August 23, 2025 • 17 mins
Tonight on In My Day, Roman asked callers to tell him stories about their first bikes! We had so many great calls we couldn't pick just one.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk said B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Turning back to the Clark with Roman Travers. Call oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty, It's in My Day
on News Talk sed B.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hered a good evening. Welcome along, Welcome to the world's
biggest radio show. That's a fact. Google it. I'm Roman Travers.
This is in My Day. I'm here till twelve. This
is a show if you've never been here before. The
question is why bring a note now? This is a
show that looks back at some of the great things
that have happened over your lifetime. And we play the
music of the seventies, eighties, and nineties. And then you
(01:07):
pick up the phone and you get very excited because
you won't get charged when you call the free phone number.
That's eight hundred eighty ten eighty. That might be the
most exciting thing you ever do in your life. It's
a bit debatable, but you know, it depends on your life, really,
doesn't it. You can't text me as well. The text
comes with a very small charge. It's so small you
(01:29):
may not just it's so insignificant. It's almost invisible when
you text nine to nine two or z B ZEDB.
Hope is here tonight, the executive producer for In My Day,
the fact finder and research team leader. And can I
just tell you that the date is the twenty third
of August, and you are looking very August. It's a
(01:51):
beautiful word, isn't it? August August? Now tonight. There's a
couple of things I want to get into, but the
first thing I want to get into is your memories
your very first bike. Do you remember your very first bike?
How proud of you were of that beautiful, shiny new
bicycle with the ribbons and the tassels and the little bell.
(02:14):
Or maybe it was a bit clapped out, maybe it
wasn't brand new, maybe it was a hand me down,
but you still loved it. It was this week back
in eighteen ninety two that the very first women's cycling
club formed, I know, and that was that was like
what the heck women can ride bikes. That was the
eighteenth of August eighteen ninety two. It was a very
(02:36):
special time because it was also the very first women's
cycling club to be formed in Australasia. That's right, and
it happened in my hometown of christ Church. Can you
imagine riding a big, old heavy bike back then with
your very prim and proper clubber. You know, you would
have had long underpants that were woolen. You would have
had long skirts, long boots, long sleeve blouses and a
(02:59):
matching hat. It would have been ferociously hot, no shammies
to soak up all the moisture. It would have been
terrible in the heat of christ Churchan's Cycling Club formed
in the beautiful city of christ Church, which of course
is renowned to be the cycling capital of New Zealand.
The woman that started at all. Her name was Alice Burn,
So if your sir name is Burn, you'll be going, Oh,
(03:21):
that's me. I'm proud of that. I'd like to know
if there's any relatives of Alice Byrne still around. Alice
began the concept of the Atlanta Cycling Club. I don't
know why she called that. It was hoped that the
club would make cycling popular with women and reduce prejudice
towards female cyclists. Now, get this, back in the time,
women were pushed off their bikes. They were abused for
(03:44):
riding bikes it was thought to be Oh my lord,
that's disgusting. How could you possibly want to ride a bike?
You're a woman. Thankfully that has changed now. Collectively motorists
just hate cyclists, man or woman. I know I'm one
of them. I'm not a woman. I'm a cyclist. So
when did your love of cycling begin? How far did
you go with the sport of cycling? And don't come
(04:04):
back to me and say, oh, hundreds of kilometers from
a man, I want to know how far you went
with your cycling prowess? Did you represent your town, your province, well,
perhaps the nation at international cycling. There'll be many people
listening that have done that. Well, there'll be a few, Well,
there might be one. Were you a master of cycling
on the valodrome all the roads of the world? And
(04:25):
where has cycling taken you over the years. Have you
done one of those non competitive cycling tours with a
basket and a baguette and a big hunk of cheese
and a bottle of wine on the front and you
just go ou la la all around France and well
this is lovely share all of this. Have you been
a coach or a cycling new Zealand selector like Kirsty Fleming,
a woman that I used to work with years ago.
