Hicking of Hayes - alloy components in the thirties
Author Steve GriffithBuying the 1938 Hicking of Hayes catalogue I was initially attracted by the Patterson sketch on the cover. The cover of a typically British scene was at odds with the inside content which was of a wide range of continental fittings many of them alloy. The rear cover image of a mass-start race suggested a progressive image, Hicking must have been pioneers in this field as this was pre-WW2 when steel was king.
Components listed in alloy are: Lapize Tour de France toeclips, drinking bottle and flasks, Zefal pumps, bars and stems, rims, Dynamos, the Roto-Phare, Brivia chainset, bells, Bowden brakes, pedals, mudguards, seatpins, wing nuts, Maillard hubs and gears (Osgear type) and the Caminargent duralumiun frame. all in all, pretty much everything you would need to build up a bike. One of their special items which has subsequently disappeared was the chain oiler, fitted to the seat tube which drips oil on the chainring when lowered. Also the clipon toeclips as opposed to bolt-on ones which would be very useful for moving from one set of pedals to another. Hicking seem to have used the trade name ‘Bell’ for a number of their products.
The catalogue is displayed below - click on 'thumbnails' for a larger image.
 Front cover
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 Page one
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 Page two
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 Page three
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 Page four
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 Page five
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 Page six
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 Page seven
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 Page eight
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 Page nine
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 Page ten
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 Page eleven
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Rear cover - taken from the 'Bicycle'