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Phillips Bicycles Of Birmingham

H

Howard

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Greetings everyone from a new forumite,
Please can anyone help with an inquiry regarding Phillips Bicycle Company of Birmingham.I would like to know if they were making bicycles during WW2 and if so what the frame numbers would have been.
I have one Phillips bicycle that has a number starting with 40 - does this mean it was made in 1940?.(N403452)
I also have another Phillips bicycle with an oval crank,i am led to believe that this idea was discarded when they were taken over by Raleigh(when?),but idea taken up again a few years ago(supposed to make pedalling easier?).
Any help much appreciated,thanks.
Howard.([email protected])
 
Hi Howard. Can't help you much with Phillips serial numbering but as to identifying the model (and therefore the approximate age) you might find the Flickr pages with Phillips bicycles useful.
https://flickr.com/search/?q=phillips bicycle&w=all

I'm currently researching a suspected Phillips trade bike and there is very little on the net that I can find.
A picture of yours would be useful, and if it had a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, for example, that would give you a closeish date.
 
I was suprised to find my grandfather listed in the 1911 census as a cashier, cycle trade. I was told he worked for a coal merchant and that he did the wages and bookeeping. I never knew him he died before I was born. I wonder which cycle works it was? He lived in Bevington Road Aston.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello from Argentina...

I live in Buenos Aires and while cleaning out an old house I found an old females bicycle. Quite old I thought, taking the braking mecanism into account. The fainted but readable label said: Phillips, Birmingham, "Renowned the world over". In short: it needed only new tires and I replaced the rusty chain, and off I went. What a bike! Real quality stuff, it rode perfect after many years (or even decades) being stacked away, forgotten in a corner.


I was looking for some more information and landed in this thread.

Where can I find the serial number?

On the beforementioned site oldroads.com I deduce it to be a model from the ´31-40 era.

Well, the quality impressed me much, and now my wife happily confiscated it.

So far for now, I wish you all a good day,

Saludos,

Pepijn
 
I have men's Phillips frame 28 " wheeled bike.
The frame number is vertical on the LHS of the seat post but in a linear format about 1" down from the top of the seat post.
'DE and five digits' [ I dont have the paper I wrote them on with me ( :]
Appears to have been black as original paint. Rear fork stays dismount as a unit.
Fork crown has a triangluar recessed chromed trim on each side. Fork blades have delta shaped decals in creamy white with gold p/striping.
Seat Tube has / had a large decal or gold size transfer facing the front, with some red at the top & constrained in a large gold border. The frame paint shows through. PHILLIPS in a sans serif upper case font in vertical format takes up abouit the lower third iof this transfer.
The chainwheel is in good condition and has PHILLIPS cast into it. 48 Teeth. Cotter pins on chromed cranks [ these have the Raleigh Knight hallmark on them. Real Phillips pedals and rubbers.
Back Hub is later I feel, with nylon oil filler cap. '65 11 Sturmey Archer' coaster hub. 28" convex DUNLOP rim in chrome.
Front hub has a Polymiss Limited ? or vague name, hard to read it. Also the trademark is BW in a circle.Steel oil filler cap.
Adjustable ball bearings.NO locking nut and relies on fork pressure.
Handlebars,grips, h/light mount and stem appear to be later Raleigh.
I have made up some custom frame decals based upon a 1958 Phillips chainguard smaller decal made up. Upper case sans serif style Goudi maybe but they have serifs all the same. I have gone for a gold outline in 25mm high letters on clear ground so all you see it is the outline of the letters.The frame or base paint showing through the letter. Entering it in the veteran bike racing at Oamaru 2010.
Have spares of these available..for refridgerator etc
Had bit of a problem with the 28" tube that had popped due to too much air.. A quick visit to best tyre shop in Dunedin Independant Tyre Services @ 57 King Edward Street, had this fixed in a jiffy with a super patch. I found a metric tube that may have fitted but nothing like having the original tube.. ( :

Is it a retro look bike?

s.
Greetings everyone from a new forumite,
Please can anyone help with an inquiry regarding Phillips Bicycle Company of Birmingham.I would like to know if they were making bicycles during WW2 and if so what the frame numbers would have been.
I have one Phillips bicycle that has a number starting with 40 - does this mean it was made in 1940?.(N403452)
I also have another Phillips bicycle with an oval crank,i am led to believe that this idea was discarded when they were taken over by Raleigh(when?),but idea taken up again a few years ago(supposed to make pedalling easier?).
Any help much appreciated,thanks.
Howard.([email protected])
 
Wow can we see the oval crank he shouted ????



greetings everyone from a new forumite,
please can anyone help with an inquiry regarding phillips bicycle company of birmingham.i would like to know if they were making bicycles during ww2 and if so what the frame numbers would have been.
I have one phillips bicycle that has a number starting with 40 - does this mean it was made in 1940?.(n403452)
i also have another phillips bicycle with an oval crank,i am led to believe that this idea was discarded when they were taken over by raleigh(when?),but idea taken up again a few years ago(supposed to make pedalling easier?).
Any help much appreciated,thanks.
Howard.([email protected])
 
I seem to remember Phillips using the slogan "The True Temper Steel Bicycle" I had a Phillips "Fiesta" witha three speed SA hub when I was a lad.
Apparently they also produced mopeds................
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Cycles
I have a real neat book 'Salute to cycling' written by Frank J Urry, he was at one time a member of the Midand C&AC that I still belong to! 60+years now, I think he was a Brummie also, BUT he must have had connections with Phillips Cycles, Then end of the book has 7 pages for Phillips 'There's a Phillips for every purse and purpose. The last page shows 4 factorys, Credena,Credex.Lion and Apollo works, All in BRUM? book was published in 1956 when Frank J Urry was 77yrs(MY AGE) old he died a little later in 1956! One reason I also like the book is that the illistrations in it are by Reg Gammon a first rate artists wish I could find a few of his works. John Crump OldBrit, Parker, Co USA
 
Greetings everyone from a new forumite,
Please can anyone help with an inquiry regarding Phillips Bicycle Company of Birmingham.I would like to know if they were making bicycles during WW2 and if so what the frame numbers would have been.
I have one Phillips bicycle that has a number starting with 40 - does this mean it was made in 1940?.(N403452)
I also have another Phillips bicycle with an oval crank,i am led to believe that this idea was discarded when they were taken over by Raleigh(when?),but idea taken up again a few years ago(supposed to make pedalling easier?).
Any help much appreciated,thanks.
Howard.([email protected])
Hi Howard, Some Serial Numbers. Len.

  • 1966: Annnn
  • 1967: Bnnnn
  • 1968: Cnnnn
  • 1969: Dnnnn
  • 1970: Ennnn
  • 1971: Fnnnn
  • 1972: Gnnnn
  • 1973: Hnnnn
 
Hi I have a new take on the history Phillips Bicycles.
I was doing research at the Hocken Libray in Dunedin NZ. Ic ame acroos no mention of Phillips cycles until about 1902
Lots of other makes were featured prior to 1900 however.
About 1902 a Phillips Cycle company adevrtised for agents to sell their bicycles in Otago, New Zealand.
My point... the advertsement was laid by Phillips Cycle or Bicycles of USA not Birmingham UK?
I do not have access to this article at present, but there may have been an initial before Phillips like J. Phillips.
I will try to update this.
 
I have found the entry or entries.
Appears to be a separate US Company that marketed their own bicycles and sewing machines.Possibly other goods as well.
The company was J.H. Phillips and Co. Dept 39, Chicago, USA.
In the Otago Witness published in Dunedin in December 23, 1903, On page 55 is their advertisement wanting "ACTIVE AGENTS WANTED" to sell their high quality bicycles.
So it is not entirely clear waht the name of the bicycle made by J.H. Phillips is called?
ANY IDEAS?
 
MY SECOND POSTING ON THIS I have really neat little book Salute to Cycling written in 1956 by Frank J Urry. Frank Urry's Dad was one of the founding members of the cycling club that I belong to and have since 1946 Midland C&AC. This book 'Salute to Cycling' that is very hard to find anymore. was in sponsored by The Phillips Cycles. the back pages starting with 'There's a Phillips for every purse and purpose' shows the complete line of 1956 bikes and in the back shows the four Phillip's bike works at Credenda Credex Lion and apollo works with photos if the plants. If anyone is interested I will copy some of the photos and post
 
Not a very good photo, but this is my brother on the Phillips Speedtrack, he is on the left and me, the nipper on the right.
Dave A

Me & Jack on our speedway bikes.jpg
 
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