Bespoke 1980s bike tells stories of town's cycling history

A rare bicycle which was bought from custom frame builders Ellis Briggs in the 1980s is to go on display at a museum as a tribute to its late owner.

The lightweight 'Clubman' bike belonged to Neil Crabtree, a lifelong cycling enthusiast from Halifax who purchased the bespoke bicycle from Ellis Briggs in Shipley in 1989 and used it to travel across the UK and abroad.

After he died last year, his children approached Bradford District Museums and Galleries as they wanted to donate his bike to help preserve their father's story and the craftsmanship behind the 90-year-old brand.

The bicycle will go on display at The Made by Many Hands exhibition at Bradford Industrial Museum, where it will stay until 15 November.

It will then move to the museum's Transport Gallery, taking its place alongside other bicycles that highlight Bradford's rich history of cycling, engineering and skilled craftsmanship.

Ellis Briggs was founded in Bradford in 1936 and is recognised as the UK's oldest custom steel bicycle frame builder.

The business builds bicycles to individual specifications of riders ranging from everyday cyclists to competitive racers.

It continues the specialist craft of bespoke frame building, helping to keep alive skills that are now considered endangered.

Crabtree's family said he paid £274 for the bicycle and it accompanied him on countless journeys - including on his fifth cycling tour of Germany in 1990, just months after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

He continued riding throughout his life, using the bike regularly well into his 80s, including for local shopping trips.

His children Jane Nugent and Jonathan Crabtree said: "We are both delighted that Bradford Industrial Museum has accepted our donation.

"The Ellis Briggs bicycle opened up a world of adventure for dad, both at home and abroad. He would be thrilled that it has now made its way full circle 'back home' to Yorkshire."

The exhibition Made by Many Hands at Bradford Industrial Museum explores traditional and threatened crafting skills from across the Bradford district.

It highlights practices identified on the Heritage Crafts Association's Red List of Endangered Crafts, including stained glass making, lacemaking, blacksmithing and bicycle frame building.

The Ellis Briggs bike joins other locally significant ones, including a Raleigh bicycle sold by Wiley's Cycles and Toys in Bradford during the late 1960s and used for deliveries by a butcher's shop in Eccleshill; a 1930s bicycle built by local frame builders W. & R. Baines; and a "King of the Mountains" bicycle built by Bradford-born endurance cyclist and frame builder Walter Greaves.

Paul Gibson from Ellis Briggs said the bike was a "versatile bicycle for somebody who simply enjoyed cycling and wanted to cover some distance".

He said: "It's the sort of bike that would be just as happy doing 100 miles through the Yorkshire hills as it would be going to the shops.

"It has mudguards and a rack, so it's practical, but it's still a lightweight bicycle designed to be enjoyable to ride."

He said still using a bike after 35 years sounds extraordinary, but was actually "a very common story for most customers".

Gibson said: "The bikes people used to buy off us weren't something that you just bought and you replaced in two or three years, generally you kept it and you updated it as the years went by."

Councillor Ian Walker, Bradford Council's executive member for neighbourhoods and communities, said: "The acquisition of this Ellis Briggs bike could not have come at a better time.

"As Made by Many Hands explores some of the traditional skills at risk of disappearing, this bicycle provides a tangible connection to the district's internationally respected frame building heritage.

"It is a fantastic addition to the collection and highlights the important role our museums play in preserving and sharing the stories that make our district unique."

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