(Update) Anyone familiar with Spokesman Cycles?

Yesterday I picked up a bike which had generously been offered to me Saturday morning after the GW ride by an older gent called Albert Cooper. Albert said he had the bike for many years and it was now languishing in his garage and he wished to give it to someone who he knew would clean the old girl up and give it a new life.

Story goes that the bike originally belonged to a Queenslander who had ridden it down from Queensland and had then run short of cash and so he hocked it at a second hand dealer in or near Gawler. Albert had purchased the bike from the secondhand dealer and used it for quite a while until he passed it on to a mate to use, primarily for transport. The mate mistreated the bike and the frame became quite marked and surface rust appeared. Eventually Albert took possession of the bike once more and so it sat gathering dust.

I'm assured that the bike was, at the time, state of the art and a quick investigation puts its vintage around the late seventies very early eighties. It has mostly Dia-compe components, Shimano clamp on down tube shifters and Mavic alloy wheels.

So, can anyone fill me in with more information on Spokesman Cycles Canberra?

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Permalink Reply by Frank on May 21, 2012 at 11:18

http://spokesmancycles.com/?page_id=3

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Permalink Reply by Dale (rouleur) Riggs on May 21, 2012 at 11:29

Thanks Frank. Same name - different company.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Brisco on May 21, 2012 at 11:52

Have a look at http://www.bicyclehistory.com.au/brands%20&%20companys%20table.htm -

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Permalink Reply by Dale (rouleur) Riggs on May 21, 2012 at 12:14

            Data from bicycle history.com.au

Spokesman Cycles, Lonsdale Street Braddon ACT, frame by John Rae. Company started in 1980. No further history.

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Permalink Reply by Dale (rouleur) Riggs on May 21, 2012 at 14:25

Found this photo from the now defunct Canberra Bicycle Museum. Looks to have the same pedigree and was labelled as a Spokesman circa 1980.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Murray on May 21, 2012 at 17:15

The shop was there in the late 80's when I live in Canberra. Excellent little bicycle shop which was conveniently placed halfway between where I lived and worked.

Google gives a hit here on a page about Stephen Hodge.

In the 1983 Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic, Stephen raced for the Clarence Street Cyclery team and came 12^th, impressing the visiting Swiss amateur team Mavic-Gitane. They told him if he could make it across to Switzerland, they’d give him a shot. Working in Canberra bike shop Spokesman Cycles, Stephen told the manager Rob Fletcher about his opportunity, who organised fundraisers and helped him get across to Switzerland. CJ Sutton’s Dad Gary helped too, recommending him to contacts and advising of his experiences as a Pro via the less travelled route of Switzerland.

You might get some info from http://www.pedalpower.org.au/news/archive.asp which is the Canberra region cycle magazine.

If you want new brake lever hoods these from Amazon are probably the right ones. I've spent awhile searching for Weinmann brake lever hoods and they look like yours. If you want hoods that say Dia-Compe rather than Cane Creek you can find them around the internet or ebay but they cost a bit more.

Nice looking bike.

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Permalink Reply by Dale (rouleur) Riggs on May 21, 2012 at 20:26

Thanks for the info Michael.

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Permalink Reply by Dale (rouleur) Riggs on September 24, 2012 at 12:45

Well the restoration project is near complete.

Sandblasted and powder coated by Woody's coatings at Gawler Belt. Headset and BB removed and reinstalled by Star Cycles.

Some of the original components were too badly corroded and didn't warrant returning to the bike. Fortunately I had some Shimano 600 (6400 series tri-stripe) parts from the mid to late '80s laying about that I considered an appropriate upgrade to a 1980 CrMo frame. The original Mavic rims have been put aside until I find suitable replacement hubs to lace in and in the meantime have been replaced by an Araya alloy wheelset with SR front hub and Shimano 600 (tri-stripe) rear hub. The brakes have been wired "Euro" as per the original setup which looked a little interesting considering that the replacement levers are "aero" style and the cables concealed in the tape. The original Speedwell crankset and BB have been returned to service as has the original DiaCompe "G" series calipers. The Look pedals are 89/90 vintage (happened to have those as well) and finished with a Vader retro look stitched saddle and Michelin Speedium 2 tyres.

Last step will be to get some reproduction decals made, probably only for the headtube and the seat tube.

I'm pretty happy with this project. I rode it for the first time yesterday afternoon and apart from feeling all the little road bumps, on a good surface the ride is "as smooth as".