Malvern Star
| Malvern Star
|
|
|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Private company |
| founding | 1902 |
| Seat | Melbourne , Australia |
| Branch | Bicycle industry |
| Website | malvernstar.com.au |
Malvern Star is a bicycle manufacturer that was founded in 1902 and is based in Melbourne . Malvern Star is a well-known brand in Australia.
history
Malvern Star opened in 1902 as a small shop in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern . The owner was cyclist Tom Finnigan , who financed the business with the help of 240 gold sovereigns , which he won as the winner of the Austral Wheel Race in 1898. Finnigan specialized in the production of touring and racing bikes, which he called Malvern Stars . Business flourished due to the growing popularity of cycling and despite stiff competition from the UK and the US. Finnigan's success was due in part to the support of one of the most famous cyclists of the time, Don Kirkham . Finnigan introduced the logo with the six-pointed star that he also had tattooed on his arm.
Finnigan withdrew from the business on June 1, 1920, which he sold to the 24-year-old Bruce Small. Small ran Malvern Star with the help of his brothers Frank and Ralph, and the business grew. Small put out prizes in cycling races, and in 1921 17-year-old Hubert Opperman won one of those prizes. Small then offered Opperman a job. This grew into a long relationship with Small as a friend and sponsor of Opperman, who became one of Australia's most popular cyclists.
Small started what was then a revolutionary loan campaign to increase sales. The retail business moved to larger premises in Gardenvale in 1923 and the headquarters in Prahran in 1925 . In 1928 a team consisting of three Australians and one New Zealander took part in the Tour de France . Although the riders rode French racing bikes, Malvern Star created their own model called the Tour de France in recognition of the achievements of these riders. As a result of experiences on the tour, this model was equipped with modern components, such as tubular tires and wing nuts , to secure the wheels .
During the Second World War , supplies of accessories became scarce, so Malvern Star began to produce its own parts. After the war, the company had 115 own stores and 1,000 dealers. Opperman helped promote Malvern Star , making the brand popular in Australia.
After the war, the company's bikes were ridden by Sid Patterson , who was an amateur sprint world champion in Copenhagen in 1949 and world champion in the singles pursuit in Liege in 1950 . In 1952 he won the professional title in Paris in pursuit and in 1953 in Zurich . At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 won Ian Browne and Tony Marchant on a Malvern - Tandem gold medal. At the Olympic Games in 1984, the Australian track four won on Malvern . Today the cyclist Phil Anderson is one of the company's advertising media.
In the 1960s, Malvern Star produced a line of bonanza bikes that were featured on postage stamps by the Australian Post.
In 1958 Malvern Star was sold to Electronic Industries and in 1970 to the Dutch company Philips , which in turn sold the company to Raleigh in 1980 . Most Malvern Star bikes were imported as early as 1970 , and all Australian bicycle production ended in 1987. In 1992 the company came back into Australian hands at Pacific Brands . In 2011 Malvern was finally sold to the New Zealand Sheppard Group .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Rolf Lunsmann: The History of Malvern Star. (No longer available online.) Australian Bicycle History Center, 2000, archived from the original on February 25, 2011 ; accessed on May 8, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ The Argus Saturday , December 7, 1946, p. 32
- ^ The Argus , April 1928, p. 17
- ↑ Malvern Star Dragster. (No longer available online.) BicycleWA, December 27, 2009, formerly in the original ; accessed on May 8, 2014 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Malvern Star Drops Into Peloton of Foreign Owners. The Australian, August 22, 2011, accessed May 8, 2014 .