She's a good person. So there we are. Let's get
(04:48):
into it. Cycling, your love of cycling, your first bike.
The stories will be great. Mine was a low line,
by the way, thanks for asking. Mine was a low line.
It was pretty cool and I loved it. I loved
it dearly and then I hated it because it was
too small and I progressed to a monarch ten speed
I think at the time. Get a there, Bill, that mate, yeah,
good Bill, Hey, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
So back on my day, I can remember the there
was there was, There was the chopper, but then there
was the there was the Dragster, and that had the
big banana seats on and the big ape hangers front handlebars,
and with the with the what do you call it,
the sissy seat at the back, so the bars at
(05:31):
that you could lean back on.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yes, that wasn't so that wasn't the chopper. That was
the dragster.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
The dragster. The drag Store was a bigger the chop.
I had the small wheel in the front and the
big wheel in the back. Well, you know, it was
still a little little bike. But the drags. There was
more the same size wheels, sort of a bigger version.
I'm still thinking it had the little gear lever in
the middle. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah. It
(06:01):
goes back and you look, as I said, you look.
You look on trade me these days, and you know
the rare and they go for a good price when
you find them out of somebody's garage.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, I bet I guess if there were why they'd
be like thirty, forty fifty, maybe sixty years old. Now
you probably have to get some re chroming done because
the chrome was something that made them look pretty pretty special,
wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Oh that's right. And I remember my father working on
a rail and he came home with a and these
kids were getting the Morrison Monarchs and all that. Well,
he came home with a Mors and it was a
five speed and I thought, oh, that was my first bike.
So I was sort of happy, and I was going
from Televeeda Mana college. But then two weeks later, or
(06:47):
about a month later, my younger brother, my father brings
home another bike and it was the Morrison Monarch, but
it was a ten speed, you know, so here I
am thought, I was you know, the older boy getting
the five speed, took it to the school and the
kids are going to arts only a five speed, you know,
but it was still cool. Yeah. But then my brother
ended up with avirus and monarch. But you know, as
(07:08):
older brothers and younger brothers, we had to have a
little agreement disagreement, so I ended up with the ten
speed and he followed behind in the fire speed. But
you know we went from to put her to at
a Manor college and we cycled the school every single
day of our lives.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
How many k's was that one way?
Speaker 4 (07:26):
Bill?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Oh, it's gotta be five between five and keen five k's.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, well that's quite Yeah, you don't want to be
thinking summer's sunny, lovely still day because sometimes that would
be very challenging, wouldn't it, with the wind and the rain.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, and plus we lived on the south side, so
we lived up on the top of the hill, so
you know, flying down the hill was good, but it
was low gear and struggle and sometimes push it uphill
on home. But in those days, you could hook it
on the you could hook it on the back of
the bus that you know, that's true. Yeah, you can
(08:04):
hook thing on the back of the bus light that
used to hook the prams on. Hey, just just another
quick one about this, the guy out the wire rapper
catching the train. Yeah, I can always remember. I've worked
on the trains where you used to have to pay
for your bike in the old the old staunch guard
on the old Masterson's. He'd go through old tickets and
he's got the two bikes in the in the guards.
(08:25):
Then you know nobody would own up. So come Solway
off these bikes would go out and you get and
you get to one, you get to Warrington and these
these young cauts because they were dodging it, you know,
they were dodging the fear. These young fellows would get
the to Worlington and going where's my bike? He goes? You,
he goes. Did you hear me call out for bike
(08:47):
fears and bike fears?
Speaker 4 (08:48):
You know?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Oh yes, sir, he goes, And you didn't pay. Yes, sir,
your bike's are back at Solway.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
That's miserable, What a miserable guard. He should have been
left at Solway. Honestly, get Andrew, Hey, how's it going good? Andrew.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
I've just got a bit of a story from when
I was riding as a kid. It's a bit of
a different one. I used to live in Aussie back
back in those days, so it was it was a
pretty hot day. I was just writing down one of
the local fire roads and there was a kangaroo up
and next to me, and it was hopping along. I
saw it. I picked it up, and I said, I
(09:27):
might slow down since it looks like it's gonna hop
hop in front of me. As soon as I started
slowing down, this kangaroo decided to to just do a
U turn and hop right into me. So essentially, this
kangaroo speared me and we both fell together. I was
pretty much lying on top of the kangaroo as we fell,
(09:49):
and we both just landed together.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
That's what did the kangaroos say. He would have been
pretty surprised. Was he prot so to get this?
