Is Oxford a British Bike ???

Picked up an Oxford Headtube badge in an antique shop in Sturgeon Bay WI. Been doing some Googling and not able to come up with much. Attached photo from the web is almost exact same condition as mine. Anybody know sumthin' ?? Thank you.

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Permalink Reply by mike w. on April 6, 2017 at 1:15pm

Found this picture on the web:

Looks to be a post-Raleigh buyout 3-speed, c. mid-60's. Headbadge looks a bit different. There was a line of accessories (generator lights & such) marketed around that time with the Oxford brand. IIRC, the accessories were labeled  "made in Hong Kong, a British Crown colony." i believe that Oxford was one of the marques Raleigh gobbled up during the 50s & 60s, such as Triumph, Robin Hood, BSA, etc. i think the later bikes were built in Hong Kong and sold in department stores and Western Auto Parts stores and the like.

Permalink Reply by Greg Valent on April 6, 2017 at 1:37pm

You found more than I did, and your historical info is a good starting point. Thank you, Greg.

Permalink Reply by Greg Valent on April 6, 2017 at 1:58pm

Thanks again. My sister had a Drake bicycle back in the 1970s. According to Googling and spokelore, that was either a super cheap English made Raleigh brand, or, a Raleigh marke made in India.

Permalink Reply by Rick on April 20, 2017 at 8:47am

I used to sell Drakes in the 1970s. They were made in India.

Rick

Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on April 6, 2017 at 10:17pm

Found this website for a bicycle manufacturer: http://www.oxfordbikeworks.co.uk/ 

Found this website for a bicycle accessory manufacturer: http://www.oxfordproducts.com/bicycle 

Found this website far a bicycle shop in Oxford, Mississippi, US: http://oxfordbike.com/ 

Permalink Reply by Greg Valent on April 8, 2017 at 12:40pm

Thank you. I found those in my Googling also. Nothing showing this head tube badge, though. I should have mentioned that it's pressed from very thin aluminum, so, not too 'vintage' apparently.

Permalink Reply by Rick on April 20, 2017 at 9:04am

Those thin aluminum badges were more common on USA bikes in the 1960s. The 1960s/1970s bicycle boom caused countless retailers to sell bikes.  All kinds of department stores, gas stations, hardware stores, tire companies, etc sold bikes with their own brand name but very few had bike factories.  (Stelber department stores is one that did)  Many names got re-used by many companies too.  Every major manufacturer would sell bikes under any brand name for a price.  Schwinn, AMF, Huffy, Columbia, Raleigh, Giant, etc, all sold bikes to chain retailers, mostly without their own names on them.

Bicycle head badge collecting is a hobby.  Best to aim for a particular subject than to  "collect 'em all".  My focus is just on photographing them on bikes in the wild.  Check out the head badge group at flickr.  You can upload yours there too.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/bicycleheadbadges/

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