A Norman Pillinger of Alcester Rapier racer
12-05-21, 03:54 AM
#1
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A Norman Pillinger of Alcester Rapier racer
Hello there.
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
12-05-21, 06:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Vintagebikelady
Hello there.
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
That's not much to go on, though. We need pictures. Even a description would probably narrow things down somewhat.
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12-05-21, 07:08 AM
#3
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Originally Posted by Vintagebikelady
Hello there.
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
12-05-21, 08:30 AM
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You can load pictures into an album in your account profile. From there, a member with more than ten posts can link to them in this discussion.
12-05-21, 09:23 AM
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If "Norman Pillinger of Alcester Rapier" is actually the name of the bike, that's impressive in and of itself.
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12-05-21, 11:27 AM
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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12-05-21, 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Vintagebikelady
Hello there.
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
I wonder if anyone can help me please.
I have a beautiful vintage racer, but can't find out anything about its origin.
Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer, please?
Welcome aboard, glad you found us, you're in the right place. 
If you are versed, you can describe the parts, details, markings, decals, etc.
Respond to each post here and you will get to the 5 posts X 2 days for 10 pretty quickly, its an anti spam measure that serves us very well.
And the album tip works well, we need pics, good ones and plenty of them.
Reason for interest?
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12-06-21, 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Kilroy1988
Definitely the same bike in both cases.
-Gregory
-Gregory
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12-06-21, 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by thinktubes
Let's not be impatient. She may be back...
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12-06-21, 03:22 PM
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Somehow I'm imagining a Spartacus scene about to take place:
"I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester!"
"No, I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester"!
"I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester!"
"No, I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester"!
12-06-21, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by nlerner
Somehow I'm imagining a Spartacus scene about to take place:
"I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester!"
"No, I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester"!
"I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester!"
"No, I am Norman Pillinger of Alciester"!
The name makes a little sense now. I had originally thought that the bike was made by the same English factory that made the "Norman" brand three-speeds. Pillinger? I thought that might be something like a berserker.
Which made no sense, because the rapier would not have been used in Norman times--it didn't come along for another five or six centuries. And there would not have been any Norman berserkers, I think, unless they were there on some kind of exchange program.
I feel better now that I know that it's a bike built by a guy named Norman Pillinger, who happened to have a shop in Alciester.
"Rapier" is a cool name, especially for a track bike.
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Last edited by jonwvara; 12-06-21 at 07:52 PM.
12-06-21, 08:41 PM
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Classic Lightweights Classic Lightweights Site website is a good place to begin a search, if you don't see the marque listed, drop them a note about it, someone can most likely doing you in the right direction.
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12-07-21, 07:06 AM
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According to Wikipedia, Alcester is in Warwickshire. The town holds a duck race every year during the second week of July. Somehow, Norman Pillinger is not mentioned in the "Notable Residents" list.
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12-07-21, 07:17 AM
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I think Norman Pillinger of Alcester Rapier was just the most random assemblage of words that a troll could think of to post about, yet also happened to be the name of a boutique framebuilder in days of yore.
12-07-21, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
... I had originally thought that the bike was made by the same English factory that made the "Norman" brand three-speeds. Pillinger? I thought that might be something like a berserker.
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12-07-21, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by rhm
Well, if it were that, it would have been a Norman Pillager, which would be in line with their other models, "invader" and "conqueror," though i'm doubtful of "raper".
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12-07-21, 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
An odd way to sell a product. It's still done, though. What's that RV company that makes models like the Prowler and Intruder? I may be getting that wrong. The real names are so weird I sometimes confuse them with my made-up ones.
12-07-21, 08:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Reynolds
Ruffian and Rascal bikes also come to mind...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_BRAT
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12-07-21, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
To say nothing of the once-common Subaru Brat, with its weird cargo area seating
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
“The Chicken Tax is a 25 percent tariff on light trucks … imposed in 1964 by the United States … in response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken. …
“As an unintended consequence, several importers of light trucks have circumvented the tariff via loopholes…
“From 1978–1987, the Subaru BRAT carried two rear-facing seats (with seatbelts and carpeting) in its rear bed to meet classification as a ‘passenger vehicle’ and not a light truck.”
