[CR]Re: Maurice Selbach & Alf West & Sheldon Family

(Example: Framebuilding:Norris Lockley)

From: "Joe King" <joeking@fastmail.fm>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:09:25 +0000
Subject: [CR]Re: Maurice Selbach & Alf West & Sheldon Family

Dear Ray & The Sheldon Family, I made a phone call on your behalf to an old cycling mate, this is what he has come up with. TANDEM 100 MILE RECORD BEATEN Saturday 25th. September 1920. On Saturday morning an old long standing R.R.A tandem record was beaten. Maurice Selbach and Alf Woods of the Unity Cycling Club mad an attempt on the 100 mile figures of 4H 36m 29s put up by Ilsley Brothers of the North Road Cycling Club in 1902 and succeeded so well that the record was beaten by 8m 31s. They used a gear of 90" with 6.5" cranks. The pair were started at the Hounslow end of the Bath Road by Mr.J.Dudley Daymond. The first 50 were covered in 2h 14.5m. At 56 miles they turned back eastwards into a stiff north easterly breeze and finished their ride in 4h 27m 58s. Interestingly my expert mate says steel rims and wired on tyres. The old Ilsley record was made on a straight out course on the Great North Road. This was the same morning that Harry Green put up his solo "100" which actually beat the tandem figures at that time. On this very same Saturday an unsuccessful attempt on the record was made by W. hinds and D.A.walker of the Bath Road club who started 15 minutes earlier than the triumphant pair. Yes that is W.Hinds of the famous British jewelry shop chain. timed by Mr.J.Burden Barnes they started off well but later retired through tubular trouble. Is this the reason that Selbach and Woods opted for H.P. tyres? That following Monday E.B.Shaw and Frank Armond of the North Road C.C started from Edinburgh to attack the tandem records to york, London and for 24 hours. They had an accident at Newcastle which curtailed their record attempts. Also on that weekend Charlie F. Davey of the Vegetarian C.c made an unsuccessful attempt on the Southern 12 hours record which then stood at 213.5 miles and was held by G.Cumine.Scheduled for 219 miles. Charlie was started by Mr. Val Waterhouse in continual rain and although he kept to his time table for many hours the cold and rain did not suit him. He devolped cold and stiffness and climbed off at 142 miles. Davey had already ridden 215 miles in 12 hours in competition but this did not count as a record. It was in the Annerley 2122 of 1911 when Fred Grubb rode 220.5 miles. Charlie Davey, Ching Allin and Fred Grubb were all connected by either business interests or club ties. Allin & Grubb Cycle Makers. Allin & Davey Cycle Makers, F.H.Grubb Cycle Makers. Davey quick release, Grubb quick release. Vegetarian Cycling Club and Norwood Paragon C.C. etc. This is exactly the time of the very acrimonious split with Ching and Fred. Hence you had "The Original Grubb Cycles" being built by Ching Allin at his shop in Whitehorse Road Croydon with the then novel quick release wheels and Fred Grubb a stones throw away in his shop at 220 London Road Croydon. Charlie Davey and Ching must have been very sick that the Grubb 12 record was not bettered their was no love lost there. The chap who provided all this information has done the London to York, London to Edinburgh and York to Edinburgh on a tandem trike but not at record breaking speeds but still pretty damn quick for charity. Finally there were forur members of the Ilsley family who were members of the North road. Sorry this is not as interesting as French eBay or Jacques frame size but it is British. Croeso Cymru Joe King Nr. Maenaddwyn Ynys Mon Wales