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Hubert Opperman bicycles

Image Hubert Opperman bicycles

TLF ID R6375

These two racing bicycles were used by the champion Australian cyclist, Hubert Opperman, in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The one on the right with red handles is a classic road-racing bicycle. The one on the left with grey handles has been made for 'motor-pacing', a type of track racing. Both were manufactured by Bruce Small Pty Ltd in Melbourne under the 'Malvern Star' brand name.

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Educational details

Educational value
  • These bicycles were owned and raced by the champion Australian cyclist Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman (1904-96), popularly known as 'Oppy', who became a sporting hero in the 1920s and 1930s as he won hundreds of road and track races in Australia and Europe, setting numerous world records for endurance cycling. After retiring from racing during the Second World War (1939-45), Opperman became a federal Liberal Party politician from 1949 until 1966, serving as a minister in the Menzies and Holt governments (1960-66), before being appointed Australia's first High Commissioner to Malta (1967-72).
  • Cycling was first introduced to Australia in the 1860s and by the late 1880s had become a popular competitive sport and recreational pursuit. Bicycle races remained a popular form of public entertainment well into the 20th century. Both bicycles in the image were designed for racing.
  • The red-handled bicycle on the right-hand side of the image is a 'Tour de France' racer used by Opperman in 1927 to set a new world distance record of 416 miles (669.5 km) for 24 hours of continuous riding. The record was set as Opperman rode from Mt Gambier in South Australia to Melbourne.
  • The grey-handled bicycle on the left-hand side of the image is one designed for a type of motor-paced track racing in which the cyclist rode in the slipstream of a motorcycle to gain extra speed. It was used by Opperman at the Melbourne Motordrome in 1930 to set a new world record of 90 minutes and 38 seconds to ride 100 miles (161 km) 'motor-paced'.
  • Both bicycles were made with the best components available in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The frames and drop handlebars were handmade from high strength steel tubes imported from England, and both bicycles have steel pedals with toe-clips, leather saddles, and wheel rims made from laminated wood, the lightest and most flexible material of sufficient strength then available.
  • In keeping with many racing bikes of the period, both Opperman's bicycles have no brakes or gear changing mechanism and no 'free-wheeling' hub in the rear axle, so the rider had to keep pedalling the whole time, even when coasting down a hill or slowing to stop or avoid other cyclists. Both bicycles also have different sized sprockets on each side of the rear wheel so Opperman could at least select a different gear before a race began by taking off the back wheel and turning it over.
  • The grey-handled bicycle also has a smaller front wheel and the front forks have been turned backwards, enabling Opperman to ride very close behind the motorbike, and get partially dragged along by its slipstream. The massive 64-tooth front sprocket and tiny 13-tooth rear sprocket on this bike enabled Opperman to maintain the average speed of 106.6 km/h required for his 1930 record.
  • Both bicycles carry the 'Malvern Star' brand name that was first created by the former bike racer, Tom Finnigan, who established a small cycle shop in Malvern in 1903. After it was taken over in 1920 by the entrepreneur, Bruce Small, the business grew rapidly with Malvern Star becoming a nationally recognised brand name.
  • Bicycles made for racing have gone through continuing technological change, with the aim of making them lighter, stronger and more aerodynamically efficient. The most advanced racing bikes today use aluminium alloy and carbon-fibre components.
Topics Bicycles Bicycle frames Cycling

Other details

Contributors
  • Author
  • Name: Bruce Small Pty Ltd
  • Organization: Bruce Small Pty Ltd
  • Description: Author
  • Person: Jon Augier
  • Description: Author
  • Contributor
  • Name: Museum Victoria
  • Organization: Museum Victoria
  • Description: Content provider
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/
  • Name: Bruce Small Pty Ltd
  • Organization: Bruce Small Pty Ltd
  • Description: Author
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Person: Jon Augier
  • Description: Author
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Museum Victoria
  • Organization: Museum Victoria
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • Publisher
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Colour independence
  • Device independence
  • Hearing independence
Learning Resource Type
  • Image
Rights
  • © Education Services Australia Ltd and Museum Victoria, 2016, except where indicated under Acknowledgements