James Fredrick Wilson Sheffield Phoenix C.C. Life Member - Independent Racing Cyclist - Founder and Rider-Manager of the Wilson Cycles Team. Jim (pictured left) rode in the First Tours of Britain and had numerous placings aboard in Semi-Classics, e.g. 6th place Hanover-Brunswick.. and rides and finishes in Classics such as the Tour of Flanders. Jim was not only a Highly Successful Team Manager he found sponsorships such as Ovaltine, Airlite, Benelux, Tizer (BARR), Hi-Lift, Dare Grips, O'brien ,etc... to create and run various winning teams one of which was the Elswick Hopper Team in 1958. In short Jim Wilson was an amazing bike rider, athlete and person, considering he had come back from near fatal injuries after being left to fend for himself on the beaches at Dunkirk. Finally returning home, and having half his bowel removed (see story Lemonade and Turnips) the doctors at the time told his mother that he had no more than a year to live! To then go on and race and finish with distinction in the kind of races mentioned above showed phenomenal courage...Including 29th Overall in the FIRST PROPER Tour of Britain of 1951...Not today's ponce around England with a Hotel waiting for the riders at each stage finish. These feats proved to be a Great Inspiration to many other people at that time, and still does - to those who care to know - today! "My father's Greatest talent was bringing people together from all walks of life, and selflessly making them into something greater than they may have realized; being left to themselves and society" Jim not only being a Royal Engineer was also a stylish and practical innovator, and using these skills and gifts put them to great use in improving function and design in cycle frame building. He was the first (in the UK at least if not Europe!) during the 1950's to introduce rear dropouts with a gear hanger on his frames:- cutting the derailleur hangers off the rear gear hangers and brazing them onto the frame dropouts. Also moving on a decade into the 1960's Jim was the first frame builder to put seat stays onto a plate at the back of the seat tube, that we finally termed as "Fast Back" seat stays. More commonly known as shot-in seat stays and usually shot into the seat bolt. This was a move away from the wrap round seat stays and added a sleeker JFW hallmark style to Jim's already individualistic cycle frames; that were imitatated for many years up until the puke inducing rising fall of disposable pigeon shit welded alloy frames and the even more soul retching, overpriced throwaway Carbonfire toilet roll's cardboard middle frames of today's media led and hence characterless society.

"When the Sheffield Phoenix cycling club awarded Jim a simple paper poster after he finished the 1951 Tour of Britain (when he was not suppose to be still with us! Let alone finishing such tough races!) with his picture stuck on, and with these words hand written above and below it..."JIM WILSON - HE HATH COURAGE!" "It meant more to them and to those people who knew of Jim's exploits at that time than any Oscar, or for that matter the BBC's laughable Sports personality of the year awards!" In my opinion the Sheffield Council should have a gold star in the floor outside the Town hall with Jim's name on along with others like Brendan Ingle the Sheffield boxing coach...people who have helped other people all their lives...not for any profit on my part but to inspire local people to strive for themselves! "This true story of one man's endeavours was an inspiration that created the solid Silver Courage Cup - given to Jim by the Sheffield Phoenix - which Jim gave back to them to be award not annually! Nor given just for winning races, but awarded for exceptional courage in the face of severe adversity and still managing to win." Founder in 1948 of J. F. Wilson Cycle Manufacturers and also the most Successful British Road Racing Team Rider Manager in the Mid to Late 1950's with the WILSON CYCLES & ELSWICK HOPPER TEAMS. Including:- 5 Times NATIONAL Road Racing CHAMPIONSHIP Winners and an ALL TIME RECORD NUMBER OF ROAD RACE FIRSTS IN 1957. Wilson Cycles' 1957 season is STILL! A record for the number of British road race WINS IN ONE SEASON.

Trophies won by the Wilson Cycles Road Racing Team, during the season of 1958.			Ron Coe, Wilson Cycles 5 Times Winners of the National Professional Road Race Championships

James Fredrick Wilson (Wilson Cycles)	Sid Wilson Wilson Cycles' Super Domestique Winning the Welsh Road Race Championships	Jim Wilson Wilson Cycles The real deal 'ROULER' Tour of Great Britain	Doug Petty Wilson Cycles Ace Climber

