Re: [CR] Post War Brits / Euro Parts - now early British racing derailleurs and the introduction of the "Continental" craze.

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

From: "Neil Foddering" <neilfoddering@hotmail.com>
To: Simon Bird <simonandonandon@yahoo.com>, Rendezvous Classic <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sun, 9 May 2010 12:16:03 +0000
In-Reply-To: <124660.45944.qm@web57509.mail.re1.yahoo.com>
References: <124660.45944.qm@web57509.mail.re1.yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Post War Brits / Euro Parts - now early British racing derailleurs and the introduction of the "Continental" craze.


In your reference to early adopters of Euro kit and whether early British racing derailleurs were available, the main choices pre-war were the Cyclo Three Star, the Cyclo "Poly", the Cyclo Ace and the Cyclo Oppy ( a modification of the Cyclo Standard). The Ace was a twin-wire version of the Osgear. The Ace and the Oppy were also available post-war, as was a modified "poly", re-named the "Olympic" as a reference to the 1948 Olympic Games in London, together with a Constrictor effort cobbled together in pieces of aluminium and the various Cyclo "Benelux" models.

Before the war, the main continental derailleurs available in the UK were various derailleur models of Simplex and Super Champion (branded "Osgear" by the importers, Constrictor); Brown Brothers' 1939 catalogue also lists the "Super-Inax".

The fashion for "Continental" design appeared in the first half of the 1930s. The report in "Cycling" (October 26 1934 issue) on the Lightweight Show states"....Continental practice has taught the roadman and the tourist, too, the importance of correct positioning in the matter of proper relationship between set, pedals and grips."..."Building bicycles with more upright down tubes is the result."..."Apart from angles the Continental influence will be noticeable in other directions. More bizarre finishes, lug cutaways of new shape and built-in oilers are promised an a number of stands."..."An example of a Duralumin frame will be shown on the Tabucchi stand, along with the new Endrick-shaped Fiamme rim, which is also, of course, an aluminium alloy product."

There is also a photo, captioned "The new Tabucchi 8-oz Duralumin caliper. Note the flat spring 'pull-off'". A pair of these calipers sold on eBay yesterday. See:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260593628774&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Neil Foddering Weymouth, Dorset, England


> Date: Sun, 9 May 2010 02:24:33 -0700
> From: simonandonandon@yahoo.com
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR] Post War Brits / Euro Parts
>
> There is some good stuff here;
> http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/british-components.html
>
> I have heard the description 'Gen' but although I have an idea of what it means have not heard a definition.
>
> Manufacturers' use of 'Continental' as a marketing ploy to describe new designs of British made equipment was not solely a post war phenomenon and as usual seems to represent Britain's slightly odd relationship with 'The Continent' - looking down on Europeans as inferior yet borrowing their designs and alluding to European exoticism to help shift product.
> There was probably a mix of expediency and desire in the early adopters of Euro kit, but massed start racing required gears and there were few British manufacturers offering derailleurs, were any offering racing ones?
>
> Also there was certainly no less posing amongst cyclists then than now, I have read reports of BLRC racers with goggles worn round their upper arms while racing on the dust free roads of southern England riding their 'South of France' bars.
>
> 'Ride and be Damned' By Chas Messenger is an interesting account of the BLRC years.
>
> Simon Bird
> London
> England
>
> --- On Sat, 5/8/10, Anthony Taylor <ajft1942@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> From: Anthony Taylor <ajft1942@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CR] Post War Brits / Euro Parts
> To: "simon bird" <simonandonandon@yahoo.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Date: Saturday, May 8, 2010, 3:05 PM
>
> This thread is interesting, as I came into cycling in the UK in the mid '50s. Just after the period in question. Most of us still
> looked to the British frame manufacturers for the basis of our bikes, but I don't remember any British/European issues with equipment.
> On my first "real" bike, an FH Grubb, it had a mish-mash of equipment on it. Harden hubs, GB bars and stem, Huret deraileurs, etc. When I upgraded to my first new frame (Hetchins) I bought Bayless Wyley hubs on Weinmann rims, Williams chainset, Weinmann brakes. I simply bought the best I couls afford on an apprentice's pay (2 GBP/week!).
> At that time, choices were limited. There were no English gear makers, so one was forced into "foreign" equipment. Wiiliams only made steel chainsets, but one could buy alloy stuff from TA, Stronglight etc. GB brakes were never considered "up to snuff". Weinmann, Mafac, and Universal were the items of choice.
> BH Airlight hubs were fantastice, but expensive, and so it goes......
>
> Ramblings from an old memory.......
>
> Tony Taylor
> Manchester, NH
>
>
>
>
>
> From: simon bird <simonandonandon@yahoo.com>
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Sat, May 8, 2010 4:53:00 PM
> Subject: [CR] Post War Brits / Euro Parts
>
>
> I have no first hand experience of cycling during this era and only know what I have read of the post war British cycling scene. I would also love to hear more first hand accounts.
>
> It seems that European components had more cache with the riders from the BLRC (British League of Racing Cyclists AKA 'The League'). The BLRC were proponents of 'Massed start' races in a European style, as opposed to time trials (as sanctioned by the NCU National Cyclists Union 'the Union').
> There was a lot of friction and enmity between these two organisations and that was reflected in equipment
> choice.
> I'm not sure if a post war time trialist would have been infra dig http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/infra-dig.html equipped with Stronglight/Gnutti/Magistroni rather than Chater-Lea or Williams cranks or spinning on FB rather than BH Airlites hubs.
>
>
> More information needed please.

>

> Simon Bird

> London

> England