Sorry that I know little or nothing about the Hobbs Riband except that I
remember it being on Ebay and being out of funds. I was out of funds because
I had just purchased a fully restored "46" Hobbs of Barbicon. I will try to
take digital shots in a day or so and post them on Photo Point. Also
finishing work on a 1967 Hetchin's Hellenic which wll also be posted on
Photo Point. Peter Naiman
>From: RALEIGH531@aol.com
>To: OROBOYZ@aol.com, chasds@mindspring.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: Re: [Classicrendezvous] Query: Blue Riband bike?
>Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 05:47:41 EST
>
>In a message dated 11/19/00 10:57:36 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>OROBOYZ@aol.com writes:
>
> > That be a Hobbs of Barbican model......(Not French at all, but veddy
>veddy
> > British!)
> > http://www.cyclesdeoro.com/
> > There was a pretty nice example, full chromed, for sale on Ebay a year
>plus
> > ago by a Mr. Scott, I believe, in the Midwest.. Do others recall that
> > gentleman who occasionally has early stuff for sale?
> >
> > Also I think the name has a significance that I do not know. Can one of
>our
> > British members expound upon that for us?
>
>This is a stretch, but my first thought upon hearing "Blue Riband" is the
>award that was given to ocean liners for fastest transatlantic crossing.
>Held by the Queen Mary until 1952 when the SS United States won the award.
>Ocean liner size and speed were a big deal in the era before jets stole the
>transatlantic crossing business.
>So.....
>If the bike is English, and possibly older than you think, maybe that was
>the
>tie-in.
>A Blue Riband bike would suggest a bike capable of carrying it's rider
>along
>in speed and comfort. Sounds plausible @ 5 in the morning.
>Anyway, didn't someone (Raleigh?) name a bike after a missile? Makes the
>ship tie in sound much more reasonable.
>
>BTW: There is, of course a website (for those nautically inclined):
> http://www.blueriband.com/
>
>Pete Geurds (who lived 2 blocks from New York harbor when he was a wee lad)
>Douglassville, Pa