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Well, I guess the kangaroo did it on purpose, because when,
as I guess, we both fell together right. So as
the kangaroo was getting up, he got up, looked me
straight in the eyes and then just hopped off, which
it was like he wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
It. Was this in Victoria by chance? Yes, I knew
it was. I knew it. I had no idea. But
I've ridden in Victoria and we've been riding through the
dandenongs and some of the Aussies and the bunch would say,
just watch those kangaroos. They're running beside us. But they
do apparently just go all of a sudden, here they come, and.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Yeah, you know that that happens pretty regularly. So this
is only one of three of my run ins with
kangaroos where they just hopped in front of me or
hopped into me. Yeah, this one's just be the more
most most memorable.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Kazakami kangaroo? What was that kazukami kangaroo? You know, like
they could end their life terrible? And did you did
you have any major injuries?
Speaker 5 (11:01):
And oh well, luckily the kangaroo happened to cushion my
fall because we did land together, so I guess I
think I fell back after we landed, and I had
a pretty big dent in the helmet, so it was
pretty lucky I was wearing mat.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah, I reckon. So how far were you were you
like me, a middle aged man andlyra zooming around and
hitting up into the dand andongs. Where did you used
to ride?
Speaker 5 (11:26):
It was actually less the field, so just before the
Danning Long Rangers. Yeah, yeah, so that's sort of there.
It's more flat fire road trails over there. So I
wasn't in Likra or anything, just in the mountain biking kits.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
My XD bike.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I don't be ashamed of li Likera. You don't have
to like denounce it like it's the devil. I mean
likeras six were.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I was always happy to chuck onto Micra on the
on the road bike. That's the way that gets that
extra area to that mix.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
That's right, yep, shave everything, remove the nasal here fly
like the wind.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
Yeah, maxim Errow.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Have you done any riding over here, Andrew? Yeah, I have.
Actually you're still Is it more mountain biking for you?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (12:07):
It is mountain bike. I go to Woodhill Bike Park.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Oh yeah, good stuff. Oh Andrew, lovely, lovely to have
your story. And welcome. I don't know how long you've
been in New Zealand. For how long have you been
in New Zealand?
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Just about a year?
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Actually?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Welcome, Welcome.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Yeah, it's been good. It's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Oh, good stuff.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Hi Gordon, Yes, hello Roman, Yes bicycles you're talking about bicycles. Yes,
I'm a mechanic from about sixty two years in the
bicycle trade. And the bikes that we handled back from
(12:43):
nineteen fifty two they were Rally, Triumph Gazelle BSA, Phillips
and James.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And an in Z brand was the brand just in Z.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
It was had in Z on the front head tube
where the forks fitted through the frame. Gotcha had a
bag around. It was green in color. It had a
map of New Zealand and it had Wanganui in the
label and was called en Z. Was made by bicycle
(13:21):
company here in Wanganui called Cheney Brothers. And the boss
used to get on the forge and make the frames
and the forks was imported steel and fittings from England
and he worked like a well, he sweated like anything
over the forge to raise the frames and the forks.