Above: Italian rider Fausto Coppi (Fanini) alongside Syd Wilson (J.F.Wilson Cycles) in the Manx Premier Professional Road Race on the Isle of Man in 1959. Shown right, the actual program with full details for this event .. My father J.F.Wilson is listed at number 40 (and racing at world level at 40 years of age!..I did not realize he kept racing that long at that level), his brother Syd, 10 years younger, is number 41. And on the programme there are 3 professional teams that my father created / established and managed...viz, the O'brien-Wilson team, Ovaltine Alp team and the Elswick Hopper team. This is a total of 17 riders and I know them all, i.e. Ron Coe (31) Dave Orford (51) Dave Bedwell (the pocket rocket no 39), Frank Clements, Doug Petty... That is nearly a quarter of the professional riders in the race! Who would not have had a job racing at that level without the sponsors Jim Wilson found - not to mention helping & managing them. If you add the four Sheffield Langsett riders, (Jim will have influenced and inspired all of those riders and probably helped them enter the race by association) Then this is more than a quarter of the entire race. The British Cycling Federation at the time would have taken credit for the spectacle put on for the crowds lining the route. These riders were the back bone of british cycle sport at this time. Fausto Coppi was an internationally known living legend of that era; as well known as Beckham is today and as talented as Pele in his chosen sport! They called the 1959 Manx Race the Coppi race and rightly so, even though Fausto did not win it, Coppi died that year of malaria...but for me it will always be the Jim Wilson & Coppi race! Above: Jim Wilson wins a stage in the Butlins stage race. Notice the crowds; the UK public are keen, but Cycling & cycle racing have always been let down by a constant lack of proper media coverage in Britain. Above: an Original 1960's Advertisement: Ron Coe, 5 times national pro champion winner advertising Wilson Cycle's Clubman 5 Speed. Photo by Jonny Goodrich. Above: an Original 1960's Advertisement: Dave Orford World RR Champion, riding his ALPSPORT cycle custom built by Wilson Cycles. Above: Ken Russell, Winner of the Daily Express Tour of Britain - on a Hand Built Wilson Frame, one of many Ken had during his race career! Above: Author of this page, the son of Jim Wilson, Nigel Wilson winning the 1985 Sheffield City Centre Race... Yes, August 18th 1985, I was 19 years old riding for my dad's life long club the Sheffield Phoenix CC...for my sins......in my father's day they were an ace club...today they don't even have a clubrun!...but according to the cycling media "cycling in the UK is getting better" Anyway the phoenix not wanting to move with the times cost me a gold medal in the division road race championships...because i had no team mates!..all the young up and coming riders left clubs like the phoenix to join sponsored teams...i stayed out of loyalty to Jim...and paid...although a silver medal was a good effort as the field was like a National RR Champs... National Junior and Senior road race Champion Simeon Hempsall was 3rd, Wayne Wrandle commonwealth bronze medalist 4th...after chasing a front bunch of lead riders, I attacked striaghtaway and Martin Maltby (who won) was the only one to join me, he had 4 top team mates in a chasing splinter group about 20 seconds behind us...so i had to ride with Martin on my wheel for the last 6 miles...now if i'd have had just one team mate i could have said to Martin ride or my super fast mate will win the sprint...; )  PROPER TESTERMONIALS! BELOW:

Above: Program with full details from the 1959 Manx Premier Professional Road Race Above: 1950's Wilson Cycles Race Team at Bradfield. Left to Right ?, Doug Petty, Dave Orford, ?, Syd Wilson & Jim Wilson. Above: Jim (behind in collar and tie) in his role as manager of the Elswick-Hopper team at one of many prize presentations. Far left Jim's brother, Sid Wilson; centre Harry Reynolds; right in Elswick-Hopper jersey is Ron Coe. Above: J.F.Wilson's Winning Team Mates, Syd Wilson & Ron Coe. Above: Jim Wilson in the cellar of the workshop on the City Road circa 1950. Above: Jim Wilson in the shop doorway of 220 City road with a new Wilson frame. Left: Nigel Wilson outside Tommy Simpson's cafe, circa 1969.

