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East Haddam,
Connecticut
(Est. 1972?)
Updated
1.22.2009
One of
the more interesting tales of the USA bike scene, WITCOMB USA was started in the early
1970's in Connecticut by Ed Allen, of Gerry gear and Sports East fame. He at first
imported frames by Barry Witcomb, of the successful UK business of the same name.
When USA production was started, young USA staff members included Ed Sinkus
("Sky-Lo-Lo"), Chris Chance, Richard Sachs and J.P. Weigle ("Peter".)
Witcomb USA finally succumbed due to tipsy bicycle market conditions
and disappeared after 8 years of doing business.... But this was not the end of the
story. The heritage continues today in the work of acknowledged USA master builders
Richard Sachs and Peter Weigle. |
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Here is Richard Sach's
reminisces of that company:
"Witcomb U.S.A. was formed in
1971. It was a subsidiary of a successful outdoor-sports equipment Rep group
named Sports East, Inc. The owner was Ed Allen. He and his staff repped for
Gerry, Trak (skis), Allen-A, Kelty, etc."
"Ed was always an uber-succesful man in the sporting goods
business; though his burning desire was to be in manufacturing, not just
sales. Enter the early '70's bike boom in America. Ed, along with Nick
Dyslin, did a deal with the Witcomb family to represent its' wares in North
America. It never was clear who hooked up with whom. I suspect there was a
lot of fishing going on, and lots of Yanks were hooking lots of Brits, so as
to ride the wave of that bike boom/ fitness craze/ gas shortage era. (Let's
recall--Roland Salm talked to more than one Italian frame shop before
landing Masi-the Witcomb link was most likely as serendipitous as that)."
"Anyway, the liaison between Connecticut and London was NOT based
on Barry's frame output. Witcomb U.S.A. would import all the European parts
and clothes and whathaveyou that Witcomb sold in the U.K. In those days
there were no major importers and distributors as we know them. It was the
Wild West of the 10 speed era! And in addition to all those parts and
clothes, the Witcombs, for their part, were to set up an assembly line type
bike to be built for them, and designed by them, for the EXPRESS purpose of
exporting to Connecticut. These inexpensive bikes were to be marketed to
Americans as Witcomb 'products'. It was never anyone's intention to confuse,
overlap, or replace the fine work Barry was doing in Deptford, London. These
'cheap' bikes were to be the 'moneymaker'."
"The Witcomb family secured a Government loan, were linked up with
a town in Wales that had factories that needed work, and did a deal with one
of them to visit, and train those people to make the inexpensive bikes."
"....nothing to do with those Welsh bikes worked. The Connecticut
people invested 3 years
waiting to be successful with it; Barry's frames and all the ancillary stuff
went over swell--it just couldn't support the investment in time/money
Sports East had put into the Witcomb U.S.A. 'thing'.
For the record, Peter & I were there in Connecticut to do 'whatever needed
to be done'. This was a new and fledgling company. Ed did not want to lose a
ton of money. He wanted to BE a manufacturer, not go out of business TRYING
to BE one. Ultimately, Peter & I were asked to make some frames to add some
value to the bike side of the company."
"Eventually, the Welsh 'thing' died, Ed lost his drive to deal with
the Brits, people were let go, and Witcomb U.S.A. meant nothing more than
the frames we made in East Haddam."
".....Peter & I started the frame shop. We eventually hired Gary
Sinkus. And a year or so later, we gave Chris Chance his job at the shop.
There were one or two others that did some frame work, but were not destined
for careers in frames."
"And, FINALLY, it's easy after nearly 30 years to guess who did
what for/to whom, it should be noted that NONE of this would have come to
pass without Sports East Inc., Ed Allen, and my lifelong friend/mentor Nick
Dyslin."
e-RICHIE
Peter Weigle
currently is the sole supply of original decals for these bikes and does superb
restorations (see
Classic Resources.) |
