Classic British Frame Builders Mapped - New Website

[southcoast]

Donington cycles, I believed the address was 55 High Street Penge SE20 (ex Holdsworth shop).

 

[Ian H]

Down here we had Stan Pike who built frames in a lean-to in Crewkerne. I know people named Chubb and Trout who rode Pikes. Stan died suddenly in 1983. http://www.stanpikecycles.co.uk/

We also had Graham Tomlinson, who I believe was taught by Stan. He had a reputation for seldom building a straight frame. There are still quite a few of his about.

Pete Luxton built several frames, mostly for family and friends, but sold a few as well. I have seen the occasional one for sale. One of his unfinished projects was to build himself a copy of Graham Obree's record-breaking machine (the one that looked a bit like a shopper).

Also Pete Tansley, who built my racing tandem, made rather fine frames in Exeter. Another retired frame-builder, Chas May, lives nearby.

 

[Cambram]

Here's a bit about A.J Hodge, who built bikes in Luton from 1933 to 1966 (before that he had shops in Wood Green and Tottenham)

http://www.shuttleworth.org/collection/1938-a-j-hodge-tandem/

Also in Luton we had the shops of Ivor Holmes and B. Liddell who both had bikes in their name but I'm not sure who actually built them. I don't think Ivor Holmes did but Liddell's might have.
https://h-lloyd-cycles.myshopify.com/collections/liddell-luton

I suppose both shops might have bought frames from Pop Hodge?

 

[Cambram]

In 1951 I started an apprenticeship in Luton. I was in digs, aged 16, and a couple of streets away I found AJ (Pop) Hodge Cycles operating out of an end of terrace converted house. My club mates in north Cambridgeshire all had Claud Butler or Holdsworth frames but I found that a Hodge frame would be a bit cheaper. I had a chat with delightful old Pop and found that he was keen to involve young customers, like myself, in the various stages of frame building. So decisions needed... Wheel size (27" was replacing 26" diameter), track or road - this determined bottom bracket height, seat tube angle and height, top tube length, head angle, fork rake, type of tubing (531 double taper of course), track ends or drop out, do you need mudguard and deraillier fixings, light brackets , type of lugs (pressed steel or best French cast lugs). Then chromium plated ends, colour choice (any colour), contrasting panels. Finished frames were sent out for plating and painting somewhere in London. Having worked through all this and wishing that I had ordered a Claud Butler or Holdsworth like my country dwelling clubmates there was another challenge. Pop, who was 74 at this time only worked in the evening along with two other men who I seem to remember were toolmakers at SKF bearings during the day. So I was called upon to come in the evening and the first task was to file the best French lugs to give a nice low stress-raising joint. I realised that I was to be given a bit of engineering training as well as getting a frame. Then cutting some of the tubes to length and putting everything together in the brazing jig to suit the size and angles specified. Done any brazing?, he asked. At this time I hadn't so the art of brazing was explained and I had a go on some spare steel. Fortunately the regular guys did the proper brazing and a few days later the frame was sent for plating and painting. After a week or so I went to collect the frame and it looked superb. Pop proudly showed the decals. A J Hodge Cycles on the head tube and down tube, Reynolds 531 at the top of seat tube, and another little decal saying World Champion 19?? . He explained that his frame was the only UK cycle to have this distinction. Sadly I can't remember the rider or the event. Pop was a pipe smoker and used Swann Vestas matches in regular relights. He showed me that the fancy border of his championship decal came from back of the Swan Vestas matchbox.

In his little office there was a sepia coloured framed photo on the wall showing a handful of cyclists on Pennyfarthings starting on a race. He pointed out that one of them was him in earlier days and that he had won the race.

Website

shows a picture of Pop at about the same time that I bought my frame(s) from him. It captures him completely as I remember him.

Later I bought another road frame from Pop and ordered and collected another frame for a clubmate in the next couple of years.

I only saw him down-cast once when I called in. There was a cycle with bent front wheel and frame (yellow, I seem to remember) with some dried blood still on it. A promising young rider (Luton Wheelers, perhaps) had crashed into a stationary vehicle on an evening 10 TT and unfortunately had died. Pop said he couldn't bring himself to dismantle the cycle.

My photo, scanned from an early colour slide taken in 1955 shows my first Hodge frame.

Good memories!

Oh, I think the total cost of the frame was about £12 - 10 shillings.

 

[oldtel]

Hi,
great story, lovely memories, just to fill in the gaps, it was 1922 and Dave Marsh winning the World Amateur Road Championship on a Holly ( Pop Hodges first marque ), it was in the form of a 100 mile time trial, those were the days. This is my Hodge from 1937 ish.

