Harry Hall - 1963

I purchased this bike when a teenager, initially as a frame only, my father driving me across the Pennines from our home near Chesterfield to Harry Hall`s shop in Manchester to collect it, where I traded in my Viking Severn Valley as part exchange. I then built up the bike using components many of which I bought from Websters bike shop in Chesterfield (or Webby`s as it was known). One of his bikes also features in Classic Lightweights. Originally the bike had Simplex Delrin gears (hence the Simplex rear dropouts) but sadly these expired and I have never come across replacements. The frame was resprayed in 1988 by Skill Enamellers (ex- Raleigh Ilkeston) in a blue colour scheme which was in-vogue at the time but which I now regret, wishing I had stuck with the original white with blue headstock. The bike has served me well over the years, being used as a racer, a tourer and a commuter.

The frame builder, Harry Hall, was an amateur racing cyclist who opened a shop in Manchester in 1957 and started producing custom built frames which were used by many of the top cyclists of the time. Harry gained a reputation as a top mechanic and he and his shop became famous for providing a neutral service vehicle (a mini) at many UK events. Harry was also mechanic to Tom Simpson during the ill-fated 1967 Tour de France.

Harry retired from the shop in 1989, started racing again and amongst his victories included the British National & World Age Related Championship.
Sadly, Harry died in 2007, but his shop “Harry Hall Cycles” still exists in Manchester and is run by his son Graham.