Bikes in far away places
Mon, April 6, 2020 
I left England in 1979 and moved to The United States, many of the bikes I built there are still being used in the UK, and a few have migrated to other countries in the years since I left. For example, this one that now lives in Tournus, France, just north of Lyon, and not far from the Swiss and Italian border. The bike’s owner emailed me:
I went to work in Worcester (England!) about the year Dave shut down there and moved to America, A year later in 1980 I bought frame number M8275 second hand, (Only just!) in order to cycle to work from a nearby village.
It was, and still is completely magic, it flies along and hardly needs to be pedaled. In 1991 it brought me to France, and we had many adventures along the way and it has never gone back to England, me neither!
It has taken me on any journeys here loaded with camping gear and days out with a child's seat on the back with the occupant shrieking, "Plus vite, plus vite!" (Faster, faster.) and her mother pedaling hard to keep up with us while it seemed I didn't need to pedal. The occupant of the seat is now finishished her medical training at Lyon University!
The famous bike is now on its third set of wheels and second saddle but still has the original paint. It also still goes like the wind and compared with a carbon fiber bike made for the Tour de France, doesn't seem any heavier when I ride it.
Here at Tournus, where I live we have "Le Musée du Vélo" possibly the world’s most comprehensive cycle museum which attracts hordes of Dutch cyclists every year.
Steve Woolford.
Do you have any stories to share about a bike that I built, where ever it might be now?
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Reader Comments (5)
Dave, check your inbox for the bike registry. I sent an email concerning Fuso No. 350 :)
Thanks for making such wonderful bikes.
Derik
If the US drives you crackers, Dave, try South Africa.
"Tubbies" are not referring to persons of mildly overwight persuasion and the "bi Blade" is not used for shaving, carving the Sunday joint or hacking your way through an overgrown back garden ...
What year did you build your FIRST frame and Forks Dave early 1970s? There are thousands of British frames and forks built in the early 1900s still in use all over the world. If only bikes could talk HUH!!! I often wonder, what ever happened to my first racing frame and forks, that I had Billy Gameson in Brum build for me, the tales it could tell.
Please pass back to Steve Woolford our best wishes for his medical doctor daughter from Lyon University.
Hi Dave - that's an amazing legacy you've left behind for the bike industry. Though I think you might need to add some explanation for the pronunciation of "Worcester" for non-UK folk!
Best,
Ben (from Yorkshire)