Tag: Erdington

March 2nd – Erdington Bike Jumble. A regular fixture every year – loads of buried treasure and junk, and the chance to meet old friends and acquaintances and shoot the breeze. Most of the cycling tribes are here – tourers, city cyclists, vintage buffs, fixie kids, even bike polo guys. Busier than ever before, it was nice to see lots of youngsters here for a change, and it’s also nice to check out other folk’s steeds. I was particularly taken with the lovely refurb of the Carlton, parked out front.

Beech dene grove

March 2nd – I think I might be the only unconnected person to ever remember this. In the early 90s, there was a Birmingham musician, composer and singer called Lou Dalgleish. She used to play regularly in a city centre pizza restaurant, and was a regular performer at Ronnie Scotts. She had a couple of albums out, and now tours with a an Elvis Costello tribute show. I still enjoy her solo work immensely, although she seems to have stopped recording her own work.

One of the earliest tracks of hers available – now long since deleted – was called Beech Dene Grove, and is about the street in Erdington in which she grew up. it’s a lovely thing I think most of us can relate to.

You can listen to the track using the player at the top of this post.

Yesterday, after I left the Erdington bike jumble, I cycled past Beech Dene Grove, and thought of Lou. 

March 3rd – The traditional thing after the bike jumble is to have breakfast at a local cafe, and then drop onto the canals under spaghetti junction, to explore Brum. Today, the sun had come out, and I started by exploring Erdington, a place I’ve always loved. In this one suburb there is a huge amount of splendid architecture, and the streets are peopled by a diverse mix of people of a whole range of races. Still villagey, Erdington has a fantastic atmosphere. Later, I hit the canal to the Jewellery Quarter and central Birmingham. The day was gorgeous and, after the drizzle of the morning, spring was back. Man, I love this place.

March 3rd – Other people’s bicycles. One of the interesting things about the cycle jumble is that it’s a meeting of the old tribes. Tourers, utility cyclists and the fixie wonks. It’s nice to note that the majority of the that crowd these days are young kids – probably students. I watched a tragically hip group park their battered, well-loved steeds in a pile and drift into the hall. The young lady of the group rode what must be a hand-me-down; beautiful 70’s bright red city bike with original Pifco chrome back light, and a giant Miller front. Now, that’s authentic. My favourite is the rusty, battered fixie in the last couple of images. A girl exuding more style than it was reasonable to expect on such a morning rolled up on it, parked and hopped in. A flip-flop hub, she was riding it on the fixed side. Class.

March 3rd – Out at 9am on a wet, drizzly morning for a regular fixture that symbolises the start of spring for me: Erdington Bicycle Jumble. It takes place in a church hall, just near the station in the Birmingham suburb, but I always cycle there via the same route; through the posh estates of Little Aston, straight down Sutton Park and out through Boldmere. Arriving just after 10, wet and bedraggled, the dismal weather is soon forgotten. There’s plenty of junk to rummage though, plenty of old frames to dream ‘what if…?’ over, plenty of memories. The chance to catch up with seldom seen old cycling acquaintances and to have a laugh and a cup of tea with fellow bargain hunters. As one wag pointed out on a local cycling forum, the age of the punters neatly matches the age of the stock. There’s huge cycling experience here. I usually spend less than a fiver. But it’s always money well spent.