Re:[CR]Hans Ohrt and the Beverly Hills Shop

(Example: Production Builders:Tonard)

Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 05:35:30 -0700
From: "John Jorgensen" <designzero@earthlink.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re:[CR]Hans Ohrt and the Beverly Hills Shop
References: <MONKEYFOODseZ8J2TaT00006314@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>
x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"

Mike Fabian wrote in part:

Hans Ohrt was mentioned as having various movie stars as clientele.

Many Hollywood families had charge accounts at Hans Ohrt. When I started that era was ending as Hans had passed away long before, there were some interesting exchanges with the O'Neil kids, though, the youngest in my view on the road to ruin. Dustin Hoffman was a crack up, the guy was manic! Later there was a parade of basketball players. There were literally reams of 8x10's autographed to Hans upstairs in storage, don't know what became of them.

One of the shop owner's sons was the last person to see Sharon Tate and friends alive, just a little bit after a Christmas bicycle delivery the attempt at helter skelter started.

I don't know much of Hans's racing career, but he was the USA Olympic Cycling coach for quite a while.

Hans was quite astute at setting up direct importation of brands from Europe, Hopper, Bertin, Rene Herse for a wee bit, The Dura, Moulton (Alex), Bob Jackson all passed through.

One of the last significant orders from Bertin in the 70's was for a run of special frames to compete with Masi, they were of high standard in a flamboyant rust red (not as ordered) and made of 5/10 531 tubing, nice bikes but everyone wanted "Italian" then.

Don't confuse Hans Ohrt in Beverly Hills with Ernie Ohrt in San Francisco, related but not the same.

John Jorgensen
Torrance Ca