Bill Parker
master brummie
Hello, I once had a Falcon Olmpic, a lightweight bike with Reynolds 531 tube and Campagnolo gears ect, a well speced machine finished in metallic lime green and with a contrasting black seat piller.
My reason for posting is I just wondered if anyone has any relatives or friends who once had any direct contact with this company. I did once visit their premises in Wills St Smethwick in 1965, not far from the Birmigham border, hence my query. I do remember the factory was under the "Coventry Eagle" banner and I dont remember seeing the "Falcon" name at all.
I have done quite a bit of research on the "net" and Im not convinced that the details are correct as some sites seem to sugggest tha tFalcon was always based at Barton-on-Humber and was always part of other cycle group.
As mentioned I am not convinced this is correct and I wonder if the Falcon name was recently ressurected by this Barton-on-Humber based concern to produce "low end" bikes. the original Falcon company had its own designer a former racing cyclist called Ernie Clements who designed Falcon frames and his signature was on the badge and frame transfers. Apparently he was still in the bike business until fairly recently based at ledbury. I wish i had known this much earlier as I might have had the chance to talk to him, unfortunatly i believe he recently died. Falcon also had their own racing team.
I am fairly certain that Falcon was part of either the TI (Tube Investments) group or Raleigh industries, or both. So telling you what I do know can anyone here supply any further details from their own knowledge base rather than that available online?
My reason for posting is I just wondered if anyone has any relatives or friends who once had any direct contact with this company. I did once visit their premises in Wills St Smethwick in 1965, not far from the Birmigham border, hence my query. I do remember the factory was under the "Coventry Eagle" banner and I dont remember seeing the "Falcon" name at all.
I have done quite a bit of research on the "net" and Im not convinced that the details are correct as some sites seem to sugggest tha tFalcon was always based at Barton-on-Humber and was always part of other cycle group.
As mentioned I am not convinced this is correct and I wonder if the Falcon name was recently ressurected by this Barton-on-Humber based concern to produce "low end" bikes. the original Falcon company had its own designer a former racing cyclist called Ernie Clements who designed Falcon frames and his signature was on the badge and frame transfers. Apparently he was still in the bike business until fairly recently based at ledbury. I wish i had known this much earlier as I might have had the chance to talk to him, unfortunatly i believe he recently died. Falcon also had their own racing team.
I am fairly certain that Falcon was part of either the TI (Tube Investments) group or Raleigh industries, or both. So telling you what I do know can anyone here supply any further details from their own knowledge base rather than that available online?