Richard Cooke

resized again!

HI guys, Trying to stick to the Thread Webmaster, but so much info! This is the original DHC, built end of 1962 by Huth himself. Assembled in Nimmos shop, later at top of Plein St Cape Town by me and mechanic Ronnie. Original 1958 Campag gears and Magistroni/Simplex chainwheel, Brooks B 17 Swallow---SOO comfortable. Campag drop outs--see newer campag sticker on Seat tube--still have some. Coloral water bottle frame, campag hubs 36/40 and Fiamme rims. Campag pedals. Items fitted from 1958 left overs . These are Cinelli bars and the Cinelli model "21" steel on the Legnano. Note the usual wide stripes around the original gold DHC badge on the seat tube--remember cos I will show these on the track bike when I send the picture of Gotti with WP juniors in 1964. The next pic is pure ego. Fripp Memorial Shield for 1000m TT 1964. Was a howling 50 knot South Easter and although "only" 18 I did a 1'14.5", far off my usual 1'12". In that race was my big buddy Carl "Abie" Jonker with Jan Hettema, world amateur record holders together at Krugersdorp and when they went to 1958 Cardiff Empire Games. (More to come w pics). The Presidents cup is a joke for "most promising rider" 1964. Dietto Pietro shoes. Worked my bum off for pants, shoes, wheels and chainwheels. Mean old man. Still treasure the days I could get out on my bike and just be with the guys. Cannot explain to those who do not know. The DHC was all of R26 for the frame, a thing of pure pleasure as I remember pleasure was at that age. The last pic is at my home in 2013 for our matric 50th--seventy five damn people pitched! This was part of a display of memorabilia and the DHC is now white, just in the background, prepared for rain riding with Gipiemme cranks and original Campag derailleur in a cabinet with the Dinkies and Hornby stuff, now an Ultegra with wider range, titanium pedals.. Picture by my old boxing mate Eddie Muller, pretty good pic, except for the old fart in the middle! Notice the Clement "red top" tubby, still on the wheels for the Legnano but like a good pizza base now, real Italian. And yes, I have a special overhead cupboard in my (our) bedroom for the bikes--8 of them anyway! Long wheel base, fix that tandem. Les Haupt and I often talk about the Cinelli tandem he brought back from Rome Olympics, beige, ridden in many SAs, won with Steve "Spider" Viljoen in 1962 at Bloem, but sold to Herman Kroff and Chris Marais at Paarl. Now lost but we would love to find and buy it back. Les was given Penicillin in Rome, nobody knowing he was allergic and the tandems were won (I think, not a place) by a young Italian named Pinarello....(more pics!) Penicillin stuffed him in the sprint Semis as well. More to come. Alastair Macdonald won the Argus tandems a couple of times--I think with John Hurd--but always complained of Francois du Toit "switching" him around Bakoven Bends in mid eighties. He had some fancy tandem in Red made by a Yank but always complained it was not built to spec, Now owned by his nephews. Those bends my old training runs before school and that ONE pole on the Kerb as you came from Hout Bay. I dont switch that easily! Hope not too much stuff, my head is quite full, even after major injuries!!!! R:devil:

Sorry guys, had to crop for last post disaster! R

Last bite I wrote a lot and then deleted by mistake so just a quick one: This is my big buddy Alastair Macdonald, original winner of Unregistered 1978 Argus Tour and many subsequent, Tandem with John Hurd etc. Eccentric, bright, I heard Head of House at Michaelhouse, just over 4 minutes as a schoolboy mile runner, practice partner, fearless. He spent everything on his cars and bikes. This 81 Argus pic is on his Raleigh Road Bike in his yellow shirt but it started on a silver DHC. His father was the leading Radiologist in Pretoria and took him to Huth 'shop to have a measured road bike made when he was doing military service mid 60s. We had known each other at Medical School and when he returned to CT with his 246 Dino in 74 became better buddies. In 1977 I sorted his DHC because in spite of his toys Mac could not turn a spanner. I was still riding a lot to keep fit on my road DHC and we used to go through Tokai forest round the mountain but I was doping for Chris Barnard then and serious racing was out for me. He always said "if you are not on the edge you're taking too much space", so many times venturing into the penumbra only to be repaired so that he thought himself invincible, one too many on that big Kawasaki coming into Oudtshoorn, a taxi, analogue speedo locked on 260, Sept 20th 2003. Cumulative damage from head injury does not help fear, judgement or narcissism. My wife says I must not be guilty, he would have found motorbikes anyway. In 1974-5 Lawrence Whitaker came down from Jo'burg and I met him through then State Attorney Ian Coutts as a whole bunch of us City Cycling guys still rode quite hard evenings to Simonstown. Ken Williams had come to SA in 1961 (about) and was mates with Les Haupt, Ian Coutts , Abie Jonker and the rest of us. Bobby Fowler had moved to CT just after. 1978 was the year Lawrence, Alastair and Ken won the Argus categories. While he was in the Air Force early 60s Alastair rode the DHC into some barrels in twilight and stuffed his thoracic spine for good (or Worse!), spending weeks in no1 Military. He was different but one had to accept measured in his inappropriate remarks to test a response, loved by all ages he blended in at every motorcycle rally, every Ferrari run,however there were many who avoided him and he was a definite acquired taste, not like whisky (which he savoured) but the French aniseed liquors..... We had so many New Years at Keurbooms caravan park and Lawrence, there with his family, I know used to metaphorically shake his head at our friendship. What a bike rider, no sprint, but like his life, by the book all was planned. He kept a diary with every time of every training run from 1965, between robots!!! Large foolscap hardcover ledgers, stacks. All started with a DHC.

