Bike Shop in Radford Road


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When I passed my 11+ in 1965 or so, my Dad took me to a bike shop on the corner of Radford Road and Wilkinson Street and bought me a Triumph Palm Beach bike. It was two tone blue.

It seemed a big shop at the time but then I was quite small. Needless to say it isn't there now and I think even that corner has been redeveloped. Does anyone recall the name of that shop?

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Same promise off my Dad...I was ill for weeks missed half the exams...so didn't pass...

I did get my bike eventually though the next year...I saved half and Dad put the other half to

Carlton racing bike 8 gears....Yeah!!!

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sounds like Jack Claytons on corner of Radford Rd/Wilkinson St, though by 1965 might have had new owner and name? a few doors up towards town on same side was the original valve shop where the grandfather of the lads who now run the shops sold s/h telly's and believe or not valves for such! he lived on Egypt Rd and had a shed workshop there, was a regular contributor to our bonfire night rubbish collections with loads of massive old tv cabinets that at best had only a 14" screen, sorry to go off topic

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Got my first Raleigh racer from Jacks in 1959.

Bare board floors and a strange oily smell.

Further up above the valve shop was a furniture store (possibly corner of Bobbers Mill Rd) where you could get stuff on hire purchase. Favourite with the folks in New Basford.

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yes that was it in later years, couldn't think of the name, was still claytons in about 1959, recall hitting a kerb on the forest at speed in pitch darkess on the forest, big high one, hit it square on both wheels, didn't fall off but as well as about castrating me put 2 massive dents in both rims, claytons said needed new rims, AC Sports Haydn Rd bashed them out with hardly a mark dead cheaply

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Thanks for that. everyone. I am sure I remember the bare boards but it was a long time ago. I kept the bike until a few years ago by which time it was a poor old rusty thing. It went to the ump in the end which is a shame. My wife's still got her Raleigh Riviera from when she was 12. They don't make 'em like they used to.

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  • 1 month later...

Me and some mates The Clifford's also living on Northgate would go and press our noses up against jack Clayton's windows on a Sunday afternoon, when they were closed, I remember Steven saying he wanted a Viking bike, but I'd set my heart on a Dawes Realm Rider, which my mum scrimped and saved to eventually buy me.

It was a real treat to go back and buy tape, and stoppers for the handlebars as and when the bike needed them!

How easily we were pleased back then.

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Happy days! ever go to Joslyns (spelling) when it wer a bike shop on right of radford rd just past palin st on way to town? he was ok, but my fave shop was AC Sports (Arthur and Cath) on Haydn Rd (later Mortens car spares), was like a youth club! that said spent alot there, Unica plastic saddle/castrator, campag 10 speeds,centre pull brakes, even tubeless tyres! still not as fast as my mate on his RaleighTrent sit up and beg though!

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Post #11,

Dave Morton car spares, now there's a name from the past ! Used to buy heaps of gear from him as a mate and I had a car repair business for a couple of years.

Always remember his wife sitting at a bench riveting new brake pads on shoes which they took in part exchange, then refurbished in the back room, all this while looking after her 2 or 3 kids, dread to think of the asbestos issues with all those brake pads and shoes laying around but they made a good living doing it.

When I'd go in to pick up an order she would usually have smears of carbon and other muck all over her face as she served at the counter if Dave wasn't in.

His prices were well below most motor factors at the time especially for clutch kits. A lot of the local service stations bought gear from him.

Another name from the past in a similar vein was Kens Auto spares, run by a Indian or Pakistani family, they too did a good trade in motor spares.

Cannot remember where they were now maybe Bulwell ?

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A real coincidence this thread as I was only just thinking about this a couple of days ago and could not remember the name of the shop. Back in 1958 I also had had my nose glued to the window hankering after a Dawes Realm Rider in Black and yellow, if I remember with 27" wheels and a whole 3 DeRailleur (spelling?) gears. I passed the 11 Plus in 1958 and unknown to me for my 11th birthday in the August, on a Saturday morning just after the day, Dad sent me to look for something in the garage, and lo and behold, a black and yellow Realm Rider in all it's shining glory was within !!

