1951 Elswick Hopper ‘Model W’ Butcher’s Bike
I visited my friend Greg’s yard recently and when I spotted the Elswick hanging in a corner in all its rusty glory I could not help myself. Some healthy haggling ensued, for example:
Greg: ‘At that price it may as well hang there for another 10 years.’
Me: ‘But I could buy a trade bike for that price that isn’t rusty.’
But in the end we agreed on a price, backed Greg’s pick-up truck as close as possible without denting his Jag, perilously climbed up to hold the bike and – appropriately – I used a meat cleaver to cut the rope to get it down.
On the next sunny day, I’ll take some photos. By the way, I won’t restore it at all cosmetically. All I’ll do is make it rideable and install a basket …and maybe make an extra sign to fix to the front saying ‘The Oily Rag Club.’
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How fascinating – the guarantee on this 1951 Elswick Hopper Model W only ran out 7 years ago!
The complete catalogue for Elswick Hoppers of this year is on the
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I used to own another Elswick Hopper Model W, into which I installed a Cyclemaster engine. I sold it in summer 2008. I did not get round to finishing its restoration, so I’m looking forward to getting on with my new rusty one. I’ll look for some rusty accessories :)
You can see more of the Cyclemaster-powered Elswick at the
