The Light Blue Sport Cycles
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THE LIGHT BLUE SPORT CYCLES 1. 2. INTRODUCTION HISTORY The Light Blue bicycles began life way back in 1895, About Light Blue Sport bikes. However, the family have remained deeply involved when John Albert Townsend produced hand built in the cycle trade to this day and John’s great bicycles for the wealthy members of Cambridge grandson Lloyd Townsend formed a company called We are pleased to offer a comprehensive range of University. Ison Distribution. high quality, steel, production bicycles. These custom made machines were produced in a Drawing on our extensive experience and heritage converted dairy in Norfolk Street in the city at a rate In 2006 lightweight, quality city bikes for the we have developed a range of Retro and Modern of around six bicycles per week. Cambridge market and beyond were designed and sports bikes, designed, tested and assembled here The Light Blue brand name was inspired by the World manufactured bearing the Light Blue name. in Cambridge in the UK. famous university’s sporting ‘colours’. In 2009 Lloyd happened to meet Keith Noronha To celebrate the new centenary in 1900 and to (Managing Director of Reynolds Technology) in an Our models cater for most types of road cycling that promote his shop and bicycles, John made his own airport departure lounge and began discussing the you may wish to undertake. Whether it’s fast road track bike, painted Red, White and Blue featuring a options of working together, with a view to producing riding or adventure biking, we probably have just custom-made 100 tooth chainwheel. a range of high end steel bikes. The following year saw the bike for you. John rode this bike until his death in 1942 and it the introduction of the Light Blue Trinity track (fi xie) remains with the family to this day. frame, made from Reynolds’ iconic 531 double butted If you are looking for a bike that will stand the test of By the time of The Great War production of The tubing. After that came the Kings, a 70’s style road time, looks great and ride like a dream, then read on. Light Blue bicycles ceased, as men were called away. bike, featuring the ultra-modern Reynolds 853 tubing Following this, larger manufacturers began to produce and fully specifi ed with new ‘retro’ components. The Light Blue – The Devil’s in the detail… more affordable models on a greater scale and The Light Blue bicycle was seemingly consigned to the history books. Over 120 years after The Light Blue bicycles were fi rst made, we have seen a signifi cant expansion of The Light Blue Sports range, with four new models joining the line-up, including the ‘retro’ St John’s, a club/light touring bike and three ‘modern’ Reynolds tubed models, Wolfson, Robinson and Darwin. The Light Blue sports range now offers a great line-up of beautiful, steel, road bicycles to suit every kind of riding and satisfy the requirements any discerning cyclist. 3. 4. LLOYD TOWNSEND “Being a 4th generation Townsend involved in Soon after joining, I asked my dad what the odd bike a family bicycle business in the cycling city of was that I’d seen in a murky corner of the warehouse. Cambridge, bicycles are literally in my blood and He told me it was great granddad’s bike, a ‘Light Blue’ it’s hardly surprising that I would fi nd myself bicycle made in 1900 to celebrate the turn of century. immersed in the bicycle industry. We both became somewhat inspired and together decided to renovate it. “I was fi rst aware of the fascination and fun of Dad found a local company in Cambridge that riding bicycles at a very young age, when my managed to carry out the Nickel plating and even Grandmother (Midge Townsend) tricked me into pulled a favour at the Raleigh factory to apply the believing she had hold of the seat on my pavement hand painted gold coach lining. I knew then, over 30 bike… having removed the stabilisers, she sent me years ago, that one day in the future I wanted to revive off riding alone on two wheels along the village The Light Blue brand itself. cul-de-sac road I was born and brought up in. “The family business has evolved and over the last “Back in the days before BMX and Mountain bikes, 20 years we have developed a new division, Ison several mates and I would to go down the local Distribution. This new division has allowed us to form woods and try to get airborne on whatever bikes we several new connections within the modern bicycle had. I didn’t do the landing part very well on my industry and with help from suppliers and partners drop bar bike and decided that this was too painful it has been possible for us to revive The Light Blue. to be long term fun. So I concluded that my ‘racer’ was a really best used as a great way to get around “The Light Blue sports range of bicycles has received and it became my main form of transport for me as particular attention from myself in their design and a youngster. development. They are not intended as race winning One thing I perhaps regret is that I never got into bikes, however, I believe they are very capable of racing, as I will never know if I’d have been any winning hearts and minds. Having been privileged good. That said…I still hold a huge passion for enough to ride a Light Blue Kings from London to sports bicycles. Paris with the Hot Chilli event, I can say without any doubt that modern engineering can still blend with “I started working as a Saturday lad in in our retro styling. combined Raleigh bicycle and toy shop. I became Some might ask if we will ever go racing with The well acquainted with the workshop and my dad Light Blue brand? Well, the only answer I can give is would show me the tricks of the trade. In 1983, never say never! after fi nishing my further education at Cambridge Technical College, I decided I wanted to work full “The Light Blue, after 120 years, still time within the family business. alive and very much kicking!” Photo: © www.joolzedymond.com 5. STEVE CLARKE An old school bike racer, Steve joined the company in event, around the Derbyshire dales, “Not only did the 2014 to help Lloyd make his vision of a range of Light bikes look good, they rode well too. We only did the Blue bikes a reality. short ride and we took our time, but the Kings that I rode was really comfortable and handled well, just as With more years riding and racing ‘push bikes’ than you would expect. It climbed well too, in fact it was he cares to remember, our Brand Manager lives and spot on and I couldn’t fault it.” breathes bicycles and cycling. When he’s not at work he’s organising, offi ciating and even racing and riding Although our Brand Manager has been around since himself, all Steve’s family are cyclists and he’s heavily before the modern frame materials mentioned above, involved in the club and race scene. that’s not to say he’s steeped in the past and he’s So when he fi rst came to see Lloyd, he instantly been working on the modern steel bikes too, “Also understood where the brand was coming from and using Reynolds tubesets, we’ve developed three very could see there was still a very defi nite potential for interesting contemporary bikes, that will cover most steel bicycles. road bike requirements you can think of. “I was impressed with The Light Blue bikes and “We’ve got same great designs and builds, from fast despite the frames being built overseas, they were road/sportive to bike trekking and long distance every bit as attractive as a hand built frame from an continental touring, we’ve got a bike for almost any artisan British frame builder. The design, quality of occasion. build and fi nish was fi rst class. “Again, I’ve ridden them a fair bit and although Lloyd “Cycling and bikes are big in the UK now and there is says they’re not designed for racing I’ve done some a signifi cant interest in retro steel bikes, with events road racing on the Wolfson. Also, I’ve fi tted it with like L’Eroica. Many new cyclists, as well as the old mudguards and ridden across Flanders (and the ones were starting realise that bikes made from steel, associated cobbles) and up taken it up mountains on were in fact every bit as good carbon or aluminium a Spanish training camp. None of which phased the and very desirable.” Wolfson and it performed superbly.” Steve joined the Light Blue and at the end of the fi rst So, Steve, along with Lloyd has steadily been fi nalising week he packed a van and took The Light Blue Kings and the details and fi ne tuning the designs and features of Trinity to the inaugural L’Eroica Britannia in Derbyshire. the whole range, to provide an impressive family of retro and modern steel tubed bicycles. “I was blown away by the interest in our bikes and my intuition was confi rmed. The event was a massive success with thousands of visitors all interested in retro steel bikes and all potential Light Blue customers. As well as exhibiting the bikes, Steve also rode the 6.