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"The Australian brand
Speedwell had its beginnings with Charles Bennett who was an
accomplished bike racer on pennyfathings and the Inter-colonial
Champion of Australia in the days before Australia existed as a nation. In 1882 he first
started to import and sell pennyfarthings from Britain. In the early days of the twentieth
century he began to manufacture bikes under
the Speedwell brand name. Within the next few years Speedwell became the best known
bicycle brand in New South Wales."
"Speedwell was primarily a mass market manufacturer of
bicycles. At the top of their range though were high quality racing machines."
"The
most famous rider of Speedwell bikes was 'Dunc' Gray who won Australia's first
cycling Gold Medal in the 1000m time trail at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The bike
that he rode to the Gold medal is now on display at the "Dunc" Gray Velodrome in
Sydney Australia. The venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympic track cycling events."
Rolf Lunsmann |
Dunc" Gray's bike
now on display
at the "Dunc" Gray
Velodrome in Sydney
"Dunc" Gray on
his Speedwell
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