Last week I was delivering bicycles to customers around London, and met a friend for lunch in Hackney. I had the Paris Galibier on board my van, and realised that Harry Rensch’s premises weren’t far away. So I drove to 131/133 Stoke Newington Church Street, the location of the old Paris Cycles shop and workshops. Unfortunately there is nothing now there to mark the spot. No 131 was demolished in the 1970s for a road widening scheme that never happened, while no 133 was pulled down years before. House number 133 has now been allocated to a children’s nursery in the yard behind the location of the original buildings. I took a photo of the Galibier next to the No 133 sign to mark the occasion.
Paris Cycles also took over No 129 when they expanded from 131. Isn’t it time we commissioned a local graffiti artist to do a mural of a Galibier on its wall (below)?
1953 Paris Galibier
Original paintwork and transfers (decals)
23″ frame
27″ wheels
Chater Lea chainset
Round CL cranks with CL tommy bar pedals
Frame No 7453
Supplied by West End Lightweights, Crouch St, Colchester
(Now sold)
Very few of these iconic Paris Galibier bicycles have survived in original unrestored condition. Most were repainted. This example, with its transfers (decals) intact, it is quite likely the best in the world. Look at the photos yourself and tell me what you think 🙂
It’s in excellent mechanical condition too, and ready to ride.
PARIS CYCLES
133 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16
Says marque specialist Alvin Smith:
Paris Cycles was set up in 1943 or thereabouts by Harry Rensch. Harry Rensch was already widely known in the cycling world as ‘Spanner’ Rensch. Rensch had been well respected in the cycle business before the Second World War as the originator of Rensch bicycles. These were thoroughbred lightweights famous for their continental finishes, Massed Start frame design and novel construction – using lugless concepts made possible by a technique that the Rensch literature referred to as “bronze welding” but which is now better known as Sif-bronze brazing – a more controlled technique giving a stronger frame than normal brass brazing using lugs.
The pre-war bicycles were all true lightweights and most frames had Osgear rear ends needed for the gears used in Massed Start road racing. During WW2 Rensch was an oxy-acetylene welder in London’s shipyards. During this time he managed to continue bicycle trading but at some point decided to change the name of the firm to PARIS Cycles, probably in or shortly after 1942. It is thought that the change was to avoid the association of his own name with German interests, and of course there was at that time a violently anti-German feeling as a result of the London Blitz, particularly in the dockland areas. The new PARIS firm was set up in Rensch’s old home, 133 Stoke Newington Church Street in N16. The first publicity material came out in 1946 using this address.
The first frames advertised were the top of the line Tour de France (See image below) and the cheaper clubman-aimed Professional Road Racer –commonly known as the Professional. Demand for these bikes was considerable and to add to this pressure was the commercial success of a new model, the Galibier. This was a novel single main strut frame model with the prettiest – or most handsome – (take your pick) bilaminations at the head and strut joints. The Galibier had its detractors and many a fierce argument was had over this style guru’s dream machine.
The unexpected demand for the frames led to development of batch production of the bikes and to fast and furious expansion of the building space. Rensch had to take over the next door shop, the firm’s address now being 129/133 Stoke Newington Church Street. The enamelling shop also had its outside refinishing service as an established a market niche and moved to larger premises in Balls Pond Road near to the old Rensch firm’s pre-war roots.
By 1948 the PARIS marque had produced an attractive catalogue with some 13 models including four tandems. Rensch himself still built frames and there were RENSCH badged bicycles – these tended to the more expensive and finely finished models such as the RENSCH Champion du Monde in the range. As before all models were supplied as frame only – the marquee’s loyal enthusiasts were the type who were highly knowledgeable and selective about the components they put on their bicycles. Of course supplying a bicycle this way also avoided the swingeing 25% Purchase Tax the post war Government imposed on complete new machines.
Rensch though personally a friendly and even jovial character was beginning to suffer from diabetes and the pressure of running this whirlwind of a venture must have been an enormous additional strain. Those who came after certainly found the lack of sound management techniques surprising and this must have been a major cause of the firm’s problems. The collapse of the firm in 1952 has been said to be due to cash difficulties and certainly this was the case in a great many firms in the cycle trade at that time in the late 1940’s. In the case of PARIS the end was probably made inevitable because Harry also had marital problems and broke up from his wife in late 1951. Harry’s marriage break-up and his simultaneous departure from the firm meant that a new manager was needed.
WB (Bill) Hurlow was asked to manage the frame building side of the business in early 1952. Hurlow worked out of the old PARIS workshops for a period, trying to make the PARIS name work. However the firm was finally closed in 1953 and formally dissolved in 1955. Rensch never rejoined the cycle industry and died of diabetes-related diseases in 1984.
PARIS as a make did have a later incarnation when Michael Kemp, who had bought the PARIS name, traded as the Paris Lightweight Cycle Company Ltd. Monty Young of Condor Cycles, and Tom Board who was Condor’s frame builder, were also Directors of this venture. Tom Board, as the only builder, built high-class replica PARIS Galibier and Tour de France frames between 1981 and 1987. Condor have reintroduced the Galibier as a custom made retro design.
131-133 STOKE NEWINGTON CHURCH STREET, LONDON