End’ record, or Land’s End to John O’Groats, holds a particular fascination in British cycling history. It’s holders have included previous heroes such as the great G.P.Mills, T.A.Edge and Lawrence Fletcher. Until 1903 the records were paced, but from then on they were under the strict rules of the Road Record Association (RRA), which disallowed pacing and laid down the route and other criteria to be followed.

In 1908 H.E.Green set the new record time of 2 days 19 hours and 52 minutes, for 837 1/2 miles, which was to stand for a remarkable 21 years. Green was a predominant time triallist who had held 15 RRA records from 50 miles, through to 12 and 24 hour time trials. Similarly Jack Rossiter was a distinguished performer, holding record in 100 miles, London to York and 12 hours TT. In 1929 he set out to beat Harry Green’s time and take the Blue Riband of solo cycling.

In the intervening period since Green’s ride there had been a rule change. The ride previously included a ferry crossing, which for Rossiter’s ride was bypassed, adding 28 1/2 miles to the distance, making a total of 866 miles.

Raleigh Club Model from the 1929 catalogue

His mount, provided by Raleigh, was a Club Model built up to his favoured, rather idiosyncratic, specification. It was said to have weighed just 23 1/2 pounds (10.7 kilos) and was fitted with a 3 speed Sturmey-Archer K-series hub gear, with a medium gear of 78 inches. It had a forward curved seat pin, and ‘Marsh’ drop bars set at a downward angle which seemed to be quite popular at that time. The brake levers were unusual, being inverted at the end of the drops. The Brooks saddle was fitted with a Resilion padded cover.

From Resilion catalogue mentioning Rossiter

There was just a small forward extension mudguard in front of the steerer to prevent mud splashing into his face. Lighting was provided by a Lucas Acetylene lamp, with only a reflector at the rear. His clothing was the typical outfit of a time triallist, with thin alpaca jacket and alpaca knitted tights. He was said to have made his own waterproof jacket!

Setting out from Land’s End on the 22nd August 1929 at 08.00, the weather was by no means ideal! In rain and with muddy road surfaces, he crashed at Penzance. Picking himself up he was thankfully uninjured and carried on over Bodmin Moor with reduced tyre pressures to give better traction in the wet conditions.

His route was detailed on this route card, which I acquired for the National Cycle Archive. It is believed to have belonged to Rossiter, the notes being written either by him or a member of his team.

Travelling through Exeter he reached Bristol at 19.00, 50 minutes ahead of schedule, despite the crosswinds and rain. At Gloucester he fitted his lamp and rode on through the dark to Kidderminster and then Whitchurch, where the landlord of the Swan Hotel welcomed him at 02.45 to give him some refreshments. During the night it was damp and cold, and Jack made use of his pullover and cardigan, as well as his waterproof jacket. Onward to Warrington where he took breakfast over the course of a 22 minute stop.

The image above is of the back of the support lorry, showing some of the spare gear, McVitie Digestive Biscuit tin, and his carbide lamps. A carbide container tube is seen just behind the lower lamp. The lamps are the substantial Lucas Calcia King No.326, which stands 7 inches high (17cm). Carbide lamps have a water reservoir above a calcium carbide container. The water is dripped slowly onto the carbide producing acetylene gas, which is lit to produce a very white, bright and effective beam. The support lorry had to keep at least 100 yards behind the rider, so he was entirely reliant on his lamp during the night. I happen to have exactly this type of lamp in my collection, my one dated 1925:

As daylight broke, Rossiter was shaken by the cobbled streets of Wigan but pressed on at speed towards the Lake District. He was 2 hours ahead by the time he reached Kendal. Stops for refreshments were generally very brief, just a matter of a few minutes, but at Kendal he stopped for 1 hour 20 mins, to enjoy a bath, massage and some rest. Onward he pressed over the steep climb of Shap, in a ‘low’ gear of 59 inches (!) gaining on record all the time. Before Carlisle, at 14.00, he changed his rear wheel for one fitted with a Sturmey combination which was slightly lower geared; 55/72/94 instead of 59/78/102. This seemed to make him more comfortable and, coupled with a more favourable wind direction, allowed him to make excellent progress through Gretna, Lanark and Stirling.

A page from Raleigh’s special edition catalogue of 1930

Rolling down into Perth in the darkness, he had an unfortunate meeting with a rabbit who ran into his front wheel and brought him down heavily. His knee was badly grazed and both arms bruised, but his bike was unscathed and he continued into the city at 00.53, where his wounds were dressed and treated with Iodine, whilst he took on food.

Sandwiches with cheese, custard, rice, Virol, eggs and coffee were the main constituents of his diet, along with beef tea, Peppermint Creams and McVities Digestive Biscuits. Virol was a popular ‘health food’ which contained malt extract, beef fat, various vitamins, glucose, fructose, egg and orange juice!

The cover of Raleigh’s special edition of their 1930 catalogue featuring Rossiter’s record ride.

