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Gundle Trade Bikes, Smith St. Hockley

V

Viscount

master brummie
Does anybody recall The Gundle Trade/Carrier Bikes made in Smith Street, Hockley?


Just after the War they were one of the biggest manufacturers of these machines, on par with Phillips. They were in production from around mid 1920s until around 1975.
There used to be a model in the Science Museum before it moved.


13/02/2013
PLEASE NOTE the links to Gundle pics in my posts below no longer work, but all my Gundle items are in process of moving to my own little site here:
www.bicyclz.com
More will be added in time, along with their history as I know it.
 
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My first job when I left school was at Herbert Politts garage in Gt Hampton St. I used to ride one of those bikes to collect spare parts for the workshop and had to go to Gundles to have it fixed. I can remember fetching a damned great flywheel from one side of town and a petrol tank for a Ford ten van from Beacon Motors in Aston on another day, all balanced on that basket carrier.
I rode down Summer Hill road and overshot the cop on point duty at the bottom, got a real telling off and told to "get those bloody brakes fixed." E.:)

Ps. No engine on mine, all pedal power. I only stayed there a month.
 
jennyann said:
Hi Viscount: You may have seen this ad for Gundle's already on this site that shows several vintage delivery bikes. https://www.hembrow.eu/delivery.html
For more information on the company you should contact Birmingham Main Library for Business Information. It is a fascinating subject. Here is another page with a Gundle ad on it also https://www.tricycleassociation.org.uk/1test.html?PHPSESSID=f371f84628e6ecb109dea10ede2fb838
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response, but yes I've seen both, but cannot find anything else on the net.
Will try the Library though!
I've got one of their bikes, a very old one from the late 20s I think.
Pictures here:


https://flickr.com/photos/bikesruz

In process of restoration at the moment.

I also know one other guy who has a Model T, and he is trying to find out more!!

I reckon there must be some Brummies here who know more:)

Thanks again.
John.
 
Eric Gibson said:
My first job when I left school was at Herbert Politts garage in Gt Hampton St. I used to ride one of those bikes to collect spare parts for the workshop and had to go to Gundles to have it fixed. I can remember fetching a damned great flywheel from one side of town and a petrol tank for a Ford ten van from Beacon Motors in Aston on another day, all balanced on that basket carrier.
I rode down Summer Hill road and overshot the cop on point duty at the bottom, got a real telling off and told to "get those bloody brakes fixed." E.:)

Ps. No engine on mine, all pedal power. I only stayed there a month.
Click to expand...

Nice story, ha! ha!
How long ago was this?
Ford tens are going back a bit.
Bit like me...

The engines were for the rich or weak I reckon:)
Forest of Dean?
You ain't far from me in Gloucester then.
 
"My first job when I left school was at Herbert Politts garage in Gt Hampton St. I used to ride one of those bikes to collect spare parts for the workshop and had to go to Gundles to have it fixed."

Was it one of these?
 
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Nope! New one to me
Is it part of a catalogue?
Anything on Gundles is interesting because it's so hard to find!
 
Unfortunately no!
Would love one of those!!
Mine is a simple carrier bike which I found as a box of bits.
No name, no real clue as to what it was then.

But I did some research and discovered it is a Gundle, and probably quite old.
Late 20s or 30s.
More pics here.
https://flickr.com/photos/bikesruz



This is how it looked when I first put it together, just to see what it looked like, but now it is nearly finished repainting.

More pics here:
https://s53.photobucket.com/albums/g58/duktig/

I think Gundles were one of the last volume bicycle makers in Birmingham.
 
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Viscount said:
Nice story, ha! ha!
How long ago was this?
Ford tens are going back a bit.
Bit like me...

The engines were for the rich or weak I reckon:)
Forest of Dean?
You ain't far from me in Gloucester then.
Click to expand...


March 1950 Viscount, out of school on Friday started work at Pollitts on Monday, the bike was very much like the one in your picture and no not far from Gloucester, I'm at Bream, Lydney. E.
 
postied said:
A couple more gundles
Click to expand...
I think the first one is owned by a guy called Hughes in South Wales?
If it is, he doesn't answer his emails!
And the second I've seen on Flickr.
Thing is, any information/pictures on the net is very difficult to find.

