The start of mountain biking in Britain 1984 picture thread

Re:

Hey, marvellous to link up after all these years – I remember you well – you had recently returned from working in Japan when you first turned up at the shop, as I recall. Is Norman still around?

I, of course, am the same as ever [so long as I do not look in the mirror].

Re:

And do I remember correctly, that you went off on a round-the-world trip with a Bickerton and telescopic nunchaku? How did that go?

Re:

Crumbs – the nunchakus were that open a secret? How indiscreet of me. They were brilliant for coping with dog attacks. Sadly I had to leave them behind on one later trip, when needing to fly back from Jordan instead of continuing by land and sea.

I was in the middle of travelling, back then, rather than starting off. I had already travelled through SE Asia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, USSR, France, Spain, Morocco, the Pelopponese, Crete, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt and Italy by the time I started working for Norman. When I left, I revisited Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt and the Sinai before touring through northern mainland Greece, and most of the Greek islands. The following trip started at Istanbul and covered central and eastern Turkey, northern Cyprus, Syria and Jordan. Last trip was a month touring around Iran, following the twin-towers disaster.

I haven’t completed a round-the-world hat trick yet, but it is on the cards if I get a whole lot of stuff out the way here in the UK, which hopefully will be by year’s end. Somehow intervening life stories have been interrupting things somewhat!

Re:

And without remotely suggesting that a Bickerton is properly classifiable as a mountain bike, with the ultra low gearing possible it climbs better than most, and even copes with descents so long as those are taken slowly. This is descending a goat track by way of short-cut from the Valley of The Kings to Luxor, prior to ending up at Norman’s.



edit to add: it was just such situations that led me to adapt the Ritchie's style of cantilever brakes to the Bickerton!

Brilliant!

Re: Covent Garden Cycles

Blimey, all the memories.... remember going along with Norman and Howard et al from Covent Garden Cycles riding a loaned Ridgeback at the first Hay Bluff ride- ended with a broken saddle and chastened by going off course after leading the first charge.... also remember seeing Nigel's Bickerton with rear derailleur hung on the wall of the shop.
Rode in Epping Forest with Mark French in 1984, again on a borrowed Ridgeback.... oh happy days. Anyone have any pix of the Hay Bluff ride?

Great thread. Love the pictures, anymore anyone?

Re:

Amazing thread. I can remember riding up to Lee Valley to watch the faring and recumbent bikes race, most prolly back in 84 when i started at UL. Got loads of pics but finding them would be a challenge.