Humber & Co. Ltd, Beeston Thomas Humber founded a bicycle manufacturing business in Nottingham which moved in about 1878 to Beeston - the factory stands on what is now known, unsurprisingly, as Humber Road. He developed and patented the safety bicycle (1884). Humber's design still forms the design basis for most bikes today. It was known as the safety bicycle as the previous design, the "ordinary", or penny farthing, wasn't particularly safe. (Use your imagination!) This patent was a whole year before Raleigh was even founded. Potted History The Humber became known worldwide for its quality and was considered to be "the aristocrat among bicycles". Raleigh started producing bikes in Nottingham, and by 1913 was the largest cycle manufacturer in the world. Eventually, Humber became more interested in producing cars and Raleigh bought the Humber trademarks in 1932...so whilst Nottingham has a rich cycling heritage, it all began in Beeston! |
Sid Standard, Cycle Inn and Beeston Road Club
There's hardly a serious cyclist in Nottingham who hasn't heard of Sid Standard...an enthusiast who's influence on cycling is legendary...In fact, this influence continues to be felt in the cycling world at the highest level - even today.
Sid worked as an engineer at Raleigh where he was involved in the design of Sturmey Archer gears. He set up a shop in Beeston which today is known as the Cycle Inn. Not only did Sid make framesets there, but as president of Beeston Road Club he inspired countless youngsters to get into cycling. Known as "Sid's Juniors", many went on to compete on the world stage - and Beeston RC boasts 2 Olympic medalists, and no fewer than 15 National champions.
One of these juniors, Simon Burney, was the GB team manager for the Olympic squad at Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). More recently, he was responsible for the mountain Bike course at the 2012 games.
Another famous member of BRC is the designer, Sir Paul Smith who still pops into the shop occasionally.
Sid underwent major heart surgery at around 70, then bounced back to continue his cycling...still managing rides of 100 miles. He died after a collision with a tractor in 2003. So highly regarded was he, that 500 cyclists rode to his funeral and the police stopped traffic on the A52! Cyclists from all over the region still make an annual pilgrimage to Shottle Gate where the accident happened.
Sid's shop, now called the Cycle Inn (recently under new management) is still a fascinating place to talk bikes and view memorabilia and photos of Beeston's cycling past. The pics at the top of this piece are of the display cabinet. The old light was used by resident mechanic Kev's dad to do his paper round as a boy. The cycling tradition runs deep in Beeston! There are some great pictures of the shop and Sid on the Superbe website (Superbe was Sid's branding for his frames...) Click the button for more detail
Sid Standard, Cycle Inn and Beeston Road Club
There's hardly a serious cyclist in Nottingham who hasn't heard of Sid Standard...an enthusiast who's influence on cycling is legendary...In fact, this influence continues to be felt in the cycling world at the highest level - even today.
Sid worked as an engineer at Raleigh where he was involved in the design of Sturmey Archer gears. He set up a shop in Beeston which today is known as the Cycle Inn. Not only did Sid make framesets there, but as president of Beeston Road Club he inspired countless youngsters to get into cycling. Known as "Sid's Juniors", many went on to compete on the world stage - and Beeston RC boasts 2 Olympic medalists, and no fewer than 15 National champions.
One of these juniors, Simon Burney, was the GB team manager for the Olympic squad at Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). More recently, he was responsible for the mountain Bike course at the 2012 games.
Another famous member of BRC is the designer, Sir Paul Smith who still pops into the shop occasionally.
Sid underwent major heart surgery at around 70, then bounced back to continue his cycling...still managing rides of 100 miles. He died after a collision with a tractor in 2003. So highly regarded was he, that 500 cyclists rode to his funeral and the police stopped traffic on the A52! Cyclists from all over the region still make an annual pilgrimage to Shottle Gate where the accident happened.
Sid's shop, now called the Cycle Inn (recently under new management) is still a fascinating place to talk bikes and view memorabilia and photos of Beeston's cycling past. The pics at the top of this piece are of the display cabinet. The old light was used by resident mechanic Kev's dad to do his paper round as a boy. The cycling tradition runs deep in Beeston! There are some great pictures of the shop and Sid on the Superbe website (Superbe was Sid's branding for his frames...) Click the button for more detail
Cutting Edge Stuff Continues in Beeston
In the 2012 Olympics, Wiggo and Froome caused a stir by abandoning their Sky issue Pinarrelos and riding more understated machines. These bikes were designed and built in Beeston! Yep, that's right...Beeston...in an unassuming office above a shop on the High Road. The same bikes were ridden by the rest of the team...Cavendish, Pendleton, Hoy et al.
Well...the bikes were definitely designed in Beeston by Metron Advanced Equipment. They specify that the bikes were "designed and built in the East Midlands", so I can't promise the building actually took place in Beeston. But that's a reasonable inference. Parts were sourced locally, too, from companies in Langley Mill and Ilkeston!
Click the buttons fo discover more.
In the 2012 Olympics, Wiggo and Froome caused a stir by abandoning their Sky issue Pinarrelos and riding more understated machines. These bikes were designed and built in Beeston! Yep, that's right...Beeston...in an unassuming office above a shop on the High Road. The same bikes were ridden by the rest of the team...Cavendish, Pendleton, Hoy et al.
Well...the bikes were definitely designed in Beeston by Metron Advanced Equipment. They specify that the bikes were "designed and built in the East Midlands", so I can't promise the building actually took place in Beeston. But that's a reasonable inference. Parts were sourced locally, too, from companies in Langley Mill and Ilkeston!
Click the buttons fo discover more.