NORTH WEALD AUG 2011

Jenny Linn-Cole's photos from North Weald Bike Fest last August, somewhere else i should be next year.

ULTIMATE ALTERNATIVE TRITON TUESDAY

I still haven't bought myself a bike, I'm working on the principle that when the right thing comes along i will know. I have missed out on a couple of Tritons and passed on a Bandit turbo but nothing has made me wildly excited. There were quite a few Norvins round here back in the early 70s but now Dick (owner of the middle bike) owns them all and he doesnt sell bikes.....and he is looking fitter than me so no doors opening there.

DICK'S NORVINS

Dick Craven from York has been sprinting for about 400 years. His big Norvin uses a methanol burning engine that he used to run in a grass track outfit in the 60s, every year he modifies it a bit more with the sole purpose of running a "10". He probably has 50 timing slips showing 11.0 but never just that little bit faster. The Comet engined bike has a home built lightweight replica featherbed frame and is currently just outside the 12s.









I first met Dick about 25 years ago whe he sold me the worst Triton i have ever bought, while i was at his place he showed me a few of his bikes. If you think having two Norvins is a bit greedy this is just the tip of the iceberg, he has several more Vincents, Gold Stars, Bonnevilles, Thruxtons, you name it. He collected so many bikes over the years he now has a museum which is open on the first weekend of every month. Details of the Craven Collection and also an interesting history of Dicks career and the Norvin on his website
here