Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Would love to know the history of quality road bike frame builders/shops in Adelaide post 70's, ie Brand, Year, Builders name, Tubing;
I have a rough idea to start a list, but would like to hear from the gurus? (this may already be on web somewhere)

Super Elliot, Pursiut, Reynolds, builder? yr?,
Norwood cycles, Mittaga, tubing?, builder? yr?
Shop? Europa, Reynolds, builder? yr?
Cumberland cycles, Cumberland, Tange2, Kim W?, 1985
Shop? Elan, tubing?, ?,

any other info would be great!

This site may help

great web site!, but not much on post 70's, eg mittiga, elan, europa?

bjammin wrote:Would love to know the history of quality road bike frame builders/shops in Adelaide post 70's, ie Brand, Year, Builders name, Tubing;
I have a rough idea to start a list, but would like to hear from the gurus? (this may already be on web somewhere)

Super Elliot, Pursiut, Reynolds, builder? yr?,
Norwood cycles, Mittaga, tubing?, builder? yr?
Shop? Europa, Reynolds, builder? yr?
Cumberland cycles, Cumberland, Tange2, Kim W?, 1985
Shop? Elan, tubing?, ?,

any other info would be great!

pretty sure elan/abeni were pulteney st cycles

i think there is a polar dealer where the shop used to be (might be next door?)

haven't got time to write anything exhaustive, but here's some snips n bits.

Crannaford was on Halifax St until the early 1980s, race and touring cycles mainly. South side of road (ie opposite from Bicycle Express) closer to King William St.

Backshall Cycles was on Lower NE Road (100m past the Glynde Hotel intersection) until 1980s sometime (??), owned and run by Ron Backshall, who is still active as a chase car driver etc for masters events (saw him in 2008). He used Ron Whitehorn as his bespoke frame builder, as a preference and sold and serviced mainly high end race gear, Simplex, Suntour, Shimano and Campagnolo. A real racers shop that one, and most of the locals used to drop in for a chat on their way up to Gorge Road.

In the 1970s and 1980s there was another bike shop on Glynburn Road 150m south of the Glynde Hotel intersection.

Mittiga's is still going as Norwood Parade Cycles, owned and run by Phil Mittiga, though he no longer offers his own framesets etc. Mostly high end race gear, carries the likes of Orbea and Daccordi.

Clark Cycles on Magill Road, Kensington is still going, but I fear its only a matter of time. I understand age and illness has taken its toll.

Lifecycle is on the lower end of Kensington Road, Norwood, having moved from its original location behind the petrol station at the Fullarton Rd/Alaxandra Ave intersection (Rose Park).
Chris, IIRC is one of the original partners, and in the early days another partner was framebuilder Peter Good who went on to fabricate some very interesting frames, tandem outfits etc. I don't believe he's working in the area any longer, but could be wrong.

Wayne Roberts: mechanic, framebuilder etc etc, was in house framebuilder for latter day Super Elliots, some Pursuits, and welded and marketed his own range of high end race oriented bikes under the Ciombola brand. Aluminium and steel machines, he'd stopped making them by about 2005-2006 I believe, probably because every bastard wanted carbon fibre and a bespoke builder was priced out of the market.

/more

yeh I remember crannafords, it was around where the chimney still is today. I think there was a shop in gawler place near the corner of pirie st who sold peugeot and gitanes? did he sell a generic reynolds 531 frame?

rustychisel wrote:haven't got time to write anything exhaustive, but here's some snips n bits.

Crannaford was on Halifax St until the early 1980s, race and touring cycles mainly. South side of road (ie opposite from Bicycle Express) closer to King William St.

Backshall Cycles was on Lower NE Road (100m past the Glynde Hotel intersection) until 1980s sometime (??), owned and run by Ron Backshall, who is still active as a chase car driver etc for masters events (saw him in 2008). He used Ron Whitehorn as his bespoke frame builder, as a preference and sold and serviced mainly high end race gear, Simplex, Suntour, Shimano and Campagnolo. A real racers shop that one, and most of the locals used to drop in for a chat on their way up to Gorge Road.

