Frederick Henry Grubb (27 May 1887 – 6 March 1949) was a British road racing cyclist who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won silver medals in the individual road race and the team road race. In 1914, after he retired from racing, he established a bicycle manufacturing business (F.H.Grubb) in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th cent ...

, London. By 1920 manufacturing had moved to

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

and then in 1926 to

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

. In 1935 FHG Ltd was established in Wimbledon but by 1947 the F H Grubb name was back in use. Two years after his death the business was bought by

Holdsworth Holdsworth was a bicycle manufacturer in London, England. It was created by William Frank Holdsworth, known as "Sandy", and the brand is now owned by Planet X Limited based in Rotherham, Yorkshire. History Sandy Holdsworth took over As ...

, which used the Freddie Grubb brand until around 1978.

Cycling career

Born in Kingston, Surrey in 1887, Freddie Grubb was a leading rider when cycle-racing in Britain was limited to

time-trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

s and track racing. A writer said of him in 1910: "Since

August Bank Holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or ...

he has been the most talked-of cyclist in Great Britain... and it is safe to say that no man since Harry Green has shown more brilliant promise". Grubb was

teetotal Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

and a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

.Sykes, Herbie. (2013). ''Maglia Rosa 2nd Edition: Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro D'Italia''. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 23. He rode for the Vegetarian Cycle and Athletic Club. He broke the 100-mile time-trial record in 1910 on a fixed-wheel bike with no brakes. The Vegetarian club historian, Peter Duncan, said: "He has no brakes; traffic was so light he saw no need for them." Riding a fixed wheel, or direct gearing between the pedals and the back wheel, would have given him limited braking but not enough for an emergency stop. Grubb rode the distance in less than five hours. The distance had already been ridden in less than five hours by "Goss" Green during a record attempt from London to Brighton and back over 104 miles; his finishing time showed he had ridden 100 miles in less than five hours but he was denied the 100-mile record because he had not been timed at that distance.The Bicycle, 15 July 1942, p6 Grubb's ride was the first to be formally timed. Grubb set a record for 12 hours in the Anerley event near

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

in 1911. The organizers had set a course of 210 miles, further than they expected any rider to go. It had to be extended to allow Grubb to ride 220.5 miles. The second rider, Charlie Davey, also beat the club's plans and finished in 215.5 miles. Grubb set a record of 351 miles for a 24-hour time-trial on the track. It was broken by Henrik Morén with 375.6 miles in 1912. Grubb's 5h 9m 41s for London to

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and back stood for 14 years. He rode a

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

bicycle with a reinforced frame to withstand his style of forcing round big gears. He won two silver medals in the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912. He turned professional in 1914. Cycling reported: Grubb was considered for the New York, Paris and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

six-day races. He rode briefly on the continent, starting in the 1914 Giro d'Italia before returning disillusioned. The venture ended his cycling because rules denied professionals the right to ride again as an amateur.

Cycle trade

Grubb opened a cycle business in

, south London, in 1914 but the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

started. Peter Duncan said: Grubb opened another shop after the war, with money from his clubmate Charlie Davey. Grubb went into partnership with Ching Allin in 1919, forming Allin & Grubb of 132 Whitehorse Road,

. The two split in a row over cycle design. Allin & Grubb became A. H. Allin and began selling Davey cycles rather than Grubb. The cycle-trade historian Mick Butler, who called Grubb "not a very likable character", said:Quick release wheels can be attached and detached faster than the nut and bolt of other wheels, an advantage when changing a punctured tyre during a raceCycling historian Mick Butler also noted that the earliest reference for 'quick release wheels' that could be verified was ''

Cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from ...

'', 4 March 1920 p XVI. An advert declared ''Grubb Racing Cycles – with the simplest quickest form of quick release wheels – Allin & Grubb, 132 Whitehorse Road,

''. The same issue of ''Cycling'' also contains an advert for 'F.H.Grubb, 250 London Road, Croydon', (just around the corner from Allin & Grubb) which goes on to state "no connection with any other firm" so it would seem they had already parted company or all was not quite well. Butler added: Grubb opened another business under his own name in London Road, West Croydon, in 1920 and by 1924 had a shop at Robsart Street,

. In 1934 Grubb advertised that his business was in liquidation. He then opened another company, FHG, at 147a Haydons Road, Wimbledon, with 20 staff from the former venture. Grubb died on 6 March 1949, aged 61, in north-east Surrey and his family continued the business. The

company bought the Grubb name in 1952.

Notes

References

External links

*
Nkilgariff Archive Site – W.F.Holdsworth, FH Grubb, Claud Butler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grubb, Frederick 1887 births 1949 deaths English male cyclists Cyclists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Companies based in the London Borough of Merton Olympic medalists in cycling Defunct cycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom People from Kingston upon Thames Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Companies based in the London Borough of Lambeth