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At the risk of being ridiculed... ***New info please read***

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oldschoolace:
Just got this from Gary  :daumenhoch:


"Hi Clint,

What can I say - I must be getting sentimental in my old age but I'm so made up that the bike is still around. I have such good memories of it in my youth. Couldn't stop smiling or telling people about it when dad told me.

So. The first bit. I have only managed to find one photo of it so far. Christmas day 1980? (could be 1981). Find that attached. Me and Cranwar on the left and my brother with Torker 280x on the right. We had rubbish cameras back then so its not the best but you can see the distinctive sweeping shape of the bracing (with the cat that isn't really shown on my photo).

It was made by Gerry (Jonty) Johnson in the shop behind the main wooden garage on Tividale Street. It was (and amazingly now still is) the only one ever made. It was made as a Christmas present to me to replace the Team Murray I had been riding for a year or two. Gerry made it quite short at the back in an attempt to get more traction on loose tracks.
Gerry himself was one the best pipe benders and welders I have ever seen. He also knew pretty much everything you could know about building race bikes and was responsible for designing and building grass track sidecar frames for multiple British champions. Steve Smith, Craig Cheetham, Alan Artus, my cousin Mark Nelson to name but a few.
I spent many happy times with Gerry in my teens, traveling the country to race meetings and helping prepare the bikes. He sadly died many years ago now.
The cat itself was actually cut out by Len Crane - another important person in my life who we sadly lost in February this year. I remember him telling me how he had cut out the cat in both plates in the workshop at the back of the transport yard a little further along Tividale Street. Of course Len was the person who was responsible for getting me into steam engines.

Was I any good? Not really. Although the older I get the better I was! We were keen and raced locally. There was a group of us that all raced together. I'm still friends with most of them. One or two went onto motocross and I had a flirtation with grasstrack but then grew up and got all sensible. I spend my time now restoring steam traction engines as a hobby. Still ride mountain bikes for fun though.

The significance of the cat - everything that was built or prepared by Gerry (Jonty) Johnson had it. Quite why he decided on a cat I'm afraid he took with him to the grave. I've always guessed that he did it as a nod towards Robin Rhind Tutt who was behind the Wasp racing bike name. A cat being better than a wasp.

Parts on the bike - I can remember it had gold Araya 7x rims. As you'll see from the photo it also had a gold 3 piece crank and gold brakes and levers. Red grips, seat and front plate.

It was all Gerry's work - apart from the cutting of the cat which was Len. It was of course sent for chroming by a company near by which my dad will remember the name.

Yes it was raced - by me anyway. I have no idea if anyone after me raced it. We raced out of the Brierley Hill club that had its track on ground close the Buckpool School, Brierley Hill Road, Wordsley. I think its all houses now but I haven't been that way for years as we now live down in Cornwall."





Does anyone remember Gary, Brierley hill track or the frame being ridden?

Shout out if you can name any parts too :daumenhoch:

griff:
brilliant story!!! thanks Clint for the update

Bfellows:
Yep, Wordsley track was the home of the Wordsley warriors BMX club.  Half decent track if I remember rightly - one of my old stomping grounds......

oldschoolace:
Cool vid Bert  :daumenhoch:

Couldnt see any cat gussets though  :D

kdw712:
cool history
and a one off frame

nice  :daumenhoch:

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