(13:44):
He would do six frames and six pair of forks
at a time, so quite a big company in back
in the nineteen fifties they used to do about two
thousand repairs a month of bike repairs. There was a
big area attached to the building called a parking area
(14:05):
under roof you could park your bicycle and therefore one
penny a day under was secure from about seven o'clock
in the morning to eleven o'clock at night in the
parking area could hold about a thousand bikes.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Incredible. Run me through those brands again, because some of
those sounds like motorbike brands, like Triumph as well.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Triumph was a motorbike brand. There was Triumph bicycle brand
was made by Rally Industries. Actually they had three or
four brands under their wing. Rally, the Triumph, Gazelle and
the Humber was made by Rally Industries as well. The
of course the BSA was a separate company, and Phillips
(14:47):
were separate and the James that was one another brand
from England. Yes, he used to do. Threw put of
bikes by the Cheney Brothers was enormous back in the
nineteen forties nineteen fifties, the enormous sale of bikes they had.
They were the second largest bike company in New Zealand
(15:10):
in the nineteen fifties.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Now that's saying something too, because there were some manufacturers
in christ Church too, like Speedy Cycles. Is that one
that you're familiar with.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
No, I'm not familiar with that particular one.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
What about Speed Well, maybe I've got it wrong. Is
it speed Well?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
There was a speed Well?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
There is a book on the market at the moment
written by Robert Kennett. I think it is about the
bikes we built back to about nineteen hundred. He's done
dealt with bicycles that have been built in New Zealand
in particular and over the years, and a pretty good book.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Really, and that sounds good. And Gordon, how long were
you a bicycle mechanic.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
For sixty two years?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Good lord, you'd know everything. What do you make of
the modern bikes these days? All the carbon fiber and
all the internal cables and things.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
I haven't really got in that area. Actually your own one,
that's right? Sorry about that one. No, no, not really.
I've been out of it since about or ten years, really,
out of the trades.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
No, that's okay. It has changed.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
You retired, So yeah, just something brief there.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
No good on your Gordon. I love that story. I
hadn't heard of the Cheney brothers. I know that wangan
Nui was regarded as one of our biggest cities. When
the port was still an active port where ships could
come in before it silted up. It was big it
was a big, booming city. It's a lovely place, don't
get me wrong, but it's not a booming city like
at once was Cheney Brothers of wangan Nui.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
When done news, my love, you still done to get
up there, very big keeler of hole. Oh it just
then show.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I realized quickly when I knew I should, that was
me mother's brother.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
For more from News Talks that'd be listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk said B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Turning back to the Clark with Roman Travers. Call oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty, It's in My Day
on News Talk sed B.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hered a good evening. Welcome along, Welcome to the world's
biggest radio show. That's a fact. Google it. I'm Roman Travers.
This is in My Day. I'm here till twelve. This
is a show if you've never been here before. The
question is why bring a note now? This is a
show that looks back at some of the great things
that have happened over your lifetime. And we play the
music of the seventies, eighties, and nineties. And then you
(01:07):
pick up the phone and you get very excited because
you won't get charged when you call the free phone number.
That's eight hundred eighty ten eighty. That might be the
most exciting thing you ever do in your life. It's
a bit debatable, but you know, it depends on your life, really,
doesn't it. You can't text me as well. The text
comes with a very small charge. It's so small you
(01:29):
may not just it's so insignificant. It's almost invisible when
you text nine to nine two or z B ZEDB.
Hope is here tonight, the executive producer for In My Day,
the fact finder and research team leader. And can I
just tell you that the date is the twenty third
of August, and you are looking very August. It's a
(01:51):
beautiful word, isn't it? August August? Now tonight. There's a
couple of things I want to get into, but the
first thing I want to get into is your memories
your very first bike. Do you remember your very first bike?
How proud of you were of that beautiful, shiny new
bicycle with the ribbons and the tassels and the little bell.
(02:14):
Or maybe it was a bit clapped out, maybe it
wasn't brand new, maybe it was a hand me down,
but you still loved it. It was this week back
in eighteen ninety two that the very first women's cycling
club formed, I know, and that was that was like
what the heck women can ride bikes. That was the
eighteenth of August eighteen ninety two. It was a very
(02:36):
special time because it was also the very first women's
cycling club to be formed in Australasia. That's right, and
it happened in my hometown of christ Church. Can you
imagine riding a big, old heavy bike back then with
your very prim and proper clubber. You know, you would
have had long underpants that were woolen. You would have
had long skirts, long boots, long sleeve blouses and a
(02:59):
matching hat. It would have been ferociously hot, no shammies
to soak up all the moisture. It would have been
terrible in the heat of christ Churchan's Cycling Club formed
in the beautiful city of christ Church, which of course
is renowned to be the cycling capital of New Zealand.
