The song of my first road/track bike from google

[Albert Cox]

Albert Cox was a racing member of Birmingham Crescent Wheelers, now defunct. He tells us that he also had a Pollard 'Specialite' frame built for him circa 1946 by Bill Pollard which he collected, on completion, from his Coventry shop and that he too went by bus to take delivery, much like Ken Brown.

Bill built the frame as a road/track machine which has a wheelbase of 39¾”. At that time chromium plating was not allowed for vehicles, including bicycles (and cars etc.), and any such surfaces were enamelled in gloss black. The Dunlop High Pressure rims and other accessories traditionally chrome were thus black so Bill had them all stripped and then nickel plated before chroming so that the finished bike was 'as pre-war'. Also nickelled then chromed were half the forks, plus rear chain and seat stays, 'chromed ends' as they were known. Bill must have had contacts to get this done when plating was verboten.

The frame has a number 5031 stamped on the seat lug which is 'close' to the 531 tubing of which Reynolds tubing the frame is constructed. 5031, therefore may, or may not be the frame number but Albert can find no other indented identification. The Pollard metal badge, sadly, long disappeared. He raced the machine with 26 inch wooden sprints and various and appropriate grades of Dunlop Tubular tyres over the years on road and track. The original complete cost of the Pollard machine was £27--about 7 weeks wages for Albert at the time.

He also toured YHA fashion (including to Paris and Eire) with 27inch HP wheels and Airlite hubs. Later Albert embellished the bike with a Chater Lea chainset and inch-pitch chain equipment. Cyclo gears were used as an experiment but he rode mainly 'fixed' whether racing or touring. A lot of his riding was on 74”, unless track riding with a higher gear, but in the winter he dropped to 66” to keep warm by twiddling.

When touring abroad £30 (or later £50) in Sterling was the maximum anyone could take out of the country for pleasure. This cash amount was certified on the back page of one's passport and checked rigorously at port exits.

Albert continued in the sport whilst conscripted in the RAF but felt that it 'was not the same'. He later married and carried his sons, toddlers in turn, on the back of the Pollard and when they went as a family for 23 years to Melbourne he regularly cycled along the beach cyclepaths etc. The bike was renovated there around 1984 by the great Australian professional sprinter and friend /rival of Reg Harris, Sid Patterson, at his shop in East Bentleigh. Now back in UK it is mounted on Albert's Turbo...the only place he can 'ride' being partially disabled.

Albert has another story ...like when he won another hand-built 'to his own spec' 531 track frame in a
sixpenny raffle [c1949] of the Banbury Star CC. This beautiful frame was crafted by 'Lomax' of Oxford...but that's another tale.

Pollard Builder 1