Ellis Briggs
Encyclopedia
Ellis Briggs is a British bicycle
manufacturer and shop, based in Shipley, West Yorkshire
, England
.
It is the oldest bicycle shop in the Bradford
area still in business today.
Since 1936 Ellis Briggs have produced lightweight bicycles and continue to do so to this day.
Ellis Briggs sprang to fame when the cyclist Ken Russell won the 1952 Tour of Britain
on an Ellis Briggs.
When the shop opened in 1936 there was already a bicycle shop in Shipley.
That shop was a showroom for Baines, whose factory was based in Idle
and were famous for producing the Baines Flying Gate.
The shop survived through the war by selling what ever was available which included children's clothing and enamel paints, as well as the usual cycling lines.
It was after the war when Ellis Briggs started building lightweight racing frames, which gained them much notoriety among racing cyclists.
Attention turned to the export markets of the USA and Canada and during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s hundreds of frames were exported to the other side of the Atlantic.
After Thomas Briggs died in 1953 his son Jack took over the business with his wife Nora.
In 1965 the shop and factory moved out of the old premises and moved across the road into a brand new building.
Jack and Nora Briggs retired in 1986. Their two sons John and Paul, had been working in the shop since the 1960s, Paul as a mechanic and John as Salesman. John and Paul took over and have run the business ever since.
Over the years Ellis Briggs sponsored many international riders, such as Bernard Burns, Brian Robinson, Arthur Metcalfe
, Ken Russell, Doug Petty, Danny Horton and Dave Rayner
.
The biggest success was in the 1950s when Ken Russell, riding for Ellis Briggs as an independent rider (semi professional), won the 1952 Tour of Britain
despite not having any team support.
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
manufacturer and shop, based in Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley, West Yorkshire
Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is the oldest bicycle shop in the Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
area still in business today.
Since 1936 Ellis Briggs have produced lightweight bicycles and continue to do so to this day.
Ellis Briggs sprang to fame when the cyclist Ken Russell won the 1952 Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
on an Ellis Briggs.
History
Ellis Briggs Cycles was founded in 1936 by Mr. Leonard Ellis and Mr. Thomas Briggs hence the name Ellis-Briggs.When the shop opened in 1936 there was already a bicycle shop in Shipley.
That shop was a showroom for Baines, whose factory was based in Idle
Idle, West Yorkshire
The village of Idle and its outskirts make up a mainly residential suburban area in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, in England. The area is loosely bordered by the areas of Eccleshill, Wrose, Thackley and Greengates, in the north east of the city....
and were famous for producing the Baines Flying Gate.
The shop survived through the war by selling what ever was available which included children's clothing and enamel paints, as well as the usual cycling lines.
It was after the war when Ellis Briggs started building lightweight racing frames, which gained them much notoriety among racing cyclists.
Attention turned to the export markets of the USA and Canada and during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s hundreds of frames were exported to the other side of the Atlantic.
After Thomas Briggs died in 1953 his son Jack took over the business with his wife Nora.
In 1965 the shop and factory moved out of the old premises and moved across the road into a brand new building.
Jack and Nora Briggs retired in 1986. Their two sons John and Paul, had been working in the shop since the 1960s, Paul as a mechanic and John as Salesman. John and Paul took over and have run the business ever since.
Over the years Ellis Briggs sponsored many international riders, such as Bernard Burns, Brian Robinson, Arthur Metcalfe
Arthur Metcalfe
Arthur Metcalfe was a British racing cyclist who twice rode the Tour de France and, as an amateur remains the only rider to win the British road race championship and the British Best All-Rounder time trial competition in the same year.-Origins:Born in Leeds, Yorkshire on 27 September 1938,...
, Ken Russell, Doug Petty, Danny Horton and Dave Rayner
Dave Rayner (cyclist)
David John Rayner was an English professional racing cyclist who died aged 27 after an incident outside the Maestro nightclub, in Manningham Lane, Bradford...
.
The biggest success was in the 1950s when Ken Russell, riding for Ellis Briggs as an independent rider (semi professional), won the 1952 Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
despite not having any team support.