VETERAN CYCLE GUIDE
VETERAN CYCLE & MOTORCYCLE GUIDE
In recent years , we ’ ve invited intrepid owners of veteran cycles and motorcycles to take part in the Run . Here are the marques you ’ re likely to see in 2023 .
Cyclists on the 2022 Veteran Car Run
CYCLES
Birmingham Small Arms Co Ltd ( BSA ) Although the Birmingham Small Arms Co Ltd ( BSA ) began supplying munitions for government contracts from 1861 it turned to making bicycles , albeit briefly , during the mid-1880s . However from 1892 it re-entered the cycle trade specialising in producing precision parts for cycles which were sold to the retail and wholesale bicycle makers . The quality and reputation of its components were second to none and they sold well in the domestic and overseas markets . Surviving examples of BSA fittings machines can be identified from the distinctive components often marked with the trademark ‘ piled rifles ’ but are difficult to attribute to its builder unless the original transfers or head badge survive . The example in the Run was made in 1903 and has a rear Bowden cable-operated brake which was also made in Birmingham in Tyseley not very far from Small Heath where BSA components were made .
Centaur The Centaur Bicycle Co was founded by Thomas Townsend in Coventry but was left in the capable hands of Edmund Mushing and George Gilbert who managed the company from 1876 . They manufactured bicycles and tricycles and from the 1890s the focus of the firm was on reducing the weight of bicycles . During the bicycle ‘ boom ’ the company was publicly floated as the New Centaur Cycle Co Ltd and it maintained its reputation as a high quality manufacturer . This was recognised with its introduction of the X-frame model called the Featherweight which was the top of its product range from 1900 and continued being made after the company was taken over by Humber Ltd in 1910 . The 1901 example entered into the Run for the second time this year is owned by the Veteran-Cycle Club and recently restored as a rideable example .
62 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run