Major Nichols. was mentioned in a previous Digest, I got to day.my monthy
newsletter from the Midland C&AC club in England, I have been a member now
for 58 years!!! use to race for them in the late 40s and 50s. Obituary, Major
Nichols bikes where not just the choice of champions and club riders in the
Midlands, these masterpieces were to be seen across the Uk and abroad too,
from the 50s through the 1980s, Nichols was a tribute to the fine engineering
for which the country became famous, he probly built 2,000 bikes over the 40
years, with his top model being the Road Record Sprint. Goes on the mention
that he was an electrician in heavy industry in WW2 his family in show business.
served in the Royal Navy in WW2 as a gyroscopic tech, not content to to
jusrt sell bikes he learnd to build them as well, he was 91 when he died in a
West Bromich,Near Birmingham, nursing home. I never did buy or ride a Major
Nichols bike, but had mates in the club that did, my bike of choice as a 1949
Claud Butler that I had built to my specs, finished in the club colours light
blue and dark blue, single fixed it was a Road Path with track ends 531 DB luged
etc, VERY still NO Flex!!! use it for timetrials, did a 58min 25mile in 1950
on a fine Sunday that summer came on that year!!! also rode the CB on the
track and hill climbs, that I did very well on, I now have a 1951 Bates BAR in
531 Cantiflex tubing, Cigar shaped, that I was told,a way to offset the flex
problem??? ALSO I have NOT heard from anyone about a Vittoria Frame. Hello
anyone home??? someone MUST know something about Vittoria, Cheers John Crump
OldBrit