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I used to be a regular visitor to the aforementioned bike shop in 1961/2 after I'd moved to Russell Rd Forest Fields. My friend, Peter Tulley and I used to enjoy looking at the lovely new bikes on a Saturday morning. We also used to visit Lenos cinema and go fishing at Vernon Park. Peter loved fishing but I never took to it. Another place we'd always check out was a clothes shop about opposite Lenos that had great value jeans and shoes. Got several pairs from there and got my sister to take them in to make them tight on the legs.

Another shop I can't remember the name of was further up Radford Rd near Staddons on the corner of Palin St. Downstairs they had washing machines and 'fridges but upstairs they had guitars and drums. I used to visit regularly with my bandmate Charles (Tony) Dickens about 1965. Never had any money to buy stuff but would spend ages upstairs drooling over the gear they had.

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Seeing the post about the Palm Beach bike, that's what I had too. It came to me recently looking at bikes in WalMart, where's the little tool bag that was strapped under the back of the seat? They obviously don't think you have to jump off and make adjustments anymore, LOL. I think it was a hard leather?

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Mess,

I'm thinking the shop opposite Lenos was Stevensons.

I had my first pair of Levi's from there, and a while later a matching Levi's jacket.

52/6 and 63/6 I believe.

Nothing by today's standards but a lot compared to most jeans in 1966!

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Commo,

The Realm Riders had 5 speed gears.

Mine was a pale blue with, I recall white or pale blue full size mudguards, which as soon as I could afford, were swapped for some small alloy ones, which didn't do a very good job, but looked far more sporty!

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:biggrin: Anyone remember the 'Pink Witch' bikes, 'specially made for young ladies? My sister was lucky enough to get a brand new one, as for me I had to do with an unreliable cronk: every journey I made, I had to pump the tyres up! :(

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unionflag Anyone remember the wonderful amount of bike shops Nottingham had years back?: in my mind's eye I can 'specially see the one based at the bottom of Alfreton Road; absolutely packed with shiny new bikes it was, a pleasure to view through the windows - perhaps choose the one you most fancied.

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Mess,

I'm thinking the shop opposite Lenos was Stevensons.

I had my first pair of Levi's from there, and a while later a matching Levi's jacket.

52/6 and 63/6 I believe.

Nothing by today's standards but a lot compared to most jeans in 1966!

Stevensons yes that was it. Thanks Craig

I had a pair of bronze coloured jeans from there. They were very fashionable around 1962. Turn ups were in too.

Anyone remember those square cut Italian ties?

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I never had a new bike, in fact the one I had was given to me by a neighbour. It was a very old fashioned 'sit up and beg' model which all the other kids would laugh at, but I enjoyed it so it didn't worry me much. My brother had a spanking new bike when he was about 9. My dad worked at the Raleigh for a couple of years and during that time he managed to get a bike at a really good price, which he rode along the boulevards home to Arnold ..... it was a small bike for a little boy so you can imagine what Dad looked like pedalling furiously in the rush hour traffic, though it wasn't quite as busy on the roads in those days!!

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Stevensons yes that was it. Thanks Craig

I had a pair of bronze coloured jeans from there. They were very fashionable around 1962. Turn ups were in too.

Anyone remember those square cut Italian ties?

Before Levi's became popular, there were two very good brands of jeans, probably many more, but I remember these, one was Varlson, and the other was.........and you know what...the name has just gone out of my head!

I also had a pair of the bronze ones, which when you turned them up, had almost dark yellow innards.

The cheap jeans of the day were Tec Sak, or possibly Tec Sac, and were very thin material by comparison.

Then of course the likes of Levi, Wrangler and Lee all became the ones to have in the mid sixties onwards.

I still have my very first pair of 501's which are in a state of ruin, I'll try and post a pic on here.

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:biggrin: Anyone remember the 'Pink Witch' bikes, 'specially made for young ladies? My sister was lucky enough to get a brand new one, as for me I had to do with an unreliable cronk: every journey I made, I had to pump the tyres up! :(

Did you not think to get someone to mend the punctures, or put new inner tubes in them? ;)

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