In Blair Athol, at 05.45 he stopped for beef tea and digestive biscuits before the long climb over the Grampian Mountains. The weather had cleared, giving him some welcome moonlight, but the wind had changed to a headwind for the ascent. Just after the climb a howling gale came up, which he would have endured whilst climbing had he not been so far ahead of schedule. When the Pentland Firth came into view he knew he was almost at his goal, and when he rode into the forecourt of the John O’Groats Hotel at 21.22, he was greeted by the timekeeper F.T.Bidlake, who announced that he had beaten the record by 6 hours 29 minutes. Rossiter replied: “That’s good, now what about a spot of something to eat?”

On the first day he had covered 392 miles, and the second 307 miles. His average speed was nearly 15 mph. His stops accounted for 4 hours 32 minutes, so he was actually riding for 2 days 8 hours 50 minutes. The record time was 2 days 13 hours 22 minutes for 866 miles, which was to stand for 5 years until beaten by the great Hubert Opperman.

There is a connection between Rossiter and someone else featured on my blog, because he was married to Lilian Morris, the sister of the great frame builder H.R.Morris. I believe the photographs, now in the National Cycle Archive and featured in this post were owned by Rossiter’s family and given to Dick Morris.

Amongst these documents was also a most unique item, a souvenir programme and menu for the celebratory dinner in December 1929, at the Frascati Restaurant on Oxford Street, London. The menu is signed by numerous important figures in the field of cycling. They include the timekeeper for the record, former great racing cyclist and tricyclist, and vice-president of the CTC, F.T.Bidlake, former racing cyclist and president of the CTC Herbert Stancer, and the Chairman of Raleigh, Sir Harold Bowden.

Raleigh poster with incorrect time of 61 hours 28 minutes, six minutes too long!

Acknowledgements:

National Cycle Archive (Reg Charity No 272792)

Veteran-Cycle Club Library

Humber Cross Frame Model No.13 – c.1923

This wonderful Humber Cross Frame belonged to a friend of mine who sadly passed away a few years ago, at an untimely age. He had a collection of well over 100 bicycles of all types, but this was a particular favourite of his. It lived inside the house rather than with the other machines. I felt a particular responsibility to preserve this Humber carefully in his memory, and for future custodians.

Thomas Humber was a particularly important figure in the history of the bicycle, both as manufacturer and innovator. He founded his company around 1868 in Beeston, Nottingham, initially making boneshaker velocipedes. He was a prolific maker of high quality Ordinaries (penny farthings), and many racers rode Humber mounts. His 1884 safety bicycle was one of the very first to adopt a ‘diamond’ frame. Later on, factories were opened in Coventry and Wolverhampton. Humber had a reputation for high quality and this led to the Royal family of this country as well as many international royalty adopting his machines. In the 1890’s he designed a demountable bicycle, which could be dismantled for storage or transport. The Beeston factory was closed in 1908 but the ‘Beeston Humber’ name was continued and attached to the highest quality machines, even whilst made in Coventry. Agencies in Europe and around the world sold their products (see French poster below).The Humber company was bought by Raleigh in 1932.

This is a particularly beautiful machine, primarily because of the unusual and beautiful thick green lining originally edged in gold. Much of the gold has worn off, but fragments can still be seen. The fittings are all original, including the Sturmey Archer 3-speed K series gear, number K178481. A Brooks rear carrier holds a canvas and leather bag which I custom made to hold tools, food and clothing for forays into the countryside. It is completed by a correct period Lucas Silver King front lamp and Lucas Warna rear lamp.

I approach a very original and rare bicycle like this as I would a museum piece, with conservation and preservation in mind, and using materials that will protect the original finishes, and not release any chemicals which might attack and degrade them.

It took me approximately 18 hours to clean, preserve, and service the bike, taking great care to not damage the lining, transfers, or plentiful patina. The forks are nickel plated beneath the enamel and some areas of paint had flaked off. This looked rather ugly, was distracting, and inconsistent with the overall look of the machine, so I touched in some of the areas with a thin coat of satin black acrylic paint. This has the effect of unifying the finish and draws the eye away from the damage. The chain case was removed and very carefully straightened so that it closed correctly. Some silver overpainting was removed from the handlebars using cellulose thinners, and a chrome cotter pin was changed for a correct nickel plated one! When thoroughly clean, the enamel was protected with a few coats of Renaissance wax, a museum grade material, which buffs up to a nice original looking lustre.

The perished tyres and inner tubes were replaced. These lovely cream tyres were produced in Korea for the Dutch Oude Fiets bicycle club some years ago. They are of very nice correct period pattern, but were too ‘new’ looking, so I distressed them a little using a mixture of black and brown boot polish.

Trying out a Lucas bundle carrier on the handlebars

The resulting machine is very handsome, I think. I’ve owned several cross frames and have always found them very nice to ride. The upright riding position is akin to sitting on a sofa, and encourages long distances at modest speeds. I’m looking forward to putting some fair weather miles into it…..just as soon as we are released from this disabling and distressing C19 virus lockdown!

Sources: