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Bicycle shop stickers

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Here’s a shop sticker off one of my 78 spitfire! Called the phone number it’s disconnected unfortunately no address on sticker

A5530FA3-9990-40E6-B7BE-B24580B1A137.jpeg
 
This is a funny topic but I have an interesting one-not a sticker but a decal of the bike shop. It was on a 1935 ranger motorbike and was in Louisiana(I think in Sheveport). There was a phone number so I called and someone answered. I explained how I got the number so as to not freak them out and asked what was the number for... the person answered it was for a rest home for old black folks. They knew nothing about a bike shop though.
 
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Transfer worn by a Meteor Franco Suisse ca. 1964.

John siemsen, Meteor bicycle, bike shop transfer .JPG


Views of balance of machine -

Meteor Bicycle, John Siemsen .jpg


John Siemsen, Meteor bicycle headplate .JPG


John Siemsen, Meteor bicycle downtube transfer .JPG


Interesting story here anent this cycle, the marque and a personal connection for me to the shop.

Machine is a Carlton under another name. The Meteor of Britain marque had been defunct for a number of years by the time of this cycle's manufacture. Rights were held by Raleigh and it was relaunched in order to push more product into a given crowded market. There is an account of how this came to be given here -

"Since Raleigh Industries of America already had a west coast distributor, shops outside its dealer network were now cut-off from buying Carltons through WCCSC. It was one of the few regions in the country where the demand and number of dealers overtaxed the existing arrangement so in a perfect example of TI "branding", a solution was quickly found. One of TI's long dormant marques was the Meteor brand, originally made by Starley & Sutton of Coventry and dating to the late 1880s. It was arranged for WCCSC to import Carltons badged as Meteors, but otherwise identical to the stock machines sold as Carltons. As with Raleigh initially, the model used would be the Franco-Suisse and it was decalled as such and sold as a complete machine with Campagnolo components."

The shop was begun and operated by Irish immigrant Charlie Harding. Westwood, where the shop is located is in Los Angeles, and is best known as the home of the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1965 I was a student at the university and went in to the shop to get a bicycle. Purchased from Mr. Harding a new white Peugeot model U08 - me first "tenspeed."

IIRC Mr. Harding closed or sold the shop about 1991 whereupon he moved back home to Ireland for his retirement.

In recent decades when one strolls the streets of Westwood, or visits a cafe, it is just as likely to hear Farsi spoken as English. The community has become the centre for the Iranian immigrants of southern California.

As appears today -

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...cbfe2cc421464!8m2!3d34.0543807!4d-118.4413523
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Transfer worn by a Meteor Franco Suisse ca. 1964.

View attachment 1081367

Views of balance of machine -

View attachment 1081368

View attachment 1081369

View attachment 1081370

Interesting story here anent this cycle, the marque and a personal connection for me to the shop.

Machine is a Carlton under another name. The Meteor of Britain marque had been defunct for a number of years by the time of this cycle's manufacture. Rights were held by Raleigh and it was relaunched in order to push more product into a given crowded market. There is an account of how this came to be given here -

"Since Raleigh Industries of America already had a west coast distributor, shops outside its dealer network were now cut-off from buying Carltons through WCCSC. It was one of the few regions in the country where the demand and number of dealers overtaxed the existing arrangement so in a perfect example of TI "branding", a solution was quickly found. One of TI's long dormant marques was the Meteor brand, originally made by Starley & Sutton of Coventry and dating to the late 1880s. It was arranged for WCCSC to import Carltons badged as Meteors, but otherwise identical to the stock machines sold as Carltons. As with Raleigh initially, the model used would be the Franco-Suisse and it was decalled as such and sold as a complete machine with Campagnolo components."

The shop was begun and operated by Irish immigrant Charlie Harding. Westwood, where the shop is located is in Los Angeles, and is best known as the home of the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1965 I was a student at the university and went in to the shop to get a bicycle. Purchased from Mr. Harding a new white Peugeot model U08 - me first "tenspeed."

IIRC Mr. Harding closed or sold the shop about 1991 whereupon he moved back home to Ireland for his retirement.

In recent decades when one strolls the streets of Westwood, or visits a cafe, it is just as likely to hear Farsi spoken as English. The community has become the centre for the Iranian immigrants of southern California.

As appears today -

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...cbfe2cc421464!8m2!3d34.0543807!4d-118.4413523
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Love the finish on that bike....Is that one of the "Sanction Cities"? I didn't think Iranians believed in divorce.
 
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In Raleigh/Carlton terminology this type of finish is termed "acrylichrome."

The common term for it in the industry is "chromo-luxe" or "chromo-velato."

While it looks great it has the downside of not being scratch resistant.

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I don't have a picture, but the shop sticker on my '80 Swhwinn Collegiant shows "Ormond Schwinn Cyclery", 205 S. Yonge St., Ormond Beach, FL. A quick google search shows it's a KG Kitchen Gallery now.
 
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