Anyone know of DHC?

[Michael079]

Anyone know some facts or info about the DHC swift?

[tracknut]

My 1960's DHC, still working on a period set of wheels...

[hayleyearth]

I was just informed by my dad he had a DHC as a track racing bike in the 70ties. Then I googled to find out more about it and here I find some info on our trusted "thehub".

[Long Wheel Base]

Talk about a thread revival!!!

My dad bought a DHC tandem in the late 80s and I infact rode my first 4 argus' on it. He still has the frame hanging in the garage. Won't get rid of it for love or money. 20 years down the line and I'm back on the tandem with my dad. So maybe Oneday we will rebuild the DHC tandem for fun. SS DHC tandem????

[Long Wheel Base]

talk about some retro stuff there. That was my first Argus on the back of the DHC.

[hayleyearth]

First Argus.jpg talk about some retro stuff there. That was my first Argus on the back of the DHC.

 

Wow that's a special photo of an awesome memory for sure! 

I would have loved to have had those with my dad. Love this! 

[Richard Cooke]

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest notmyname]

Awesome.

[CAAD4]

First Argus.jpg talk about some retro stuff there. That was my first Argus on the back of the DHC.

What an awesome pic Nick! Now 25 years later you guys did a sub 3 on a tandem. Really special.

Now stop the baby projects and get restoring that historic tandem.

[Guest notmyname]

My Oom Andre Nieuwenhuizen will love this thread.

[HeyYou]

Syd Byrnes Gottie Hansen GP.jpg\[attachment=694626:Syd Byrnes Gottie Hansen GP.jpg

 

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.

 

Syd Byrnes Gottie Hansen GP.jpg

 

THANK YOU RICHARD

 

I for one, and I'm sure there are many, many others, would like to hear as much as you can impart, please.

 

None of this history should be lost, please write it down and let's see the pictures.

 

Thank you again, looking forward to the next episode.

[gtr1]

Great story. I grew up cycling to Deale and Huth in Main Street in the afternoons after school from Benoni just to buy so e spare aorta or clothing etc. was like a candy store.

 

Please post more.

 

I saw Gotty last year at track SA's. He hasn't changed over the years.

[Stretch]

My old man's brothers used to do track racing. So my old man got one of their track bike frames and put on flat bars and 3 speed gears and wheels and I used it. We called it "daddy's homemade crap". That thing was indestructible and we used to go riding down the river course near our house

[Richard Cooke]

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.

[Richard Cooke]

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

[Long Wheel Base]

What an awesome pic Nick! Now 25 years later you guys did a sub 3 on a tandem. Really special.

Now stop the baby projects and get restoring that historic tandem.

Thanks Man.

Don't worry it's on the cards. Got the DHC and an old HANSOM so will pick one of them to rebuild. During this year's Argus there was an old re done DU TOIT tandem with us in racing tandems. Retro goldish/yellowish paint job with anodized blue rims and hubs. Man it looked good. Keep it real keep it steel, or copper in your case.