The woman that started at all. Her name was Alice Burn,
So if your sir name is Burn, you'll be going, Oh,
(03:21):
that's me. I'm proud of that. I'd like to know
if there's any relatives of Alice Byrne still around. Alice
began the concept of the Atlanta Cycling Club. I don't
know why she called that. It was hoped that the
club would make cycling popular with women and reduce prejudice
towards female cyclists. Now, get this, back in the time,
women were pushed off their bikes. They were abused for
(03:44):
riding bikes it was thought to be Oh my lord,
that's disgusting. How could you possibly want to ride a bike?
You're a woman. Thankfully that has changed now. Collectively motorists
just hate cyclists, man or woman. I know I'm one
of them. I'm not a woman. I'm a cyclist. So
when did your love of cycling begin? How far did
you go with the sport of cycling? And don't come
(04:04):
back to me and say, oh, hundreds of kilometers from
a man, I want to know how far you went
with your cycling prowess? Did you represent your town, your province, well,
perhaps the nation at international cycling. There'll be many people
listening that have done that. Well, there'll be a few, Well,
there might be one. Were you a master of cycling
on the valodrome all the roads of the world? And
(04:25):
where has cycling taken you over the years. Have you
done one of those non competitive cycling tours with a
basket and a baguette and a big hunk of cheese
and a bottle of wine on the front and you
just go ou la la all around France and well
this is lovely share all of this. Have you been
a coach or a cycling new Zealand selector like Kirsty Fleming,
a woman that I used to work with years ago.
She's a good person. So there we are. Let's get
(04:48):
into it. Cycling, your love of cycling, your first bike.
The stories will be great. Mine was a low line,
by the way, thanks for asking. Mine was a low line.
It was pretty cool and I loved it. I loved
it dearly and then I hated it because it was
too small and I progressed to a monarch ten speed
I think at the time. Get a there, Bill, that mate, yeah,
good Bill, Hey, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
So back on my day, I can remember the there
was there was, There was the chopper, but then there
was the there was the Dragster, and that had the
big banana seats on and the big ape hangers front handlebars,
and with the with the what do you call it,
the sissy seat at the back, so the bars at
(05:31):
that you could lean back on.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yes, that wasn't so that wasn't the chopper. That was
the dragster.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
The dragster. The drag Store was a bigger the chop.
I had the small wheel in the front and the
big wheel in the back. Well, you know, it was
still a little little bike. But the drags. There was
more the same size wheels, sort of a bigger version.
I'm still thinking it had the little gear lever in
the middle. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah. It
(06:01):
goes back and you look, as I said, you look.
You look on trade me these days, and you know
the rare and they go for a good price when
you find them out of somebody's garage.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, I bet I guess if there were why they'd
be like thirty, forty fifty, maybe sixty years old. Now
you probably have to get some re chroming done because
the chrome was something that made them look pretty pretty special,
wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Oh that's right. And I remember my father working on
a rail and he came home with a and these
kids were getting the Morrison Monarchs and all that. Well,
he came home with a Mors and it was a
five speed and I thought, oh, that was my first bike.
So I was sort of happy, and I was going
from Televeeda Mana college. But then two weeks later, or
(06:47):
about a month later, my younger brother, my father brings
home another bike and it was the Morrison Monarch, but
it was a ten speed, you know, so here I
am thought, I was you know, the older boy getting
the five speed, took it to the school and the
kids are going to arts only a five speed, you know,
but it was still cool. Yeah. But then my brother
ended up with avirus and monarch. But you know, as
(07:08):
older brothers and younger brothers, we had to have a
little agreement disagreement, so I ended up with the ten
speed and he followed behind in the fire speed. But
you know we went from to put her to at
a Manor college and we cycled the school every single
day of our lives.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
How many k's was that one way?
