John Ronald Tovey
Encyclopedia
John Ronald Tovey was a British
cyclist from the South West UK. He raced for Bath Cycling Club in the early 1960s and also Gordano Valley
CC. He was noted for racing the first production ‘Moulton’ cycles and was televised by ITN in 1962, racing a Moulton Special. He took part in the original Cardiff
to London 162 mile TT and, with others, broke the speed record for that event with the fastest time being achieved by John Woodburn
of Reading (6hrs and 44 minutes). Tovey worked for Alex Moulton
in the early 60s and was part of the Moulton eight.
, seven people were responsible for the production of this challenge. Technical manager Phil Uncles, who contributed largely to the design; Brian Cottrell (Bath), whose drawings helped accelerate the experiments; Bert Hervin, whose produced special tubes out of sheet metal
; tester Graham Cottle; newcomer Michael Bainton; and John Tovey. Moulton
produced six models: The Standard, De-Luxe, Safari, Speed, Stowaway and Speedsix. There was also a special 'S' range produced at a separate building over the river at Bradford-on-Avon.
In 1970 a Mk3 high performance prototype named the Moulton Marathon was commissioned and was hand built by Tovey at the Moulton Bradford on Avon
works. This bike was used by Colin Martin on his cycling trip from England
to Kalgoorlie, West Australia
, in the same year. Colin Martin’s book Half way round also makes reference to Tovey.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
cyclist from the South West UK. He raced for Bath Cycling Club in the early 1960s and also Gordano Valley
Gordano Valley
Gordano is an area of North Somerset, in England. It has been designated as a National Nature Reserve.The name Gordano comes from Old English and is descriptive of the triangular shape of the whole valley from Clevedon to Portishead, being the ablative singular of the Latinised form of Gorden...
CC. He was noted for racing the first production ‘Moulton’ cycles and was televised by ITN in 1962, racing a Moulton Special. He took part in the original Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to London 162 mile TT and, with others, broke the speed record for that event with the fastest time being achieved by John Woodburn
John Woodburn
John Woodburn is a British road and time-trial cyclists and 2001 British Veteran on target time. He received his award from Eddy Merckx at the at the RTTC Champions Evening at Derby on 6 January 2001....
of Reading (6hrs and 44 minutes). Tovey worked for Alex Moulton
Alex Moulton
Dr. Alexander Eric Moulton CBE is an English engineer and inventor, specialising in suspension design.Moulton is the great-grandson of the rubber pioneer Stephen Moulton, the founder of the family business George Spencer Moulton & Co...
in the early 60s and was part of the Moulton eight.
Moulton eight
Initially, apart from MoultonAlex Moulton
Dr. Alexander Eric Moulton CBE is an English engineer and inventor, specialising in suspension design.Moulton is the great-grandson of the rubber pioneer Stephen Moulton, the founder of the family business George Spencer Moulton & Co...
, seven people were responsible for the production of this challenge. Technical manager Phil Uncles, who contributed largely to the design; Brian Cottrell (Bath), whose drawings helped accelerate the experiments; Bert Hervin, whose produced special tubes out of sheet metal
Sheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
; tester Graham Cottle; newcomer Michael Bainton; and John Tovey. Moulton
Alex Moulton
Dr. Alexander Eric Moulton CBE is an English engineer and inventor, specialising in suspension design.Moulton is the great-grandson of the rubber pioneer Stephen Moulton, the founder of the family business George Spencer Moulton & Co...
produced six models: The Standard, De-Luxe, Safari, Speed, Stowaway and Speedsix. There was also a special 'S' range produced at a separate building over the river at Bradford-on-Avon.
In 1970 a Mk3 high performance prototype named the Moulton Marathon was commissioned and was hand built by Tovey at the Moulton Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
works. This bike was used by Colin Martin on his cycling trip from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Kalgoorlie, West Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in the same year. Colin Martin’s book Half way round also makes reference to Tovey.