Rotrax Cycles anybody?

Every year about this time conversation turns to cycling, road racing, track, my own pathetic attempts to ride up Winnats Pass on a fix wheel, size 11 cog, and how Fausto Coppi was the greatest etc, etc. It's Tour de France time you see. So, there we were, in the pub rapping on about all this stuff and somebody mentioned Rotrax bikes, and I must admit, although I knew they were manufactured here in Southampton, I didn't realize the firm was still in business. Or so I was told. Owning a Rotrax was the ultimate dream when I was about 14 years old and I can swear there was a bike shop, just below where the old Roscoe cinema was, that sold them. Anybody still alive remember that?

Also anybody remember Phillips Cycles?

Every year about this time conversation turns to cycling, road racing, track, my own pathetic attempts to ride up Winnats Pass on a fix wheel, size 11 cog, and how Fausto Coppi was the greatest etc, etc. It's Tour de France time you see. So, there we were, in the pub rapping on about all this stuff and somebody mentioned Rotrax bikes, and I must admit, although I knew they were manufactured here in Southampton, I didn't realize the firm was still in business. Or so I was told. Owning a Rotrax was the ultimate dream when I was about 14 years old and I can swear there was a bike shop, just below where the old Roscoe cinema was, that sold them. Anybody still alive remember that?

Also anybody remember Phillips Cycles?

Phillips Cycles where sold at a bike shop on Pinstone Street in the area that later became Suggs.

When I was eleven and working the longest paper round ever known to man [Amies Manor Top] I started saving for a Phillips Kingfisher bike on display in the cycle shop window, I never managed the amount and ended up with a down market third hand miles to big for me Hercules with fixed wheel.