[CR]Was Simmy on a Racing Moulton..NOW Classic Parts in Europe and Italy

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

From: "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@talktalk.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 00:12:00 -0000
Subject: [CR]Was Simmy on a Racing Moulton..NOW Classic Parts in Europe and Italy

I don't remember Tommy Simpson riding a Moulton, but I do remember John Woodburn the record-breaking time-triallist doing so.

One of my friends also knew John quite well, as he too, was a time-triallist. When John started knocking out really fast times on his modified Moulton my friend thought it would make good business sense to buy up stocks of all those special Moulton Go-Faster-Goodies in order to corner the market. And so it came to pass that, being also a good friend of Ron Kitching , and the latter being a shrewd business man too, the latter felt disposed, either through friendship or a good nose for future sales..or lack of them .. to let my friend buy all his stock of those special Weinmann-made 17" alloy HP rims developed for racing Moultons. unfortunately my friend did not have the foresight to buy, at the same time, a supply of the special racing tyre that WOLBER made to fit the rims.

In the fullness of time my friend died, following an accident on his bike (not his fault) and his son inherited the business..and a very large stock of 17" Weinmann rims...he still has them ..or he did last year..

The moral of this story is that if anyone on the List is looking for a large stock of classic parts, and if those classic parts happen to be 17" Weinmann alloy HP rims for racing Moultons..then I have the location. And I think it would only be befitting, in the memory of my late friend, if I passed it on so that the rims could find a grateful owner.

However.. I think that my friend's son, being a bright lad, will have had better foresight than his father and, not fore-seeing an upsurge in the fashion of time-trialling on MOultons, he will have by now decided to consign the rims to the scrap metal merchant.

In a similar vein, I have a friend in France who has just passed on to his son the family business..a third generation cycle retailing and wholesaling business in a quiet village in the Loire valley. The business started out in 1947 selling the locally made Helyett bikes alongside CNC Special,, Stella and Motoconfort. In the mid-90s I was allowed to stroll around the old farm buildings on to which the new warehouses and showroom were grafted.

The place was full of old stock going back decades, including a pacing tandem with a motor mounted over the frontwheel A LA VELOSOLEX. A couple of years ago I asked the son, now the new owner after his dad's retirement, if he still had all that old stock..and if so what could I do with it?

Franck had learnt quite a smattering of English through his family's contact with my family..and business, blandly but precisely explained."You know Norris..you teach me good..so how you say it ? 'New brush..it sweeps up clean Eh?'

Cross examination revealed that in the world of Shimano, Campagnolo..and of Suntour (their company had been importers of that brand into France, and still had enormous stocks)..of Corima and Mavic..there was no place for the likes of Simplex, and Huret..and all those old-fashioned hubs that didn't take cassettes. I remember the words "la ferraille" - the scrap heap being mentioned.

But that is not always the case..and there are still French sellers on Ebay who can discover some of those stashes of old classic goods..but the finds are becoming more and more rare by the week, particularly of NOS.

Norris Lockley..Settle UK asking "How many pairs of L/F FB-made Campagnolo hubs did you say you wanted?