Another young youth who visited Jim's shop was Tommy Simpson - on a couple of occasions Jim repaired Tom's bike in an emergency the day before his races (and for nowt!) according to Keith Marvin, Jim's Tour of Britain team mechanic and regular helper in the shop.  Keith loved to be around Jim and all the characters that Wilson cycles attracted, and he'd help out his mentor for his dinner and tea and payment in kind; to Keith it was a privilege...and a dream job! (Jim saw Tom race in local races as a school boy & junior, and one day he said "Tha's got it Kid!"...here's an address in France...I'm not saying that that set Tommy up but put it this way, when Tom turned pro for Peugeot he didn't forget Jim's kindness and invited him and Olive (my mum) and myself (Nigel Wilson) to his hotel / restaurant in France...) In 1953 Doug Petty signed as Independent for Wilson Cycles of Sheffield, assigned the job of teaboy for Belgian racing trips. "They don't 'ave tea over there, kid." He suffered his first telling-off when his mum bought inferior quality tea from Keighley Market. "WHAT'S THIS?!" bellowed Jim Wilson. "Er - it's t-tea Mr Wilson!" stuttered Doug.  "We're goin' to tak thi abroad kid," said Jim later. "Whatever they've telled thi, it's six times better." When they saw a huge field of rugged Belgians lined up for a race near Ghent, one of the team blurted out, "These aren't cyclists, they're bloody wrestlers!" Doug found himself at the front; as one or two were struggling, he decided "I'll just slow it down a bit" for the team. "A big hairy hand came out of the bunch and gripped me from behind and shot me backwards; then another hand did the same, and another and another, till I were shot right out the back!" "I forgot to tell thi kid - they don't do teamwork 'ere!" Jim commented. At another race, the rookie as keen as ever: "What's tactics for today Jim?" " 'Ang on as long as thi can!".  Head down in another race, Ken Stratford hit a post and fetched six riders off. Jim collared Doug at the finish. "Kid, if tha sees Ken, tell 'im not to come back 'ere. They're goin' ter kill him." Doug rode the legendary Manx Premier International Road Race in the Isle of Man on 17th June 1959 - the "Coppi race". There were 25 continental riders in 5 teams; including three Tour de France winners - beside Coppi. Completing the start sheet were fifty-three British based Professionals! The O'Brien-Wilson Team were: 39 Dave Bedwell; 40 J.F. Wilson; 41 Sid Wilson; 42 A. Bladon; 43 Doug Petty; 44 J.A. George. Doug recalls: "Dave Orford said, "I'll get on Bobet's wheel!" then he punctured. Coppi did a huge effort and split the field in pieces. Andre Darrigade attacked and went up to the break, I hung on his wheel and he took me up and then he went on to win the race." Fausto Coppi died the same year, of malaria caught on a hunting trip in Africa with Raphael Geminiani. From Sheffield Forum: Judd Newton Cutts - "We was out in Derbyshire on a Sunday run when a bloke on a rusty old Wilson came flying past and we all said the same thing. Thats Syds bike! so we followed him to a house on Windy House Lane and next day Syd fetched it back. It had been pinched from outside the shop and was instantly reconisable as the frame was unsprayed and red rusty. This would have been about 1959." Also from Sheffield Forum:  "As a kid of about twelve I was a keen cyclist and still am 50 odd years later, I used to go to Jims shop on City Road as I had a paper round at that time and used to save up my 10 bob (ten shillings) a week to spend on my bike. I remember one time I was in the shop and was looking at some real Italian cycling shoes [I had never had proper cycling shoes] and I couldn't in a month of Sundays afford this lovely leather pair. After about two hours hanging about [Jim never used to mind how long you hung around] I told him I was off, just as I opened the shop door to leave Jim threw the shoes to me and I told him I couldn't afford them. Jim just said, " take 'em I know you will pay me if you can." It took me a few weeks to pay Jim in bits and bobs at a time but he never asked me for owt. I have never forgotten Jims generosity and trust and witnessed it on many occasions,a true gentleman."

Jim Wilson's Legacy & Nigel Wilson's Objective
is to Continue to Design and Build
Contemporary Bicycles that Transcend Fashion.

The Double Diamond Symbolises a Culture Of
Sporting Heritage and Marks the Standard
For Peerless Performance.

J.F.WILSON CYCLES

WINNERS OF 5 NATIONAL ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS (RON COE)

WINNERS OF 2 NATIONAL TRACK RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS (RICHARD TEARE)

WINNER OF THE TOUR OF BRITAIN & STAGES (KEN RUSSELL RODE AN HANDBUILT WILSON FRAME SET WITH HIS OWN NAME ON AND MENTION THE FACT IN NIGEL LANDS' BOOK "THE ELSWICK HOPPER STORY")

OVER 500 ROAD RACE WINS & NUMEROUS TT WINS INCLUDING THE YORKSHIRE 100 MILE CHAMPIONSHIP (NIGEL WILSON)

AN UNBEATEN BRITISH RECORD NUMBER OF 57 ROAD RACE WINS IN ONE SEASON!

 



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