The First and Second Age

The Early Years

Reg Davies was born in October 1907 at number 5 Wolverhampton Road, Heath Town. After winning a scholarship to Wolverhampton Grammar School, he excelled in every subject, coming first or second each time. His favourites were the classics, music and English.

Even after doing so well at school, going to university wasn’t an option he could consider, because in those days it was an expensive undertaking and the Davies family, like most others at the time, couldn’t afford the fees.

In 1908, his father, Alfred Davies left his secure job as a railway clerk to start a bicycle repair business. After leaving school in 1923 Reg joined him in the family business, which was now trading as Viking Cycles.

Working Life

When Reg started to work in the business, Viking Cycles was a small concern, producing relatively small numbers of machines at the workshop in Heath Town. In 1928 the business moved to a shop in Broad Street, but quickly outgrew the premises, moving again in 1934 to Midland Chambers, 34 Princess Street, Wolverhampton. The following year a building was acquired around the corner in Princess Alley, to build yet more bicycles and framesets.

Reg Davies and Bob Thom.

Alfred retired just before the Second World War and Reg took his place as Managing Director. Reg built the business up from a small undertaking to a large scale manufacturing concern.

By 1939 when Viking Cycles Limited was formed, about 800 cycles a year were produced. After the war the annual production had risen to 2,000 and the company formed its own road racing team, which would become one of the most successful cycle teams in the country, achieving national and international triumphs, thanks to men like Bob Thom, Viking's team manager and sales manager.

In 1933 Reg married his beloved Mair and they had three children, Margaret, Valerie, and Victor. Cycling was one of Reg’s passions in life and he went on many cycling holidays accompanied by his children, especially Vic.

Back at Viking things went from strength to strength, mainly due to the quality products and the cycle team’s many successes. Viking became a household name and sales greatly increased. In May 1955 the manufacturing side of the company moved to Merridale Works, Russell Street where production continued to increase, reaching a peak in 1963 when 20,000 machines were produced with a workforce of around 70.


Mair and Reg.

In the early 1960s Reg became vice-president of the Cycle and Motorcycle Industries Association, at a time when Britain led the world in the design and production of bicycles and motorcycles.

Sadly in the mid 1960s things started to go wrong, due to a recession in the club-cycling world. Cash was in short supply and sales fell, but Reg carried on much as before, working long hours for the company.

Towards the end of the 1960s Viking ceased trading, and eventually the business was sold. A bicycle assembly plant still operates under the Viking name in Londonderry.


Reg Davies in a relaxing mood.

During his working life Reg had transformed the business from a small shop, building a small number of cycles each year, into the area’s largest cycle manufacturing company, producing a wide range of top quality products. Even today original Viking cycles are much sought after, and are now the prize possessions of enthusiasts all over the world.

Although Reg had already achieved far more in his lifetime than most people, much more was still to come in his retirement years.


 
Return to the
beginning
  Proceed to
the Third Age