Speaker 4 (07:26):
Bill?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Oh, it's gotta be five between five and keen five k's.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, well that's quite Yeah, you don't want to be
thinking summer's sunny, lovely still day because sometimes that would
be very challenging, wouldn't it, with the wind and the rain.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, and plus we lived on the south side, so
we lived up on the top of the hill, so
you know, flying down the hill was good, but it
was low gear and struggle and sometimes push it uphill
on home. But in those days, you could hook it
on the you could hook it on the back of
the bus that you know, that's true. Yeah, you can
(08:04):
hook thing on the back of the bus light that
used to hook the prams on. Hey, just just another
quick one about this, the guy out the wire rapper
catching the train. Yeah, I can always remember. I've worked
on the trains where you used to have to pay
for your bike in the old the old staunch guard
on the old Masterson's. He'd go through old tickets and
he's got the two bikes in the in the guards.
(08:25):
Then you know nobody would own up. So come Solway
off these bikes would go out and you get and
you get to one, you get to Warrington and these
these young cauts because they were dodging it, you know,
they were dodging the fear. These young fellows would get
the to Worlington and going where's my bike? He goes? You,
he goes. Did you hear me call out for bike
(08:47):
fears and bike fears?
Speaker 4 (08:48):
You know?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Oh yes, sir, he goes, And you didn't pay. Yes, sir,
your bike's are back at Solway.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
That's miserable, What a miserable guard. He should have been
left at Solway. Honestly, get Andrew, Hey, how's it going good? Andrew.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
I've just got a bit of a story from when
I was riding as a kid. It's a bit of
a different one. I used to live in Aussie back
back in those days, so it was it was a
pretty hot day. I was just writing down one of
the local fire roads and there was a kangaroo up
and next to me, and it was hopping along. I
saw it. I picked it up, and I said, I
(09:27):
might slow down since it looks like it's gonna hop
hop in front of me. As soon as I started
slowing down, this kangaroo decided to to just do a
U turn and hop right into me. So essentially, this
kangaroo speared me and we both fell together. I was
pretty much lying on top of the kangaroo as we fell,
(09:49):
and we both just landed together.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
That's what did the kangaroos say. He would have been
pretty surprised. Was he prot so to get this?
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Well, I guess the kangaroo did it on purpose, because when,
as I guess, we both fell together right. So as
the kangaroo was getting up, he got up, looked me
straight in the eyes and then just hopped off, which
it was like he wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
It. Was this in Victoria by chance? Yes, I knew
it was. I knew it. I had no idea. But
I've ridden in Victoria and we've been riding through the
dandenongs and some of the Aussies and the bunch would say,
just watch those kangaroos. They're running beside us. But they
do apparently just go all of a sudden, here they come, and.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Yeah, you know that that happens pretty regularly. So this
is only one of three of my run ins with
kangaroos where they just hopped in front of me or
hopped into me. Yeah, this one's just be the more
most most memorable.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Kazakami kangaroo? What was that kazukami kangaroo? You know, like
they could end their life terrible? And did you did
you have any major injuries?
Speaker 5 (11:01):
And oh well, luckily the kangaroo happened to cushion my
fall because we did land together, so I guess I
think I fell back after we landed, and I had
a pretty big dent in the helmet, so it was
pretty lucky I was wearing mat.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah, I reckon. So how far were you were you
like me, a middle aged man andlyra zooming around and
hitting up into the dand andongs. Where did you used
to ride?
Speaker 5 (11:26):
It was actually less the field, so just before the
Danning Long Rangers. Yeah, yeah, so that's sort of there.
It's more flat fire road trails over there. So I
wasn't in Likra or anything, just in the mountain biking kits.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
My XD bike.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I don't be ashamed of li Likera. You don't have
to like denounce it like it's the devil. I mean
likeras six were.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I was always happy to chuck onto Micra on the
on the road bike. That's the way that gets that
extra area to that mix.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
That's right, yep, shave everything, remove the nasal here fly
like the wind.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
Yeah, maxim Errow.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Have you done any riding over here, Andrew? Yeah, I have.
