Help needed finding out more about HANSOM

[javadude]

 

I think the mirage was better than the rapport was built with a full Tange cromo tubeset. The rapport was Hi-ten steel.

 

Beat me to it Sean.

 

velo2008-07-23 05:46:10

[HomerSimpson]

 I remember that the hottest Peugeot of its day was the Peugeot Rapport.

 

Still used mine to do the 2002 Argus.  (Bought it new in 1988 or '89 I think).  Then donated it to B.E.N.  Still regret doing that.

[Johan Bornman]

Actually' date=' I recall the Peugeot series being, from cheapest:
Rapport
Le Mans
Mirage
Classique

But I may be wrong. It was a long time ago!


[/quote']

 

Now you guys have ruined my day. All through high school I had the hots for a Rapport. It had to be the best, the richest little blighter in school had one. His dad had a Valiant Baraccuda. They were the bees knees.

[Guest Big H]

Hansom bikes were made by Gotty Hansen in SA' date=' or maybe in a neighbouring homeland as they used to be called. I think Cosmos, Alpina, Zini etc were also made there. Gotty is still around, was the president of CSA until about two years ago. I'm sure someone has his contact details. He can give you the real story. [/quote']

 

Hansom bikes were manufactured at the Babalegi Factory in Hammanskraal. Not sure about the Zini's but they were made in Silverton in Pretoria when the plant moved there. They also made Hansom Tandem frames as well as Zini tandem frames.

 

Cosmos and Alpina was made by others. There were articles in the Ride Magazine about these brands a while ago.

 

I stand corrected but the Puegeout frames were also made at Bablegi, most likely under license form the mother company in France. I think BH procured the Puegeout factory in France somewhere in the nineties.

 

Koos (cannot remember his surname) who owned Hatfield Cycles in the Kollonade Centre in Pretoria is Gotti's son in law. He also may be able to shed some light on the history of the Hansom and Puegeout brands. I do know that Western Flyer distributed the Pueogeout brand up to round about 2003.

[javadude]

I think the Zini and Le Turbo brand was owned by Deale and Huth(Cohen dude). The Reynolds 501 Zini was my first road bike in 1987. From there i went to a Reynolds 525 Pettini, which was the bike Linden Cycles used to sell and probably made by Gotti or the Zini crowd.

[javadude]

Now that we're talking old school, the 87+ cycling boom with neon bikes and lycra to me started the mainstream acceptance of cycling in SA.

 

The local bike companies gave us middle class kids the chance to become hardcore cyclists at a fraction of the price. I was present at the very first Westgate Wheelers club ride sometime in 87. There were about ten of us i think but from there it grew exponentially.

 

 

[Sean Badenhorst]

Yes! Basil Cohen (Deale & Huth) told me he used to get the names of the bikes eg Zini, Le Turbo from a hairdresser chap he knew.

 

I went from the Peugeot to an Alpina which had Columbus SL or SLX tubing. Bought the Alpina second hand from Crispin Brien for R3000. Crispin was in the Alpina racing team in 1988. It was a bright orange and white bike and I thought it was the most lovely thing in the whole world... Turns out it was only the most lovely thing in my world.

 

[Underachiever]

 I remember that the hottest Peugeot of its day was the Peugeot Rapport.

 

You guys must be kidding me.  I started racing juvenile's in '83 on a blood red RAPPORT.  Man, that thing was heavy.  Everyone else was riding Alan's or Viners, with tubbies.  Got a 4th the one day after climbing Tiekiedraai though.  

 

The frame was gone after a fall and then my dad bought me a pearl pink Hansom made by Gotty  (will post some pics). Vitus tubing, Suntour Superb Pro groupset.  Now that was a bling bike.  The girls loved it.  Then used the RAPPORT groupset on a white Mirage frame for a training bike.

 

I cracked the pink Hansom after two years and then got a "real" bike.  Eddy Merckx 531, but at one stage I could ride up Helshoogte faster with the Mirage than the Merckx. 

 

Oh also had a matching pink track Hansom which I bought second hand

Underachiever2008-07-23 06:20:03

[porky]

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Cosmos and Alpina brands were manufactured by a company in the Vaal Triangle owned by the Immelman brothers.

 

They later converted the factory into manufacturing mud flaps for the auto industry and became millionairs.

 

............but as I said, I "vaguely" remember I may be 100% of the bat.!

 

[AndreZA]

In 1992 I had to choose between an Alpina and a Sancini, I took the Sancini. They were made by the Bloch family here in Jo'burg. A year later I upgraded to another Sancini. A pearl white one with SL tubing and 105 groupset for R1999. A few months later I upgraded again but luckily only to STIs and 8 speed. The levers, casette, chain and rear derailleur cot me R1400.

 

 

[javadude]

R3000 was big bucks in 88, and the brighter the neon the quicker you went. I read recently that Basil Cohen still rides every day. Once its in your blood its there for life!

[javadude]

 

In 1992 I had to choose between an Alpina and a Sancini' date=' I took the Sancini. They were made by the Bloch family here in Jo'burg. A year later I upgraded to another Sancini. A pearl white one with SL tubing and 105 groupset for R1999. A few months later I upgraded again but luckily only to STIs and 8 speed. The levers, casette, chain and rear derailleur cot me R1400.

 

 

[/quote']

 

Yip, i remember those. If it didn't have a European sounding name it was worthless. I remember other local brands like Vacari and Benino as well.

 

[cycleq]

Gotti was one of a handful of Reynolds-certified brazers/welders in SA (I think Du Toit and Lang might have been others).

 

I don't want to spoil the party' date=' but that doesn't say much. Brazing 531 tubing isn't very difficult since 531 steel was designed specifically for factory brazers and had a high tolerance for overheating, something that an unskilled brazer often did.

 

The fancier Reynolds tubesets, 851 (?) required silver solder, which melts at a lower temperature so that the steel needn't glow red.

 

[/quote']

 

In classic pedantic style...

You'd swear 531 was the only tubeset used..... Gotti had a Reynolds ticket, not a common commodity anywhere. But you bootstrap up there with the best!

 

There was a wide range of Reynolds tubesets available. To get a ticket you needed qualification in all of the different tube types. No party, no spoil!

[Groot Lem]

Sean, I was a member of that Alpina team along with  Philip Kemp, Andrew Geldenhuys, Gerhard Nel...cant remember more.maybe Rui Torres and my buddy Rene Duiker. On a stage of the Allied tour in 88 Andrew and myself broke away on the Huisrivier pass between Calitzdorp and Ladismith, dropped Torres, and the 2 Alpinas won the stage! But not me. Geldenhuys was later suspended for drugs. It was so cool waiting for the pro's like Ertjies, Benekes, Willie, van Heerden, McIntosh at the finish! My best ride.

Carinus once beat van Heerden in a street mile in Bellville on a Peugeot Classique from Babeleki, while VAN was on an aluminium Peugeot from France!

The Rapport retailed for about R650, le mans for R850, Mirage for R1300 and I think the Classique for R2000, a serious lightweight machine.

I also bought a track frame Hansom with 753 tubing from Willie E. Moerse light.

[javadude]

I remember Rene Duiker, he was a Krugersdorp local along with Jannie van d en Bergh. My friend still has his old Mirage, really nice bike. I think it only came in that metalic red colour.

[Cruxpearl]

Sean' date=' I was a member of that Alpina team along with  Philip Kemp, Andrew Geldenhuys, Gerhard Nel...cant remember more.maybe Rui Torres and my buddy Rene Duiker. [/quote'] Jaco Kellerman??