Colin Laing - wife Margaret
08-02-12, 01:39 PM
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Colin Laing - wife Margaret
It's with sad eyes, that I let all of you know my Mom and Colin Laing's wife - Margaret Laing passed away last week from a long illness.
Many of you have known her from either seeing her in the shops (Tucson, Tempe, and Mesa Arizona). Probably shared in a cupa'
Best
Stuart Laing
Many of you have known her from either seeing her in the shops (Tucson, Tempe, and Mesa Arizona). Probably shared in a cupa'
Best
Stuart Laing
08-02-12, 01:45 PM
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Sorry for your loss, Stuart. Best wishes to you and your family.
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08-02-12, 05:22 PM
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Thanks for sharing with the forum. It certainly sounds like she made quite the positive impression on a lot of CR listers and members as well.
Best to you and your family at this difficult time......
Best to you and your family at this difficult time......
08-02-12, 05:30 PM
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Sorry for your loss, Stuart. May her memory be eternal!
08-02-12, 05:36 PM
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Sorry for your loss Stuart. Best wishes to you and your family.
08-02-12, 06:06 PM
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Condolences-be inspired by her life carry that along in her memory
08-02-12, 06:08 PM
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Very sorry to hear this sad news. I hope she and Sheldon Brown are enjoying a cuppa.
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08-02-12, 06:17 PM
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Stuart, my condolences for your loss. I recall reading zonatatandem's recent post about his Colin Laing and his experiences with your parents. It sounds as if you are from a special family. I think it is pretty cool to leave behind tangible and lasting objects, and in doing so your family has contributed a legacy that is and will be appreciated on these forums for both it's accomplishment of purpose and beauty.
Have been friends with Colin and Margaret since we moved to Tucson in 1978.
He had a small shop on Grant Road at that time and we got along very well as I am also from Europe (Belgium).
Margaret used to invite me in the back of the shop to have a cup'a . . .
They moved back to England for a few years and then came back to the US and settled in Tempe area where he also had a shop. He later worked at Tempe Bikes and was their featured custom builder.
Sons Ian and Stewart were also into cycling/running. Ian became the youngest-ever certified 753 builder by Reynolds.
When Colin and family came back to the US we approached him to build a tandem for us.
We'd been long time tandem riders and knew what we wanted. So gave him our specs.
We wanted Reynolds 531 racing tubing except for the downtube that would be 531 tandem guage.
Specced a lugged frame and Colin said that with the mixed tubing he'd have to handmake the lugs.
He said: I've got the time . . . OK if I do something fancy for you and Kay?
And he did! Ornate chromed heattube lugs with his initials (CL). A snake-like chromed section on the fork ran from top of the crown down about 2/3rd of fork. He spent over 40 hours handmaking the lugs.
Rear triangle was also chromed. That tandem also featured a fastback seatstay/rear seattube junction with fillet; internal cable runs and a U-brake.
Also had an adjustable stoker stem; a gorgeous pink/lavender fade paint job finished off the bike.
Truly a combination of art and craftsmanship.
We put 56,000 miles on that great tandem!
When Colin was still in Tucson he contemplated on getting out of the building business and taught a fellow named Peitsch how to build frames. He also sold him the rights to the name Colin Laing.
From then on he re-named his frames 'Colian', a combination of Colin and Ian who was then a certified builder in his own right.
Ian did build a few frames under the name Vivacian when in Tucson.
We do a bit of freelance writing and did an article on Colin for BikeWorld (remember that one?) that covered several pages somewhere in the mid-80s.
Regretfully have no photos to share . . . but some great memories!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem
He had a small shop on Grant Road at that time and we got along very well as I am also from Europe (Belgium).
Margaret used to invite me in the back of the shop to have a cup'a . . .
They moved back to England for a few years and then came back to the US and settled in Tempe area where he also had a shop. He later worked at Tempe Bikes and was their featured custom builder.
Sons Ian and Stewart were also into cycling/running. Ian became the youngest-ever certified 753 builder by Reynolds.
When Colin and family came back to the US we approached him to build a tandem for us.
We'd been long time tandem riders and knew what we wanted. So gave him our specs.
We wanted Reynolds 531 racing tubing except for the downtube that would be 531 tandem guage.
Specced a lugged frame and Colin said that with the mixed tubing he'd have to handmake the lugs.
He said: I've got the time . . . OK if I do something fancy for you and Kay?
And he did! Ornate chromed heattube lugs with his initials (CL). A snake-like chromed section on the fork ran from top of the crown down about 2/3rd of fork. He spent over 40 hours handmaking the lugs.
Rear triangle was also chromed. That tandem also featured a fastback seatstay/rear seattube junction with fillet; internal cable runs and a U-brake.
Also had an adjustable stoker stem; a gorgeous pink/lavender fade paint job finished off the bike.
Truly a combination of art and craftsmanship.
We put 56,000 miles on that great tandem!
When Colin was still in Tucson he contemplated on getting out of the building business and taught a fellow named Peitsch how to build frames. He also sold him the rights to the name Colin Laing.
From then on he re-named his frames 'Colian', a combination of Colin and Ian who was then a certified builder in his own right.
Ian did build a few frames under the name Vivacian when in Tucson.
We do a bit of freelance writing and did an article on Colin for BikeWorld (remember that one?) that covered several pages somewhere in the mid-80s.
Regretfully have no photos to share . . . but some great memories!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem
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-Randy
'72 Cilo Pacer • '72 Peugeot PX10 • '73 Speedwell Ti • '74 Nishiki Competition • '74 Peugeot UE-8 • '86 Look Equipe 753 • '86 Look KG86 • '89 Parkpre Team Road • '90 Parkpre Team MTB • '90 Merlin Ti
Avatar photo courtesy of jeffveloart.com, contact: contact: jeffnil8 (at) gmail.com.
-Randy
'72 Cilo Pacer • '72 Peugeot PX10 • '73 Speedwell Ti • '74 Nishiki Competition • '74 Peugeot UE-8 • '86 Look Equipe 753 • '86 Look KG86 • '89 Parkpre Team Road • '90 Parkpre Team MTB • '90 Merlin Ti
Avatar photo courtesy of jeffveloart.com, contact: contact: jeffnil8 (at) gmail.com.