My most important discovery is that the daughter of one of the Gundle brothers lives in Solihull still (She's 69!) and I am going to pay her a visit at the end of this month. She has lots of information about the company (obviously!) and also has the last Gundle bicycle made at the factory.

I have her permission to take my camera with me and post the information on the net somewhere.

I'm really surprised that a well known Birmingham company of this size, in production for so long, has so little information available.

Maybe I've not been looking in the right place.
I've not had time yet to go up to town to check the local Birmingham Library or the Science Museum/Think Tank.

I'm hoping that one of the ex employees might see this thread and fill in some details about the factory, or the bicycles, or just plain and simple memories!

Production ended around 1975 (all the machinery being sold to Pashley in Stratford) so it's not that long ago.
 
jennyann said:
Hi Viscount: You may have seen this ad for Gundle's already on this site that shows several vintage delivery bikes. https://www.hembrow.eu/delivery.html
For more information on the company you should contact Birmingham Main Library for Business Information. It is a fascinating subject. Here is another page with a Gundle ad on it also https://www.tricycleassociation.org.uk/1test.html?PHPSESSID=f371f84628e6ecb109dea10ede2fb838
Click to expand...

Hi Jennyann,
Thanks for your input. (Just realised that I didn't reply yours yet:redface:)

The Tricycleassociation pics are also on several Dutch sites too.
I've spent many hours searching for Gundle info/pictures but not come across much yet.
I found the hembrow site looking for a basket maker, so that was a lucky shot.

I'm sure you are correct about the Library though.
I just need to find the time to get up to Brum to spend some time browsing.
I will do shortly, I'm determined to find out more.
It certainly is fascinating stuff, but I'm only a beginner at all this!!
Thanks again,
John.
 
re grenvil bikes

Hello,can any one tell me, did pashley make gggrenvil type bikes,in chester
st , i can remember seing some there befor gw pearse pot and pans maker bought the property
peter martin
 
Hi Peter.
I was just researching Pashley bicycles when I saw your posting.
I know their Stratford address etc. but they started in Birmingham in 1926, and moved to Stratford some time later, so you may have the clue I need to help me too:)

Chester Street is where? Aston?
And when you say Grenville type bikes, do you mean trade/carrier bikes?
Can you put a date on when you saw the bikes there?

Thanks,
John.
 
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Eric Gibson said:
March 1950 Viscount, out of school on Friday started work at Pollitts on Monday, the bike was very much like the one in your picture and no not far from Gloucester, I'm at Bream, Lydney. E.
Click to expand...

I just found a picture of Leonard Gundles factory:
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/2236100093_dce5696039_b.jpg
Was this where you took your Gundle?
At the corner of Barr Street and Hockley Street.
I wonder if it is still there?

Also found a picture of Sissleys Bicycle shop in 1939 with Gundle Bicycles outside waiting to be delivered to the Ford Motor Company.
Wonder if anyone knows where this was?

https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2325/2244088859_0c8022f35b_b.jpg
 
Re Pashley Bike

VISCOUNT.ta for reply.chestor st aston.from rocky lane,to dartmouth st.gw pearse,.ie pots and pan maker.was the last people i can remember at the said property.But i can remember them pashley bikes,being out side.sorry i cant be any more help. pete
 
THIS MIGHT BE A PLACE TO START

Patco Sissleys
427 Becontree Avenue
Dagenham Essex RM8 3UJ
Tel: 020 8590 1605
blk.gif

Cycling and Cycle Shops
 
That is the place I had to go to to get the bike fixed Viscount, there was a small repair shop at the far right of the building if I remember right. E.
 
postied said:
THIS MIGHT BE A PLACE TO START

Patco Sissleys
427 Becontree Avenue
Dagenham Essex RM8 3UJ
Tel: 020 8590 1605
blk.gif

Cycling and Cycle Shops
Click to expand...
Thanks for that one!
I was assuming that it was a Birmingham company.
But Dagenham says Ford all over, doesn't it?
I'll check that out right now!
I've got a whole lot of old photos of Leonard Gundles business dealings and this one was a bit of a puzzle!
Makes sense now though.
Many thanks:grinsmile:
 
Eric Gibson said:
That is the place I had to go to to get the bike fixed Viscount, there was a small repair shop at the far right of the building if I remember right. E.
Click to expand...

