Rare Ellis-Briggs Bicycle Added to Bradford Museums Collection

A unique piece of local cycling history preserved for future generations

A rare Ellis-Briggs bicycle, once owned by the late Neil Crabtree, has been donated to Bradford District Museums & Galleries, ensuring the preservation of an important part of the district’s cycling heritage. The bespoke bicycle, purchased in 1989 from Ellis-Briggs in Shipley, highlights the traditional craft of custom frame making, a skill that remains rare in today’s mass-produced bicycle market.

Neil Crabtree’s lifelong passion for cycling

Neil Crabtree, originally from Halifax, was a dedicated cycling enthusiast who explored Britain and Europe extensively by bike. His Ellis-Briggs bicycle accompanied him on numerous journeys, including a notable solo tour of Germany in the summer of 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Mr Crabtree continued to use the bicycle regularly well into his eighties, even for everyday activities such as local shopping trips.

Following his death in 2025, his children, Jane Nugent and Jonathan Crabtree, chose to donate the bicycle to Bradford District Museums & Galleries. They expressed their delight that the bike has returned to Yorkshire, saying it had opened up a world of adventure for their father and would now be preserved as part of the region’s heritage.

Ellis-Briggs: A legacy of bespoke bicycle craftsmanship

Founded in Bradford in 1933, Ellis-Briggs Cycles is the UK’s oldest custom steel bicycle frame-builder. For over 90 years, the company has produced hand-crafted bicycles tailored to the specific needs of riders, from casual cyclists to competitive racers. This donation fills a gap in the museum’s collection by representing the district’s bicycle manufacturing and engineering history.

Exhibition and museum display

The bicycle’s acquisition coincides with the Made by Many Hands exhibition at Bradford Industrial Museum, which explores traditional and endangered crafts in the Bradford district. The exhibition features skills listed on the Heritage Crafts Association’s Red List of Endangered Crafts, including bicycle frame-building, stained glass making, lacemaking, and blacksmithing.

Once the exhibition closes on 15 November 2026, the Ellis-Briggs bicycle will be displayed permanently in the museum’s Transport Gallery. It will join other historically significant bicycles, such as:

• A Raleigh bicycle sold by Wiley’s Cycles and Toys in Bradford in the late 1960s
• A 1930s bicycle built by local frame-builders W. & R. Baines
• The “King of the Mountains” bicycle built by Bradford-born endurance cyclist Walter Greaves, who set a world record in 1936 by cycling 45,383 miles in a year despite a below-elbow amputation

The collection offers a fascinating insight into Bradford’s rich history of cycling, engineering, and skilled craftsmanship.

For more details on the Ellis-Briggs bicycle and the Made by Many Hands exhibition, visit the Bradford Museums blog.