Last month we launched a competition with Vintage Brighton to find a deserved vintage bike for one of our delightful vintage box bags.
The winner is the rather splendid Sir Walter Raleigh and his owner Raevennan Husbands. Here's their story...
"This photo was taken on the day I found my beloved bike in a skip behind my house. The back wheel had a rusted lock on it – it took quite a battle with the pliers to get that off…
But he’s doing well now. I showed it some TLC – replaced gears and brakes and saddle and a loud ding-dong bell – and sprayed it with clear lacquer to preserve the shabby-chic look.
I discovered what was an original Brookes saddle when I took the strange tartan thing off, but unfortunately it got damaged at uni and I had to find a cheap replacement.
Looking for similar models on the web, I found that the Tourist model cost £24 which would have been two months wages in 1957 – when mine was made.
I’ve named my trusty stead Sir Walter Shabby Raleigh and hope to keep him for as long as we both shall live. He even has his own Facebook page – Shabby’n'Chic Husbandes."
