27 February 2009

History walking out the dungeon door - Canberra Bicycle Museum collection on the block

| johnboy
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[First filed: February 25, 2009 @ 15:20]

The Tradies/CFMEU business/industrial park that’s burgeoning on its Downer estates no longer has room for the neglected bicycle museum and so all the bikes of the ~1,000 strong collection must go.

The ACT Government is taking some choice bikes, collectors have swooped on some others.

But several hundred are being sold from the dungeon like expanse under the old museum.

Loren, Emma and Drago from Logo Cycles appear to be having the time of their lives sorting out the bikes, giving them a spruce, and taking them out for a ride.

They’re keen for you to come on down to the amazing space and see if there’s something remarkable you’d like to take away.

The old bicycle museum website has a catalogue of some of the items for sale, but bear in mind it’s now out of date.

Loren was also emphatic that all bikes are open to negotiation so it’s well worth making them an offer.

It’s only been open to the public like this for a couple of weeks. They’re encouraging members of the public to come down on Fridays and Saturdays between 10am and 4pm over the next month or so to take a look, take the bikes out for a spin, and make an offer.

You can also email them at logocycles@gmail.com to make an appointment for another time.


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Slideshow of the amazing range of bikes on offer below:

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Maybe. But a few well chosen bikes could supplement the NMA collection nicely.

Wasn’t there a recent article (possibly even here) saying NMA’s storage was chokkers?

I imagine that the bikes are from all over Australia so it would be appropriate for the NMA to at least cast their collective eye over the collection.

You’re right! I wonder if anyone has actually alerted them to the fact…

CMAG should – it’s a local, not national, matter.

I wish the National Museum would do something useful like acquiring this collection. It’s amazing!

Just looked through the photos and Catalogue. So many bikes there that I would love to own, not many I could afford, but will be going along anyway.

We went down to see all the bikes a couple of weeks ago! They are amazing! I have about 20 on my wish list! Drago and Loren are great to chat with and know most of the stories that go with each bike.

old canberran8:55 am 26 Feb 09

johnboy said :

old canberran said :

That club was heading for the graveyard in the mid 70’s until a union guy named Rod Driver was appointed Secretary Manager. He started the tram and train theme and expanded it to bikes and such like. The club took off like a rocket and has never looked back. I don’t know if Rod is still there or even if he’s still alive but it’s sad to see the bikes stroed away. At least they might now get into the hands of the public. I assume the club is still going as I haven’t been in it for over 20 years.

They’ve thrown away most of Driver’s brillliance now OC and it’s no longer the heart of the community that it was just a few years ago.

I think that explains why so many pubs are popping up in Dickson these days.

They’re running a different game now with their businesses. One that doesn’t include museums.

I think they call that progress. Thanks JB, what a shame.

old canberran said :

That club was heading for the graveyard in the mid 70’s until a union guy named Rod Driver was appointed Secretary Manager. He started the tram and train theme and expanded it to bikes and such like. The club took off like a rocket and has never looked back. I don’t know if Rod is still there or even if he’s still alive but it’s sad to see the bikes stroed away. At least they might now get into the hands of the public. I assume the club is still going as I haven’t been in it for over 20 years.

They’ve thrown away most of Driver’s brillliance now OC and it’s no longer the heart of the community that it was just a few years ago.

I think that explains why so many pubs are popping up in Dickson these days.

They’re running a different game now with their businesses. One that doesn’t include museums.

They are idjits selling off this collection. They should have applied for a grant to tour it to country Australia or something.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior said :

I remember seeing one of those weird blue contraptions (with the BMX tyre at the back and the rollerskate wheel at the front) being ridden by westies at the Farrer shops in the early 80’s.

Does anyone remember these things? Shed any light for a hopeless nostalgic? I wonder how much they want for it?

Haha, I remember seeing a dude with a mullet rocking one of those back in Kaleen in the ’80s. Too bad that style never caught on.

I wonder if the museum is getting rid of the ET Kuwahara (complete with ET in a basket) that they used to have. That would be a sure find.

This is all an outrage! How would the donors feel?

Gungahlin Al9:54 pm 25 Feb 09

Looks like a few penny farthings to choose from…

old canberran9:24 pm 25 Feb 09

That club was heading for the graveyard in the mid 70’s until a union guy named Rod Driver was appointed Secretary Manager. He started the tram and train theme and expanded it to bikes and such like. The club took off like a rocket and has never looked back. I don’t know if Rod is still there or even if he’s still alive but it’s sad to see the bikes stroed away. At least they might now get into the hands of the public. I assume the club is still going as I haven’t been in it for over 20 years.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior6:39 pm 25 Feb 09

I remember seeing one of those weird blue contraptions (with the BMX tyre at the back and the rollerskate wheel at the front) being ridden by westies at the Farrer shops in the early 80’s.

Does anyone remember these things? Shed any light for a hopeless nostalgic? I wonder how much they want for it?

Disposable said :

Were the red ones in the last pic used in the old Mardi Gras thru civic?

I suspect so, the train bike is astonishingly cool.

I can’t believe the collectors don’t want the penny farthings.

I am so sad that the tradies has got rid of all these bikes. They were much more interesting than the rows of plastic tables and chairs they have put in instead.

Were the red ones in the last pic used in the old Mardi Gras thru civic?

“We must be as stealthy as rats in the wainscoting of their society. It was easier in the old days, of course, and society had more rats when the rules were looser, just as old wooden buildings have more rats than concrete buildings. But there are rats in the building now as well. Now that society is all ferrocrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps in the joints. It takes a very smart rat indeed to find these openings. Only a stainless steel rat can be at home in this environment…”

Without wanting to speak for rat patrol their thing is more recycling unwanted things to make new things.

Whereas these are quite valuable as they are right now.

Having said that my rat sources were involved into putting me onto this story.

man, that yellow chopper needs to be in my garage.

Surely Rat Patrol would have interest in such historical relics yes ?

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