This historical review is interesting, especially for us DC area types who grew up with this stuff. Much of what has been written seems to fit fairly well into my fuzzy memories of the times. However, I think Fred Kelley was building frames under the Alpine name at least by the early 80's. A roommate of mine had a custom Alpine built by Kelley which had to be around that time due to the time we shared the house. Roomie was also racing locally at the time. I don't know the whole story, but maybe Kelley started making the frames under some sort of agreement with GCS, but I do know there was ultimately a dispute of some sort. I asked Fred about it at a local D20 race event when my wife was racing, and I got the sense that there were some unpleasant memories, and he didn't really want to get into it. Fred does maintain a list of the serial numbers of frames he built, and will still supply transfers for repaints, at least as of a few couple years ago. I think I still might have contact info for Fred. Maybe I'll try and look him up and see if I can get the true skinny.
Wayne Bingham Lovettsville VA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Tom Dalton Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 5:22 PM To: Peter Koskinen; classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: RE: [CR]Alpine an Georgetown Cycle Sport
As Tom said below, Georgetown Cycle Sport folded in the mid 80's and shortly there after Larry Black opened College Park Bicycles at the foot of the University of Maryland campus in College Park, MD
Just for clarification, I did say the GTCS folded in the mid 80's, but I'm certain Larry started Collge Park well before then. As I said in my message, I was shopping at both stores at one point. If I'm not mistaken, Larry started College Park after the original Georgetown Location closed, and never worked in Bethesda.
FWIW, Ed Slaughter is now working for Merck in some sort of marketing capacity. Small world that it is, ten years after I rode with Ed, I started dating a woman who eventually worked for Ed's wife and who is now part of a marketing consultancy partnership that keeps her in touch with Ed. I also see Paul Pearson around here from time to time, mostly at the Velodrome. The connection between GTCS/Alpine and T-town ran deep, and growing up 3/4 mile south of Wildwood and moving to the Lehigh Valley as an adult, that connection still has some relevance to me.
Peter Koskinen <peter@prkbikes.com> wrote: Georgetown Cycle Sport actually started on 'M' Street in Georgetown, Washington DC in the mid to late 60's with Mike Schwering at the helm. If my memory serves me correctly, the correct address was 3310 M street NW, Washington DC, 2007
Such luminaries like Danny Wagner, Larry Black, Charlie Fredrickson, Joe Saunders, Ian Jackson, the Slaughter brothers, Paul Pearson, and many others got their start in bike racing through that store.
Mike Schwering imported a variety of British, French and Eyetalian framesets. He also sold frames made in America like Paris-Sport from New Jersey, Eisentraut's from Bizzerkley, CA, Some very early Bruce Gordon's, a small company called StrawBerry, etc.
At some point in time, Mike made a deal with MKM Cycles in the UK to buy painted frames without any decals. These framesets were re decaled in the basement of the Georgetown shop with such names as Alpine and C>IIactually was actually a custom auto machine shop that was located in the basement of Georgetown Cycle Sport and its name was Custom Import and Design. I can remember spending a summer in that basement assembling track bikes and the like surrounded by mountains of cardboard and machining equipment and a mid 50's hotrod almost entirely encased in paper and boxes of stuff.
Danny Wagner was an old friend of Mike Schwering's and eventually became the owner/store manager of the Bethesda store which was actually located in the Wildwood Shopping Center which is at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Democracy Blvd.
Mike Schwering passed away in the mid to late 80's GRHS. Danny Wagner retired from the bicycle industry and moved to Montgomery County, MD, Joe Saunders live in California and owns a successful business. At last count, Ian Jackson was living in Florida.
As Tom said below, Georgetown Cycle Sport folded in the mid 80's and shortly there after Larry Black opened College Park Bicycles at the foot of the University of Maryland campus in College Park, MD
Thanx for the memories, Peter Koskinen Chapel Hill, NC, USA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Tom Dalton Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:41 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Alpine an Georgetown Cycle Sport
Georgetown Cycle Sport opened their shop in Bethesda before I was interested in bikes, and I was intially very upset that they had displaced the local Baskin Robbins. The shop eventually drew me in with their skateboard selection. As a young skate rat circa 1977-78 I'd hang out in the shop and annoy the staff, but over time I became captivated by the bikes. I bought an all steel Nishiki Sport at that shop at the end of 6th grade (Spring 1979) with my $135 of lawn mowing and birthday money. I was in my first race in the spring of '80 at the IBM course (D class), about 1/2 mile from GTCS. By the fall of 1980 I had saved up for my first "good" bike which was an Ishiwata-tubed Trek touring frame (why?) with 600EX. It cost a staggering $500. By summer 1981, any possibly earlier, GTCS had set up a "machine shop" in Rockville. In the early 1982 season I was lucky enough to go on some epic-to-me training rides with Ed Slaughter of the Alpine Team, which was the semi-pro/pro team in the region (Other riders included Paul Pearson, Ian Jackson, Art McHugh, Danny Clark...). By that spring, Ed was on one of the first bikes made in Rockville. Later that summer I considered buying one of the Rockville Alpines, but decided instead to buy a Columbus SL/SP Trek from Larry Black (College Park Cycles). So, Alpine was building frames and GTCS was still running their Bethesda shop, in the late summer of 1982. In the summer or 1983 I think I discovered either beer or girls, or both, and I don't recall much riding. In the spring of 1984 I started my first bike shop job at the Bicycle Place, which had moved into the same location as Georgetown, and employed many of the same people, after GTCS folded. Around the time of the fold, Ned Carey and Fred Kelly had bought the Alpine operation. Alpines were the most popular frames among the local DC racers by 1987. I will hold off on any specific comments about the quality of those bikes.
Oh yes, one last thing. The Alpine badged mostly-English bikes, along with a certain amount of frame painting and repair were offered by GTCS going back much further than I can recall. Also, the Junior World's in Rock Creek Park enjoyed some tech support from GTCS, and if I recall correctly there were Alpine neutral support bikes.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA (So close to that mysterious T-Town place where the Alpine guys would disappear to each summer)
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