Wow!
That's really interesting Eric!
I'm trying to find somebody who actually worked there.
According to Leonard Gundles daughter they only ever had 25 or so workers there, so it was always a small company, but how nice that you actually went there, all that time ago?
I don't even know if it still exists, but I'm going to check that one!

When I first saw the Sissleys pic I wondered if that was the company you were you were working for! But that was a real long shot, wasn't it?

Thanks for telling me anyway:grinsmile:

John.
 
peter martin said:
VISCOUNT.ta for reply.chestor st aston.from rocky lane,to dartmouth st.gw pearse,.ie pots and pan maker.was the last people i can remember at the said property.But i can remember them pashley bikes,being out side.sorry i cant be any more help. pete
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Pete.
I know Pashley were in the area at the time.
And I know Gundle had connections with Pashley.
When Leonard Gundle died his machinery, etc. was sold to Pashley, in 1974/5, but by then they, Pashley, had moved to Stratford on Avon.

I'll get it in the end!
Thanks again, John.
 
Found a pic of the Gundle workshop in Smith Street around 1945 and also the factory a bit later:View attachment 63300

View attachment 63299

They were in the process of moving to larger premises in Hockley Street at this time, just after the war.
Next time I'm in Brum I'm going to check and see if the buildings still exist.
(Excuse the layout, I have not yet figured out how to arrange them properly:()

I now realise the above links are broken. I will try to fix that: )
 
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Gundle and Post Office bicycles.

peter martin said:
viscount,are po bikes made by gundle? pete
Click to expand...
Hi Pete, don't think any Post Office bikes were made by Gundle.
Gundle stopped production in December 1975 and their machinery etc. was sold to Pashley, and they, Pashley, did make bicycles for the PO later.
I think they still do.
 
Have lots more pics of Gundles, mainly catalogues on my dedicated Leonard Gundle pages on Flickr:

https://flickr.com/groups/leonard_gundle/

More here:

https://flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/page3/

And here:

https://flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/page4/

You will see that he also made motor cycles between 1924-30, but I believe they were made in London rather than Birmingham.

Also now if you google 'Gundle' or 'Gundle trade bikes', you will now get plenty of links to pics and information about him and his Bicycles:)
 
Just spotted this thread.I used to use a Gundle bike not long after I left school.I worked at D.H.Gittins in Broad Street as an apprentice but of course you were always used as cheap labour and one of my jobs was delivering all the bits and pieces to the electricians on the various jobs around Brum.Cheaper,of course than using the van!!.At the time,our biggest job was at Rackham's when that was being built.I must have took tons of stuff there.I couldn't ride a bike now if you paid me!BobS.:)
 
BobS said:
Just spotted this thread.I used to use a Gundle bike not long after I left school.I worked at D.H.Gittins in Broad Street as an apprentice but of course you were always used as cheap labour and one of my jobs was delivering all the bits and pieces to the electricians on the various jobs around Brum.Cheaper,of course than using the van!!.At the time,our biggest job was at Rackham's when that was being built.I must have took tons of stuff there.I couldn't ride a bike now if you paid me!BobS.:)
Click to expand...

Nice to hear your story!
I've not checked in here for a while but my NY resolution is to dig out more about Gundle in Birmingham this year.

Got a Flickr group for Leonard Gundle with lots of pictures and information about the bicycles and the factory etc.
He also made motorcycles in the 20s.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/leonard_gundle/

I'm hoping to hear peoples experiences, recollections of Gundle bicycles or, even better, maybe even somebody who worked for LG!

John.
 
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