In the 1970s and 1980s there was another bike shop on Glynburn Road 150m south of the Glynde Hotel intersection.

Mittiga's is still going as Norwood Parade Cycles, owned and run by Phil Mittiga, though he no longer offers his own framesets etc. Mostly high end race gear, carries the likes of Orbea and Daccordi.

Clark Cycles on Magill Road, Kensington is still going, but I fear its only a matter of time. I understand age and illness has taken its toll.

Lifecycle is on the lower end of Kensington Road, Norwood, having moved from its original location behind the petrol station at the Fullarton Rd/Alaxandra Ave intersection (Rose Park).
Chris, IIRC is one of the original partners, and in the early days another partner was framebuilder Peter Good who went on to fabricate some very interesting frames, tandem outfits etc. I don't believe he's working in the area any longer, but could be wrong.

Wayne Roberts: mechanic, framebuilder etc etc, was in house framebuilder for latter day Super Elliots, some Pursuits, and welded and marketed his own range of high end race oriented bikes under the Ciombola brand. Aluminium and steel machines, he'd stopped making them by about 2005-2006 I believe, probably because every bastard wanted carbon fibre and a bespoke builder was priced out of the market.

/more

Nice work...really nice work

There was a place on the cnr of King William Road and Thomas St, hyde park (I think) - sort of near MegaBike / Spats

Old guy (talking late 1970s) used to own it

Had an indoor test track

Real estate alone is worth squillions!!

Remember Crannafords

Recycle behind the servo used to rock - My ninja bike (see signature below) was bought from there. Bought my daughter's 24inch from the Kensington Rd store this year, some 15 years on. From Mike - did not remember me )-:

** Get this, I was still in the computer system (as a single Tom cat about town though!!!!)

As a reference point, am 40-1

Sven

Backshall Cycles was on Lower NE Road (100m past the Glynde Hotel intersection) until 1980s sometime (??), owned and run by Ron Backshall, who is still active as a chase car driver etc for masters events (saw him in 2008). He used Ron Whitehorn as his bespoke frame builder, as a preference and sold and serviced mainly high end race gear, Simplex, Suntour, Shimano and Campagnolo. A real racers shop that one, and most of the locals used to drop in for a chat on their way up to Gorge Road

I remember going to this store often and admiring the vitus that was in the shop, couldnt afford it but definetly was a real racers shop

In the 1970s and 1980s there was another bike shop on Glynburn Road 150m south of the Glynde Hotel intersection.

I used to check this shop out often and from memory but could be wrong they catered more for the family shopper
I cant remember allot of racing stuff being there

All true, Silver.

Backshall had the first Alan frame I ever saw, in about 1978~79. I spent quite a bit of money in that shop, bought all my Suntour Cyclone stuff there, probably my first pair of Courieur shoes, pretty sure I bought my Detto Pietro's there, stuff like that.

Look whats on gumtree, not mine but I've had discussions with the owner in the past.

http://adelaide.gumtree.com.au/c-Stuff- ... Z337423519

I did see that Ciombola, unfortunately it was alluminium. Have still seen a few very nice steel ones around (columbus?), I nearly bought one mid nineties, from trak? cycles marion. Apparently they were made in holden hill.

yeah, that's a very early Ciombola, some kind of 6062 aluminium I'd think, and a Kinesis fork. Perhaps not a collectable.

One of my riding mates used to have a very nice red and blue Ciombola, which he sold, silly sod.

Only just got back into cycling after a number of years. I am showing my age a bit, but perhaps can help. I used to love Backshalls and I also used to purchase my suntour parts there when I had saved enough money. The shop further down the road was Glynde Cycles, opposite the pub, it was owned by Trevor and I used to spend hours in there. He used to let me use his tools, showed me how to build wheels, it was a great place. Cumberland Park cycles have been around for at least 35 years and used to build their frames out the back of their shop which was further north along Goodwood Road from where the shop is now. The shop that has surprisingly been missed is International Cycles. It was on the corner of Semaphore Road and Military Road, Semaphore. I think there is a health food shop there now. Charlie Guissethe (I am not sure how it is spelt) used to build custom frames using Reynolds or Columbus tubes and build wheels using Campag Record hubs, not cheap but I loved my bike.

