Hi, Mick, All--
On my very short trip to England this summer I was fortunate enough to meet with the author of the above book, Lon Pullen, who is now 85 and still chipper! We had a nice chat and he gave me an article from The Bicycle, which he had written in 1950 about the then-recent evolution in frame design. He also told me some great stories about Jacques Anquetil, as relayed to him by Lon's longtime friend, Raymond Poulidor. Some really wild stuff!
My initial interest in meeting Lon centered around his knowledge of the club racing scene of the '50s and also regarding Charles Bertrand cycles, from North Finchley in London. I had been fortunate enough to buy an exceptional c1950 Bertrand spearpoint frameset from Peter Paine, and about 1950 Lon had designed a quite unique twin-tubed tandem for Bertrand, The Sololite, and knew something about the company, as then run by Eddie Sage. The Sololite tandem was highlighted in the VCC's News & Views in 2001, I believe, and in the article Lon tells a bit of the story of how, on the maiden voyage of the Sololite tandem, he and his younger brother were beating the famous time trialer Ken Joy and his partner----until a stripped hub gear and a lost pedal put the damper on their outing.
Like Mick Butler, Lon is a font of wit and wisdom, and shows no signs of slowing down, making jaunts to the Continent like a sailor on holiday!
BTW, my Bertrand spearpoing frameset has been restored by Mercian and is partially built up. I will post photos when she's all there. But she ain't there yet.
Cheerio,
The Keen Clubman
Peter Jourdain
Whitewater, Wisconsin
> I have for sale a good to fair ex-library hardback
> copy of THE CYCLING HANDBOOK by A.L.PULLEN. Great
> 50's/60's must have technical handbook with lots of
> illustrations and maintenance instructions on gears
> and touring and racing equipment of the day. Lots of
> pictures and line drawings. Dust wrapper Mylar
> protected some library stamps present. This is the
> 3rd. edition 1960.
> Price including air postage £12.00.
> Please contact off list
>
> Thats all for now. Keep those wheels spinning, in
> your memories if not still on the road. Be lucky
> Mick Butler Huntingdon UK.
>
>
>
>
>
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