Re: Skoda Bikes

BMW sell branded bikes aswell

Alan Braggins said:

Skoda started off as a bike maker too.

I think Mercedes did one/some for a while, and Audi still do. At
least my local Audi dealer has a bike with "Quattro" stickers on
the roof of one of their display models. It's only rear wheel drive
though, not like the Quattro cars.
http://www.audiworld.com/news/03/bike/content.shtml

There are Jeep branded bikes too, at least one of which does have an
all wheel drive system:
http://www.mountain-bikes-now.com/jeep_mountain_bike_rubcAWD.htm

Let's not forget that Lotus were quite successful with a certain
pursuit bike too, although the production run was somewhat limited.
Admittedly they had a bit of help from Messieurs Boardman and Burrows.

--
Dave...

in message <[email hidden]>, Alan Braggins

(') said:

In article said:

Sam Salt said:

I can't understand why anyone would want to buy a bike from a car
dealership when there are perfectly good LBS's around with good
advice and aftersales.

Some people like the image associated with certain brands of car. Off
the top of my head, other car makers that have started selling bikes
are
Porsche, Mazda and either Range Rover or Land Rover. I don't think
Peugeot really counts, being a bike maker that also sells cars :-)

Skoda started off as a bike maker too.

Skoda started off as an armaments maker, as their logo implies, I think.
However the Czech republic has both the skills and the labour costs to
make good bike frames.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; when in the [censored], the wise man plants courgettes

Simon Brooke said:

Skoda started off as an armaments maker, as their logo implies, I
think.

Laurin & Klement started by building bicycles, then branched out into
motorcycles and motorcars. They merged with Skoda in 1925, when the latter
was a general engineering outfit making all sorts of stuff. I am reasonably
reliably informed that:

"The L&K emblem remained on the front grilles of Mlada Boleslav cars until
1926, when the new products bore the Skoda emblem alone, as agreed with
Skoda Co. following a year's cooperation. These facts are historically
linked to another rather mysterious story, describing the origins of the
famous winged arrow which still forms the central part of Skoda's emblem.
This feature is thought to have been the idea of Mr T. Magliè, Skoda's
commercial director, who was inspired by one of Skoda family servants, an
Indian, whom the company director, Mr. Skoda, had brought back with him from
a business trip to America."

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Skoda owner

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Alan Braggins

(') said:

Skoda started off as a bike maker too.

Skoda started off as an armaments maker, as their logo implies, I think.

http://www.skoda-auto.com/global/history/company counts the bike makers
as the founders, even though the Skoda name came from a later merger.

http://www.channel4.com/4car/feature/retrospective/skoda-centenary/
retrospective-2.html has more. (And says they made ammunition as well as
military vehicles in World War I, after they had started making cars,
before they became Skoda.)

The winged arrow postdates the merger:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/gallery/retrospectives/skoda-centenary/
1988-2005_page_13.html

I like the scrollwork on this:
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/features/2005/skoda-centenary/
03-large/1902-Slavia-BD.jpg

Chaincase with a belt drive to the rear wheel? (I've seen electric
assists with a similar sort of belt drive, but without the fancy
case).

Dave Larrington said:

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Skoda owner

You are VAG & ICMFP

A

Dave Larrington said:

the famous winged arrow which still forms the central part of Skoda's emblem.

That's me taught. I thought their logo was an unlucky chicken.

Stross

Simon Brooke said:

However the Czech republic has both the skills and the labour
costs to make good bike frames.

See Fort and Dawes (their Audax frames are made by Fort, apparently).