Actually you're still Is it more mountain biking for you?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (12:07):
It is mountain bike. I go to Woodhill Bike Park.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Oh yeah, good stuff. Oh Andrew, lovely, lovely to have
your story. And welcome. I don't know how long you've
been in New Zealand. For how long have you been
in New Zealand?
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Just about a year?
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Actually?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Welcome, Welcome.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Yeah, it's been good. It's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Oh, good stuff.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Hi Gordon, Yes, hello Roman, Yes bicycles you're talking about bicycles. Yes,
I'm a mechanic from about sixty two years in the
bicycle trade. And the bikes that we handled back from
(12:43):
nineteen fifty two they were Rally, Triumph Gazelle BSA, Phillips
and James.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And an in Z brand was the brand just in Z.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
It was had in Z on the front head tube
where the forks fitted through the frame. Gotcha had a
bag around. It was green in color. It had a
map of New Zealand and it had Wanganui in the
label and was called en Z. Was made by bicycle
(13:21):
company here in Wanganui called Cheney Brothers. And the boss
used to get on the forge and make the frames
and the forks was imported steel and fittings from England
and he worked like a well, he sweated like anything
over the forge to raise the frames and the forks.
(13:44):
He would do six frames and six pair of forks
at a time, so quite a big company in back
in the nineteen fifties they used to do about two
thousand repairs a month of bike repairs. There was a
big area attached to the building called a parking area
(14:05):
under roof you could park your bicycle and therefore one
penny a day under was secure from about seven o'clock
in the morning to eleven o'clock at night in the
parking area could hold about a thousand bikes.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Incredible. Run me through those brands again, because some of
those sounds like motorbike brands, like Triumph as well.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Triumph was a motorbike brand. There was Triumph bicycle brand
was made by Rally Industries. Actually they had three or
four brands under their wing. Rally, the Triumph, Gazelle and
the Humber was made by Rally Industries as well. The
of course the BSA was a separate company, and Phillips
(14:47):
were separate and the James that was one another brand
from England. Yes, he used to do. Threw put of
bikes by the Cheney Brothers was enormous back in the
nineteen forties nineteen fifties, the enormous sale of bikes they had.
They were the second largest bike company in New Zealand
(15:10):
in the nineteen fifties.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Now that's saying something too, because there were some manufacturers
in christ Church too, like Speedy Cycles. Is that one
that you're familiar with.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
No, I'm not familiar with that particular one.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
What about Speed Well, maybe I've got it wrong. Is
it speed Well?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
There was a speed Well?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
There is a book on the market at the moment
written by Robert Kennett. I think it is about the
bikes we built back to about nineteen hundred. He's done
dealt with bicycles that have been built in New Zealand
in particular and over the years, and a pretty good book.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Really, and that sounds good. And Gordon, how long were
you a bicycle mechanic.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
For sixty two years?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Good lord, you'd know everything. What do you make of
the modern bikes these days? All the carbon fiber and
all the internal cables and things.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
I haven't really got in that area. Actually your own one,
that's right? Sorry about that one. No, no, not really.
I've been out of it since about or ten years, really,
out of the trades.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
No, that's okay. It has changed.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
You retired, So yeah, just something brief there.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
No good on your Gordon. I love that story. I
hadn't heard of the Cheney brothers. I know that wangan
Nui was regarded as one of our biggest cities. When
the port was still an active port where ships could
come in before it silted up. It was big it
was a big, booming city. It's a lovely place, don't
get me wrong, but it's not a booming city like
at once was Cheney Brothers of wangan Nui.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
When done news, my love, you still done to get
up there, very big keeler of hole. Oh it just
then show.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I realized quickly when I knew I should, that was
me mother's brother.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
For more from News Talks that'd be listen live on
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