RIP David Wrath-Sharman

[danson67]

Sad to hear today that David Wrath-Sharman of Highpath died yesterday evening after a long and difficult illness.
For those of us old enough to have been riding in the mid-80s, his high class off-road bikes were elusive and unattainable things of wonder.


While they were not destined to be the genetic precursors of the mountain bike, they are still hugely capable and graceful cross-country bicycles.
With his background in fine art, sculpture and engineering, his bikes are full of quietly elegant design and practical efficiency.







I have the honour of owning one of his 1985 creations.



All the best,

 

[JabberingJimbo]

Re:

So sad to hear this news.
It was an honour and a fun time working and riding with him back in the 80's

Enjoy the trails in the sky.

 

[M-Power]

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RIP and ride on David. Not very expert on his bikes but i love the design and forward thinking.

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Even though I knew he was seriously ill I was still shocked to hear the sad news.

Indeed... RIP, though his bikes will ride on for many years to come
His first principle, "less is more" attitude to problem solving, design, and engineering will also live on. It was an inspiration to those that knew him or saw his work.

It's amazing just how many of his 1980's ideas are now standard features on modern bicycles.
I'm not saying that the cycle industry copied his ideas, in fact he was largely ignored. Just that his designs were so well thought through, that others were eventualy bound to arrive at similar conclusions. In some cases if it took other's thinking 30 years to arrive at the same place.

In regard to some of his more radical ideas mainstream design has yet to catch up.



PS. Thanks Dan for passing on my current contact details to David's relatives.

 

[firedfromthecircus]

It's amazing just how many of his 1980's ideas are now standard features on modern bicycles.
I'm not saying that the cycle industry copied his ideas, in fact he was largely ignored. Just that his designs were so well thought through, that others were eventualy bound to arrive at similar conclusions.

Great take on this Graham.
I sadly never met DW-S but have admired his work from afar. Condolences to his family.

 

[mrkawasaki]

Sad news - a Charlie Cunningham of our isles.

 

[ultrazenith]

I'm very ashamed to say I had not heard of David or his work until now. His bikes are works of genius, and I'd have loved to chat to him about bike design. RIP.

 

[IanS62]

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Ah, that’s very sad news. I rode with David many times on his monthly Sunday rides from Guildford over the Downs, back in the late 80’s. His bikes were quite something - his drum brakes never worked quite as well as legend would have you believe, but they were always beautifully engineered. He will be remembered fondly by a small but appreciative following. RIP Dave.

 

[focomat 1c]

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Sad news , I met him many years ago when restoring my Cleland . I phoned him , and ended up
making a trip to mid-Wales to pick up some 650b rims and tyres

Over afternoon tea in the garden , we had a good chat , among other things , about his 'problems'
with Sturmey Archer concerning improved hub brake design . Also at that time he was particularly
interested in improving the fuel efficiency of his Citroen 2CV by fitting some form of fuel injection system !

My lasting impression is best summed up by the quote :

' Some people see things as they are and wonder why ? Some people see things as they never were and ask why not ? '

His fertile mind made sure that he fitted in the second category

My condolences to his family and freinds

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Sad news - a Charlie Cunningham of our isles.

Every Highpath bike was unique, designed and constructed specifically to match the requirements and riding style of the client. When suitable off-the-shelf components were not available David would design and make his own or improve existing components to make them meet his high standards.

Like Charlie Cunningham in America David Wrath-Sharman did not produce a large number of bikes. However the bikes they did produce were ground-breaking individually crafted works of art.

When I talked to Joe Breeze and Charlie Kelly during their UK tour last year they spoke enthusiastically about a Highpath bicycle that they had seen in Canada. They must have seen thousands and thousands of mountain bikes over the years, however this single Highpath, a rare representative of a marque reputed in its day as the 'Rolls Royce of British mountain bikes', they remembered.