 

[Kempstonian]

A couple of nice bikes there guys!

I lived in Luton but can't for the life of me remember where Pop Hodge's shop was. I don't think I ever went there. My shop of preference in those days was Ivor Holmes, which was a small shop in Leagrave, part of his garage.

Liddells bike shop was at the top of Beech Hill and I did go in there sometimes.

Cambram, were you in one of the Luton clubs? Only the Icknield Road Club is still going now and its no longer based in Luton. There were three others, The Luton Wheelers, Luton Arrow and Luton Alph Velo (which was created after the other three in around 1963/4).

 

[Kempstonian]

Incidentally, I won b***** all racing my bike but I did win the Luton Arrow darts championship one year (still got the medal they gave me!).

 

[netman]

This is my Hodge from 1937 ish. View attachment 482168

That is an absolute beauty - chapeau sir...

 

[Cambram]

Hi,
great story, lovely memories, just to fill in the gaps, it was 1922 and Dave Marsh winning the World Amateur Road Championship on a Holly ( Pop Hodges first marque ), it was in the form of a 100 mile time trial, those were the days. This is my Hodge from 1937 ish. View attachment 482168

Thanks oldtel - yes Dave Marsh was the guy. Lovely bike. Wish I had kept mine!

 

[Cambram]

A couple of nice bikes there guys!

I lived in Luton but can't for the life of me remember where Pop Hodge's shop was. I don't think I ever went there. My shop of preference in those days was Ivor Holmes, which was a small shop in Leagrave, part of his garage.

Liddells bike shop was at the top of Beech Hill and I did go in there sometimes.

Cambram, were you in one of the Luton clubs? Only the Icknield Road Club is still going now and its no longer based in Luton. There were three others, The Luton Wheelers, Luton Arrow and Luton Alph Velo (which was created after the other three in around 1963/4).

Hi Kempstonian, when I knew Pop Hodge there was no shop. Only the terrace house converted into a frame making workshop.
My "digs" were with Mr and Mrs Tysoe, 22 Stanley Street. Pops premises were not far from there going towards George Street.

I didn't ride with any of the bike clubs in Luton. I was an apprentice at Napiers but, being quite young I used to bike to north Cambridgeshire after work on a Friday to take my washing home and get a decent meal, see my mates and probably do a 10 or 25 and then go back to Luton on Sunday evening. In really bad weather I took the train from Hitchin. No direct trains from Luton to Cambridge! If they got 16 year olds to do that these days it would be child cruelty.
I made a bit of a mess with my original posting and somehow got 2 pictures of me. The first picture should have been this link http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2010/3/4/talking-of-bicycle-evolution.html
This has the picture of Pop.

 

[Kempstonian]

Oh I know Stanley Street but I was racing around the time Pop died, so I doubt if he would have been working at that time. His bikes were still around amongst local club members and seemed well regarded (as they still are).

Nice picture of old Pop

 

[Cambram]

Oh I know Stanley Street but I was racing around the time Pop died, so I doubt if he would have been working at that time. His bikes were still around amongst local club members and seemed well regarded (as they still are).

Nice picture of old Pop

 

[Cambram]

I found this invoice for the frame in my photo. Dated 5/3/52 for £13.10.00 - my memory said £12.10.00 but I obviously forgot about the chain wheel and cranks! The frame number was 1142. It is for a 22" frame enamelled Eau de Nil with black panels and lining and chrome front and rear forks. This was about the time that davesbikeblog (link above) photo was taken. I remember the bare brick walls as shown. The premises was 52a Princess street, pretty much as I envisioned above. Lots of records shown on the left hand side of the invoice. It is unusual to find an invoice from this date without a postage stamp to "certify" the payment.

I don't save a lot of old invoices but this was with some memorabilia from my time at Luton and was probably due to the frame being my first big purchase after starting work.

 

[midlife]

Eau de nil, I loved the colour BITD even Carlton did their Clubman in it lol

 

[Kempstonian]

I found this invoice for the frame in my photo. Dated 5/3/52 for £13.10.00 - my memory said £12.10.00 but I obviously forgot about the chain wheel and cranks! The frame number was 1142. It is for a 22" frame enamelled Eau de Nil with black panels and lining and chrome front and rear forks. This was about the time that davesbikeblog (link above) photo was taken. I remember the bare brick walls as shown. The premises was 52a Princess street, pretty much as I envisioned above. Lots of records shown on the left hand side of the invoice. It is unusual to find an invoice from this date without a postage stamp to "certify" the payment.

I don't save a lot of old invoices but this was with some memorabilia from my time at Luton and was probably due to the frame being my first big purchase after starting work.

The building is still there... this may interest you:

I expect its changed quite a bit though