It is interesting to read the replies of all about the guys I knew so well. I will send a few pics in time. This picture is very interesting, blown up, so not totally clear. It shows Syd Byrnes and Gotti HANSON (please), who later made HansoM cycles, his wife Bonnie also involved in the business initially. This was taken at WP champs 1960. Gotti is riding his Legnano track bike of which I also had, still have in perfect condition but with steel Cinelli "21" handlebars (a very rare bar), Both Aerolite hub and Campag hub wheels. I still have my Cinelli trackbike but well used and the debate continues, restore or patina?!! I will send a better pic of Gotti w WP juniors a couple of years later. What is sad but interesting about vthis pic is it shows Syd Byrnes on his Carlton Flyer track bike but he had a DHC road bike. This was in 1960 just before Rome Olympics and a month later, April, Syd was riding in "Tour de Boland" on his DHC. Story goes there was a crack in the front fork and Syd had it brazed up. THe fork broke and very good-looking guy that he was, poor Syd fell straight onto his face, It was an injury which took off his nose, part of his tongue bitten through and hours of surgery at Groote Schuur hospital by plastic surgeon Bertie Binnewald. Syd, brave that he was, went to Rome with a nostril opening and had a forehead flap repair to make a new nose when he returned. He continued racing and raced against the British side including Don Skene, Barry Hoban, Mc Coy, in 1962 but about the time if the Durban test was having difficulty breathing and sadly was advised to stop racing. One of the best, retired now but a terrible loss to SA cycling. Gotti was the nicest guy, always helpful and with my ability in quarter miles, always sought as a "pusher", if not then my late great pal Syd Capes. So what right do I have write about DHC. I still have my 1963 DHC built especially for me by "old man Huth", as he did for my late practice partner in 1963, winner of so many Argus Tour Unregistered category, including the first in 1978 after I sorted the bike and got him back into cycling in 1977 and sadly also into Motorbikes with his inevitable death on his Kawasaki in 2003 in Oudtshoorn. Interesting year that 1978, Lawrence Whittaker Registered riders, Ken Williams, Vets at 47, all friends. Many DHC frames supplied by Jock and Tommy Nimmo were supplied with "Nimmos Special" transfers on downtube. Mine was a beautiful Peacock flamboyant blue with green seat/head tube paint inserts. Living in Sea Point Beach Road, the ravages of salt air stuffed the chrome and there was creeping lurgy under the paint so I had it dechromed and painted it white with some of he first Durathane K samples from Harry Bromfield of Dulux in1981, left over from my Ducati Desmo restoration. Sadly the original TD Cross headset sold for drugs by a former stepson during the restoration time, the current Campag ali set from one of Jochen Maas bikes, bought from Brnard Martini when he was running Chris Willemse shop at the bottom of of Mobil house in Long street for a short time, the races worn so that it tracks too much to be safe, so will be replaced by an Ultegra 600 spare I got from Peter Haupt ( cousin of Les, another unnecessary loss recently--who does not think of pulmonary embolus after long plane flights and treats "Pneumonia", WHY didn't he phone me) way back after he had taken over the Bellville shop when the also great Eddie "Horse" Kriel left. Thanks to those who wrote the history of Deale and Huth, it is great SA story and must not be left forgotten. To visit that shop as teenager was an experience of wonder at the expertise , like being in some sorcerers cave. So if you guys want, lots of pictures to come, and if permissible some stories of the characters, my great mates, Jonker, Haupt, Marx and the fleeting meetings with Hoban and Welshman Skene, I will do. Pity we cant upload more gigs in pics each time.