Dear All,
I use to regularly write a letter from England. Have been somewhat lazy of late so hopefully this will correct this.
Mark my autistic twelve year old son came home from boarding school for his five week Summer holidays on Friday. Unfortunately I had to work the Friday night shift so didn't see him until the Saturday afternoon. Now Mark cannot speak so I said to him lets go biking and to my amazement he went and got his "PECS" (picture exchange communication system ) book and made up the sentence I want tricycle. Now Mark hasn't had a tricycle for at least 5 years so this only meant that he wanted the tandem trike. A machine he hasn't been on since I took off the kiddy cranks. Before when these were fitted he could freewheel at will, afterwards he had to pedal at the same rate as me and when I put on the 6" Chater juvenile cranks these gave him the screaming hump.
The tandem trike is a 1950's Hobbs Blue Ribband. This was originally made as a tandem especially for R.R.A and Eastern Counties record breaking attempts. The axle is a Higgins differential type which was brazed on by Fred Higgins. He use to sell his one wheel drive axles to all in sundry who then fitted them to their own makes of tricycles. For example Taylor's, Jackson's, Merlin, Mercian and Morris but his differential axles he would only fit himself. So if you have a tricycle other than Higgins with his differential axle fitted it is more than probable that he did the brazing work.
The Hobbs is one of three remaining tandems left that I own. We also have an original 1938 R.O.Harrison Silver Meteor tandem and a 1974 Ken Bird tandem. The Bird was built by Bill Philbrook. Both Ken and Bill were ex Claud Butler employees. Up until recently we had between mine and my wife's family another 4 tandems. These being two pre-war GA's, a 1936 Russ now residing in the USA and a Claud Butler USWB. Prior to this we had an Evans tandem trike built by Tom Board in 1962 and a ladyback Evans tandem also built by him in 61. Also had Rory & Phyliss O'Brien's old USWB Claud and a bolt up convertible New Hudson tandem (horrendous thing unless you want to commit suicide whilst descending).
The Hobbs still has a lot of its original kit, Chater chainsets and pedals, Major Taylor stem and original bars, front wheel large Airlite tandem continental hub on Dunlop alloy rim with tied and soldered tandem spokes. The diff brake is original but the front brakes have been modernized as have the rear wheels these are Longstaff hubs on modern Mavic 27" rims although will still run the original 26" in the front. The gear is a Shimano 600 absolutely bullet proof and we run one of those Shimano cranked link Uniglide chains. If you can get hold of one of these chains they are a godsend for ultra short wheelbase machines with short rear triangles, improve shifting immensely.
Prior to us going out on the ride today the trike was used when the children were young for all our cycling, Rachel on the back with Mark in a child seat between the rear axle. Happy days! Me and a mate then used the trike for a charity event when we rode the 500 miles between Brighton to Edinburgh on it. This ride was rather unkindly nicknamed the three f's ride by the local club and printing fraternity. The three F's being Fat Fifty and F----d. But we showed them all by hammering out the 500 miles in 40 hours 10 minutes in the peeing rain and raising thousands on the way.
Next time the trike was used in battle was when it was lent to two local club lads who broke the un-official inter club place to place record between Lincoln and Peterborough. Smashing road flat and straight like an arrow ideal for two young fit-un's. They didn't fair so well when they had a go at the Peterborough to London and back time. This is full of technical twisty descents from Knebworth towards London calling on good trike handling skills. On the return leg they were down on schedule and by the time they got to Knebworth for the second time they had no chance. Knebworth is the highest point between London and York on the Old Great North Road (A1) in the old days if the record breakers were behind schedule they use to climb of here. A few brave souls would battle on to Royston and some even made it to Alconbury Hill but not many who were down on time at these famous points went on to take the various RRA records along this road.
Knebworth is famous for the open air rock concerts. I saw the first one there with the Almond and Dobie Brothers spectacular and many more. The best ever was when the Beach Boys played there. They started with Help me Ronda and completely messed it up. Played about a minute of the song when they stopped suddenly and apologized, the crowd didn't know what to expect as they sounded real crap. They restarted voice and note perfect with the same number and totally mesmerized the audience everyone was dancing and they were absolutely brilliant. The best ever.
Alconbury is famous with cyclists and you might have heard of the USAF base located there. Was used as a bomber base during the Second World War by you and during the cold war for the spy planes which were based there.
Anyway we had our ride Mark and me through the thatched villages and down Alconbury Hill. The computer touched 52mph on the downhill drop into Alconbury proper and I could here the voiceless stoker laughing and squealing with delight. Went through Houghton Mill on the river Ouse. This is the mill featured in the famous Players cycling cigarette cards. Parked up at the National Trust tea shop there was a nice straight chrome Hetchins and Pat Hanlon mostly with their original gear. They were more interested in our tandem trike. We made our way along to the towpath to St. Ives. This is a wonderful place full of historic interest, pubs and eating places. A real Mecca for cyclists. We stopped at a marvelous pub called the Cromwell smashing beer and it has the most beautifully preserved 50 year old barmaid. She has the biggest Bristol's (rhyming slang) you have ever seen. Built like a Schwinn Aerocycle Streamliner really beautiful and elegant but a bit top heavy, in the Jayne Mansfield or Mami Van Doren mould. She made a real fuss of Mark and I was getting quite envious. Would like to find a 1950 Higgins trike in the same well preserved condition as this barmaid! The beer was Black Sheep and the ride home was very slow. These rides are getting something of a ritual with Mark and we have to stick religiously to the same routines and routes, it's all to do with his particular kind of autism. Mind you it makes me happy if we can find good beer and stunning barmaids my age and I am not complaining.
Happy cycling Mick.
Mick Butler Huntingdon Great Britain