Hetchins
Hetchins is an English bicycle brand that has existed since 1934.
The company was founded by Hyman Hetchin, who was born in Russia on December 20, 1894, the son of Lazarus and Leah Hetchin . He came to Great Britain in 1917 , presumably as a refugee from the revolution in Russia, and settled in London's East End . In 1918 he married in the synagogue and declared his job as an "ironer". The family moved to South Tottenham to a house where Hetchin opened a gramophone business .
Hetchin, who became a British citizen in 1927, was an avid cyclist . When exactly he started trading bicycles is unknown. In 1932 he bought the neighboring area next to his previous shop in order to open a shop for bicycles, which he had previously sold on the side. In 1934 he became a dealer in bicycles from BSA , Raleigh , Rudge , Humber and Hercules , but was also selling bicycles with his own name, which he had a local frame builder produce. In 1934 he took on Jack Denny as a partner in the company, who had presented him with a design for a bicycle with a spring-loaded rear end. Hetchin recognized the potential of this model and patented it, the first of several. In addition, rooms for workshops were rented. Denny became the creative head of the company, his partner Hetchin marketed and sold the bikes.
The Hetchins bicycle models quickly became successful. Their trademark was a springy rear triangle with curved struts that were supposed to make driving on uneven roads easier. The wheels bore a logo with the coat of arms of London. The bicycle trade was so good that Hetchins gave up selling gramophones and the entire company moved to larger premises in 1936. In the same year, the company exhibited its bikes at the Bicycle and Motor Cycle Show in London.
In 1937 the Hetchins company equipped the German Toni Merkens , who was taking part in the six-day race at Wembley , with a bike. Hetchins used Merkens for advertising: One photo showed the German racing driver in a jersey with a swastika. In total, Hetchins supplied nine drivers in this six-day race, including Piet van Kempen and Cor Wals . In 1939 the company was a leader in touring and racing bikes in Great Britain.
Hyman Hetchin died in 1961 at the age of 70 and his son Alfred took over the company. Jack Denny was active as a frame designer and builder until 1986, he died in 1991. In 1985, Alfred Hetchin sold the business. Today (2013) around twelve frames per year are still sold as Hetchins .