Another Ashby Basher

So anyway, I've been on a bit of a tangent lately with old school bicycles and the like and just about broken all the rules as far as what's considered cool on the retro bicycle scene. Although I did deduce from Idiots guide to salvaged  80's bicycles that this bike was and is junk in every sense of the word. So why do I need to add such a thing to my collection? Well since starting this mission in the garage a couple of months ago and spending considerable time trawling the web for stuff about this. In this search I basically come up with precious little information it on various sources so here’s my take:

 

Please bear in mind that this is processed from my research and with my ADHD 4 web forums so year/dates etc may not be 100% accurate but will try:

 

Ashby Bros produced bicycles around Brisbane from around the 1930’s from a shop front/ workshop on Wickham Terrace in the Valley. Guthrie Bicycle Company (located in Stafford) which there precious little information regarding took it over or produced bicycles using the Ashby name and others such as Local in the 70’s. I have not seen any example of a Guthrie bicycle to date but bear in mind I am new to this side of bicycles.  In August 1977, Guthrie Bicycle Company was taken over or sold to become Cycles Australia. Cycle’s Australia manufactured and assembled bicycles at Geebung under various names including Peugoet, Swift, Ashby, Sprite,  Madison and Local. Later I believe they dropped the Ashby name in favour of Madison. By this stage I would suggest it would have been like rats off a sinking ship and if you've ever seen the aftermath of a defunct manufacturing facility then you'll know about the apocalypse(

 

The question I have around production is how framesets were churned and what influence mass production had on subsequent distribution. The reason is BITD when I ruled the streets of Jindalee on BMX we had quite a few kids in the hood riding Madison's which were definitely NOT COOL but try find one now. Maybe if I grew up in the eastern suburbs I would have seen Peugeot or Swift bikes instead. But were these identical frame sets with different post production assembly/ specifications same as practiced often today?.? At a glance I would suggest this likely but that's my subjective opinion. Ironically Mt Ommaney where we first started MTB on BMX and trail building got bulldozed so all those wealthy Asians could come here coz we're such a tolerant multi-cultural country or piss weak spineless depending how you see it;-) but anyway getting off subject. 

 

So I started on an earlier Guthries Ashby Tour De France what’s to my calculation is between 1973-1975. I wasn’t too sure how to address it as it has original pin-stripping and some crome that I decided is best left as is. Then I got some Cycles Australia Ashby stickers circa 1980’s by some stroke of luck/ divine intervention coz someone was selling it and I picked up a seemingly one off Madison set as well. Then I got even dumber luck, another Ashby. It is pretty evidently done on the cheap in an effort to stave off the Asian scurge flooding the Australian market with cheap rubbish. In saying that it really comes down to the materials and frame building process although this pretty much ticks all the pushies galore build off boxes hey.  I won’t be getting as precious with this one as the weathered old pin striped Tour de France, it’s got re-spray written all over it especially that since I have original decals in virtually new condition to possibly put on it.

 

And the N+1 rule dictates what it will become. At first I stupidly asked myself what the hell am I going to with yet another bicycle. Then I gave myself an upper cut and realised that I don’t yet have no cyclo-cross bike. The fact these came with 27inch wheels gives me the extra clearance to run fat tyres and build a bush pig. It's a 1979 the year before Bon Scott died so Rocknroll bush pig about to show these fancy pants dually bollock how to traverse the roughest terrain and get it done: