Hello Everyone
Just thought I’d clear up any confusion on what is going on at banana industries and sudden appearance of some cycling bargains etc .
I’m Dave Loughran some of you know me from Planet X which I sold 4 years ago and as my non compete is up and I found retirement didn’t suit me I ended up buying banana industries last year hence the weird chance in direction of their business .
I started in the bike business in 1988 and here is an off the top of my head history / resume and dates are approx
- 80s junior rode my bike a lot went to uni
- ended never got a job and started buying bike and triathlon parts with only a credit card and a res Austin maestro .(thank to the enterprise allowance for 40 quid a week)
- 1998 lemond distributor made by Roberto Billato’s (Wayne table wins archer go)
- 90-mid 90: odyssey distributor (straddle rods)
- 90-98 powerbar first export distributor
- 1990 -1992 casati distributir (mark Waltham John tanner rode gill airways
- other products , fast feather , Roko lever skins
- circa 1992 Rocky Mountain distributor (experience , blizzard very nice )
- circa 1994 fondrirst distributor few years
-90-96 hed wheel distributor
end 90s industry started fragmenting
- at some point distributors of guerciotti and battaglin
- circa 2000 set up Planet X
- 2005 (guess) set up on-one with Brant
- after this acquired Titus , Carnac , holdsworth , viner , Sab
- love buying Japanese and Italian
Had the amazing optimum performance team in the 90s , pro vision team , and holdsworth team at the end
I’m sure I’ve forgotten loads
Made loads of friends , probably upset quite a few .
Was very lucky to make a passion a life’s work .
Thought I’d retire but made so many friends have sort of slipped back
Any questions on early on-one bikes I’ll know the answers inside out , plus billato / lemond as Roberto remains a good friend .
Anyway hope that’s clear, I was always a big wheeler dealer and try to pass any bargains across .
Ritchey stock is all immaculate
Selle Italia we have a great relationship with
Coping soon weird Japanese stuff crom
Nitto , Izumi ,ostrich , Hoazan and others love dealing with Japan .
Anyway that’s the story I may have upset a few on here over the years and hopefully some did well .
I’m not in the business every day but it’s only 3-4 of us (was 3 we hired another today) and anyone can call in
Feel free to come to Kelham island
I’ve got about 30 of my favourite bikes there including very early ti inbred, a mark reilly made 753 holdsworth , early Jack Taylor , even got the 1994 lemons tax that Wayne Randle won the archer on (respirated) , a really early mid 80s Clark Kent titanium
My spelling and punctuation and rubbish too .
I’m most famous for
- buying the last 2000 Cinelli spinach bars from Cinelli
- buying the Jimmy saville bike collectio
Kelham island in shef? Might pop in one day if so