Hercules Stayer

For those who may not be familiar with ‘Stayer Racing’ it was a type of madness popular in post war Europe and was a World Championship discipline up until 1994. It is still engaged in in parts of Europe and some civilized countries still have national championships.

Stayer bikes were are pretty unique having 600 cms front wheels with reversed forks to stop the front wheel being forced off line. The frames had to be heavily reinforced to put up with the punishment they received due to the high speeds they attained on the steeply banked tracks.

The frame we have here (badged as a Hercules) was used in the opening event in Santry Stadium (now called the Morton Stadium) in 1958. According to the previous owner it was originally a Raleigh but resprayed for use by a member of the Hercules team.

The bike has now been rebuilt with (almost!) period correct components, all that is required is the correct seat post and hopefully a Brooks Sprinter saddle. If you know of someone who is prepared to part with one please let us know !