Welcome to the Bike Jumbles website. The main purpose is to publicise the events variously known as bike / cycle fairs / jumbles. I have no commercial interest in either the events or with the organisers of the same. I have produced it because I recognise that it can be difficult to find out when things are happening, especially when you are an occasional jumbler, are limited by distance, don't read the "comic" (Cycling weekly) or just want to go to events you can cycle to!
I am keen to build in general interest aspects to the site. To this end I would welcome submissions from anyone.

The website has been going for three years now and is No1 hit with Google and Yahoo. It is only as good as the information I obtain. I've got info on 34 known venues and have got to the stage where organisers can use the listing to avoid clashes. I would welcome requests for links to others, details of events, feedback and any odds 'n' sods items of interest. Please contact me. Even snail mail would do. Address on the contacts page!

Thanks, Stuart Collins

News from the summer recess

added 19th August 2008
All seems quiet at this time. Cyclists, one and all are either knocking out miles on that bike put together from bike jumbles past OR are watching the amazing, awesome Olympic cycling. Now when I wear the top I bought from Bradley Wiggins at the Manchester Bits'n'bobs Jumble they know who he is!
Charles Jepson, organiser of the N.E.Lancs event on September 27th has contacted me to say that all under cover stalls are taken but he welcomes folk who want to operate outside. For a bargain £2 tents, shelters, gazebos, tables etc. can be put up but not using pegs!! Details in the calendar page.
The Calendar / list of events is not complete for the remainder of 2008 but I will phone around to try to ensure I have got every one.

Manchester Velodrome bits'n event 15th March

The event went off well at the large and atmospheric venue. Just under 700 buyers was down a bit - it was a cold day and Manchester City were at home. One novelty was the selling off of Rob Hayles and Bradley Wiggins unwanted gear. I got several items, will it make me ride like them? PS Bradley won a gold medal in the "Worlds" last night. He has set the bar a little high! (back to the bar I am more familiar with).
Had a good chat with the amazing Dave Marsh. He has so many anecdotes that should he write a book it would out-weigh War and Peace and break the scales! One lovely story he told me of was when he was at a cycling show, an announcement came over the Tannoy "Urgent call for Dave Marsh". When he got to the phone it was already been answered by (another) Dave Marsh! This coincidence was the start of a Dave Marsh / Dave Marsh tandem racing pairing - and confusion for race organisers!


The internet goes quiet - Sheldon Brown dies

This amazing bloke passed away on February 3rd of a sudden heart attack. Click on whos who page to find out more and do visit his amazing and brilliant websites listed there.

Click here to see Flash video of David Cameron's infamous bike ride


Pedal Power : The history of the bicycle

A talk by Douglas Pinkerton went well. Many tickets got into the hands of people who had no intention of coming. Many who were wanting to come were thus deterred.
WHEELS OF FORTUNE : A history of Raleigh - Exhibition.Lakeside Arts Centre / D.H.Laurence Building, (near South entrance of) Nottingham University.

runs from 12th April to 3rd August 2008.
[The exhibition is a rare event - the next one might be when Raleigh is again "the Greatest Name in Cycling". Bring your own tissues. Stuart]. PS I cannot recommend this event. A small room with some low-lit cases with such as ledgers and booklets in. Only one bike there and no parts or anything tactile. Meanwhile the only bike Reg Harris ever rode languishes, little visited, but 2 miles away in Woolaton Hall.

Click here to read Marvelous paper on the last 25 years of Raleigh - by Tony Hadland



The VCL had a very successful event on new years day. It was a possible risky day. Walter Happy, the organiser said it was very well attended and many enjoyed viewing the famous Hernehill racetrack (OK velodrome, now). As a results a follow-up event is to be held on the 11th of May. It is in the calendar. Below is an interesting aerial view of the track.



Mike clark has now settled on Woodchurch as a venue (he tried Bethersden). It is about an hour from London and snacks are served at 7am.
Unfortunately an event listed for the 15th of March has had to be cancelled. Mike assures all that the events later in the year will go ahead for definite. Ok these are not truly new events but my "new venue" icon needed a dusting off. Good jumbling in 2008.

Added 27th February 2008

Charles Jepson reports that his event at Whalley, Lancs went down very well. As mentioned by other organsiers Jumbles have taken on a more social aspect and folk stay on for a chat. I think it shows the resergeance and if, as he says, this website is helping then I am pleased. It takes the same amount of my time whether it's to be read as not.


Publicising Events.

Publicising a bike jumble can be done in many ways. From John of Ripley who actively discourages people coming, to my resorting to being interviewed on local radio. For an example of the latter click on the radio. It might not be an example of how to go about it but it should cause a smile. Thanks to the wonderful John Holmes of Radio Nottingham

Added 26th November 2007

I have had glowing reports of two recent events. The Chard Wheelers Event was a great success at its new venue. Barry Carter, the organiser, said that a really good part of it was that folk stayed on for chat and made it a social event as well as fundraiser. Exactly the same ambiance was reported from the Bygones event at South Hunsley. Perhaps there is a surge of popularity!?
This website has been Google-ised. I never wanted that really. However it's gone to No.1 so mustn't grumble. Please keep telling others about it, I still prefer word of mouth.
At the moment I am awaiting an eye op and the weekend of my event near Nottingham

Added 16th November 2007

News from the dessert

We all think that bike jumbles must be British only. The photo right shows that this is not the case.
It is at Adge in the Moroccan Sahara. I was tempted to buy the red frame but I thought with my 6ft body, it might be a little small.


Stuart Collins

Revolution in the cycling world (added 01/04/2007)

It now emerges why Lance Armstrong retired. Nothing to do with problems with Beryl Crowsfeet or his being fed up / piste off going up and down the Alpe d'Huez. No it is to do with the new UCI Protour regulations. They have just dictated that riders will be provided with bikes to negate the effects of the machine. Riders will draw lots. The first out of the hat may get a Trek Carbonio Special, the last gets the delivery bike of the Cheval qui rire Boucherie. "Eat eaze zay vay of egalitarianism" said Alphonse Enorme, the UCI spokeperson.

Death of a cycling eccentric Pongo

It is not likely that many would know of him, but might be familiar with his frames. In the eighties he produced his own Aende frames in the back room of a house. The frames are noted for their short wheelbase and an early example of straight(-ish) forks. His full name was Alan Braithwaite. He was brought up in Mansfield, Notts and then moved to Nottingham. His nickname Pongo alludes to his disregard for deoderants. When greeted with "Hello, Alan" would correct them with "my name is Pongo!". He decided to try the exotic East and moved to Indonsia in the early nineties and sired more children than he made bike frames. He died out there on 25th January 2007 and was in his mid-seventies.
I will add his bikes to the classic bike section when I get enough material together.

Future Event - look what you could get.

On 26th November 2006 a very relaxed event at Thurcroft,near Rotherham, went off well. Oddly, it might have had more people there if the weather had not been so good. The food, as ever, was wonderful. The photo shows the ultimate in seductive bike component, available at Thurcroft. If you want to know more look in the new Oddsncogs page.
Or have a look anyway!

Future Event

The Bygones Club of Yorkshire's jumble near Hull on November 18th is a nice event. With bags of space and wonderful refreshments and good variety of stalls, there was something for everybody.

Now old news - remember the summer?


Photo taken at the York Rally 2006.
This bike jumble (or saddlebag sale as it's called) was a very busy one and there was a long queue
to get in, as usual. There wasn't quite the scrums that occurred in the past.

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