MEET ELSIE!

You may have noticed the latest addition to our collection of bikes. As many of our clients will know, we use our bikes as much as we can to get to our properties. When it came to putting some additional signage outside our office, it was a natural choice to use a push bike.

Elsie is a vintage Elswick Hopper delivery bike. Lovingly restored by members of our team, she now sits outside our office to bring a bit of colour to the entrance to the City Centre. Believed to have been manufactured in Humberside in 1939, she is now the oldest member of our team. She still has her original rod breaks and most of the original components, making her incredibly rare. Now painted up in Southgate livery, we hope she will look splendid chained up outside our office.

Will we be using her? Well, maybe… she’s still perfectly functional and we have tried her out. According to the price list, she would have cost £15, 8 shillings and 3 pence
when she was new. Sadly, the original owners didn’t take the upgrade option to add the 3 speed Sturmey-Archer gears, costing a further £4, 19 shillings and 9 pence. So with just one fixed gear, she’s probably not going to be the best option for cycling around the local hilly roads. I suspect our staff will favour our shared electric bike or our little Vespa when heading out to viewings on two wheels. Elsie, while charming, is probably best suited to her new role as a delightful piece of office decor.