Re: [CR]What's a Browning?

(Example: Framebuilders)

From: "nelson miller" <nelsmiller@msn.com>
To: <rfitzger@emeraldis.com>, "Warren Young" <wyoung@stonehenge.ca>, "Classicrendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR]What's a Browning?
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 09:22:10 -0800


Group-- I have seen a couple of Winchester cycles-- one of them was a fairly high quality, nervex pro lugged, 531 frame! Nelson Miller-- Seattle


----- Original Message -----
From: rfitzger@emeraldis.com
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2001 9:11 AM
To: "Warren Young"
Subject: Re: [CR]What's a Browning?


Warren Young writes -
>I picked up a Browning at the thrift store today...made
> in Belgium, Weinman 27 x 1/4 rims, Mafac Racers, Simplex Prestige. Pivo
> stem, SR cranks, Shimano hi flange hubs. The front fork looks like a 70's
> Peugeot with the same puffy crowns.

Ah, the bicycle-military-firearms-industrial complex rears its head again!

The Browning Arms Company imported bikes during the 1970s. My recollection is that they listed models as Grade I, Grade II and Grade III, in the same fashion that one could purchase, say, their .22 T-bolt rifle in those grades. Grade I was fairly basic, etc. I also seem to recall that while Browning firearms are usually very good quality, the bikes were not so far from generic bike boom stuff. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Browning was also expanding into other sports and outdoor gear at the time.

Browning has a long history of association with Belgium, and particularly with the Fabrique Nationale organization that for years was located in Herstal. My memory, though, is that most of the Browning bikes (perhaps later?) were Japanese in origin. This may have coincided with the shift to Japanese production of certain Browning firearms as European production became more expensive.

Someone more familiar with the laws in place at the time can probably answer this, but it has been suggested that firearms importing conglomerates at the time were required to bring in more than guns as part of their total sale goods in the U.S. This subject was mentioned in regard to Puch and Austro-Daimler, which were/are affiliated with Steyr, one of the great old firearms manufacturing firms.

Non-bike, off-topic trivia - Warren purchased the bike Canada. The standard issue sidearm for the Canadian military for years (and probably still) was John Browning's last design as finalized by FN's Dieudonne Saive, the P-35/Browning Hi-Power. These arms were produced by the Inglis firm in Canada, if memory serves. Wonder if they used any bike making personnel as armourers?

Russ Fitzgerald Greenwood SC rfitzger@emeraldis.com

-------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using Emerald Internet's WebMail.
http://www.emeraldis.com