That would be Charlie Giessauf, some of whom frames are still around.

So is International Cycles, on Payneham Road at Stepney, opposite the Dan Murphy's store. SA distributor for Teschner cycles. Darren O'Grady used to work there a few years ago, and Peter (surname??) who owns the store is one of the very best mechanics in Adelaide.


QUESTION FOR ALL

Does anyone remember a bike shop on Portrush Road at Toorak Gardens in the late 1980s or early 1990s?
I have a bike with their sticker on the frame, but have no knowledge or memory of the shop, which I assume must have been in the small strip of shops immediately before the Greenhill/Portrush intersection. I'm guessing the shop must have been short-lived, and provisionally dated it only because of the bike and components...

Anyone?

rustychisel wrote:That would be Charlie Giessauf, some of whom frames are still around.

So is International Cycles, on Payneham Road at Stepney, opposite the Dan Murphy's store. SA distributor for Teschner cycles. Darren O'Grady used to work there a few years ago, and Peter Giessauf, Charlie's son, who owns the store is one of the very best mechanics in Australia.

ftfy

thanks, I wondered if Peter was 'Giessauf' but I didn't sound right. Cheers,

A

Probably a bit later than the post was first asking, but we bought a custom tandem frame from Peroni cycles who used to be on South Rd or Marion Rd around Edwardstown, basically a Hi-tensile tandem with twin small diameter top tubes, we ordered it with MTB brake posts which were a new thing then, we added V-brakes which were very new then we had a shorter rear seat tube as my daughter was then a bit younger and smaller The shop shut down around the time we collected the frame! I think it was about 1992 when they shut?

I did also buy a Europa racing bike from the Pulteny St store, great ride till it hit a car

Cheerio,
Chris

I've just bought a lovely track bike which has some old fashioned decals with the name Lawson on it. Apparently he was a bike builder in Adelaide but moved into building wheelchairs? Information is sketchy, wondering if this is the Peter you guys might be referring to? Anyone know anything more about him or his bikes? Or come across any information through this thread?

the same though occurred to me, being vague on names. An old friend of mine has a 531 road frame he built, I recalled he said 'Peter Goode' but maybe not. Perhaps ask at Lifecycle...?

Peter Good? - don't know...possibly Peter Rohde? I know someone of that name used to build frames under the name "Thorogood". A guy I know who lives up in the Barossa and is a serious mileage hound used to have one. It was an unusual brown colour and was a custom Reynolds 631 frame, if I recall correctly.

I don't know if this is the same Peter Rohde who used to be involved with the Redlegs and is now with Port Power- although I think it might be.

Not Peter Rohde, who cycle[d] and is operations manager at a footer club or something. I owned, and sold his former tri bike (seen here outside a home quite familiar to you) so that's where your recollection comes from. His name is painted on the TT.

I've got his road bike. Same markings as the bike above. I bought it off ebay from the Mt Barker scout recycling depot for about $80 I think. It has quite a bit more rust than the other one but still rideable. The RH bottom bracket cup was almost seized until I found the right tool to remove it. That was in september last year and it's sat in my shed up until a few days ago when I started rebuilding it. I've put my old Shimano 105 5700 groupset on it with some R500 wheels. The steering seems to be really twitchy but that may be because it currently has a 90mm stem, but also the head angle is fairly steep. I'll put a few pictures up when I finish building it in tomorrow or Thursday.

Pulteney St Cycles is where I purchased my Elan in '89.

Hi all,
I have a nice bike that is labelled "Custom Built Cycles" - Adelaide SA. I have no more info, but would like to know more. I think it is maybe from the 70's, but that is a guess. It has cotter pins on the crank.
I also have an Europa. I think the Europa brand were from Sydney, there is still a shop there.