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Tony sent in the following information.
Hi there, came across your new blog & thought I hopefully might be able to contribute.
I have a very nice bike which was apparently put together by Geoff Hughes formerly of the Birkenhead North End CC. Branded 'GPH' & Heswall cycles I couldn't find any info about the shop, I tried to contact the club to see if they could point me in Geoff's direction but got no response so have limited history of the bike.
Was apparently built for an army officer whose handpainted name is still on the bike (G. R. Wisbey) he in turn gave it to a young lad who lived Derbyshire way, I then in turn purchased it from them via ebay & it now resides with me in sunny Letchworth Garden City :o) A forum member on retrobike hinted that Chris Boardman may have ridden a GPH in his younger days but I've no idea if that might be true or not.
Frame is constructed from Reynolds 531ST & forks are 531, plain(ish) lugs, not sure on dropouts but all in all very nice and handles really well. I've seen one other on tinternet but that's as much as I know.
The bike is kitted out predominantly with Shimano 600 (6200 series) plus Sakae bars & Chainset, SR stem, Sedis chain. Nice Lyotard pedals/Christophe clips & Grand Premio straps topped off with a Rolls saddle. I love using it for leisure days out and the 6 speed block is just enough with the 50/36 rings, takes me a few shifts to get used to the friction shifting after sti & ergo but is simple, unbreakable & very elegant.
I'll be looking at the website from time to time as I had a Harry Quinn and a Quinn Brothers ladies 531 bike in the past (I think they were related but had a falling out and had separate shops).
Anyway, hope it gets an inclusion, I'm not normally one to submit a bike to a forum as such but I hope this one fills a very small part of Merseyside's fabulous bicycle history.
We would welcome more information on GPH & Heswall Cycles, please contact us at merseysidebicycles@gmail.com
Hi. I have recently purchased a similar bike not knowing anything about its history but i was so impressed with the apparent quality i couldn't let it go. It would appear to be of a similar nature frame wise to the above but is equipped with chromed front forks and chainstays, Dia Compe brakes etc and Suntour derailuers. The wheels are tub Michelin competition and other components are Campag. It is currently inthe process of being cleaned and refurbed by myself to restore it to its former glory including paint repairs to the frame.
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