A BIKE that has been around the world twice, that took a boy the five miles to school and back and on jaunts such as Scout camp, has been restored to its original condition and ridden again by its previous owner, now aged 90.

David Dornom’s father bought the bike for himself, his previous bike had been stolen, but it was just not quite high enough for him, so he let his son have it.  

“My father bought it because there was no petrol during the war,” said David.  They lived then in Cheam on the outskirts of London. 

David joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 15 and had nearly 40 years at sea, taking the bike with him on a few voyages.   It has been ridden in places including Calcutta, Pacific Islands, New York and around Times Square.  

“When we lived in Sussex, it was a flat area, so I’d take the two dogs for a run.  When I retired in 1994 and we came down here, my wife said there was no way I was going to ride the bike here because the brake cables had not been changed at all!

“It sat there in the garage getting worse and worse until I had a chat with neighbour Roger Brooking.  

“The transformation he has done is unbelievable.  I wouldn’t like to guess how many miles I have cycled on it in this country as well as others including Canada and Australia,” said David. 

He has given the bike to Roger who had found some 1950s cycle clips for David to wear and bought a black Sun t-shirt for himself.  

He said he had enjoyed doing the bike.  David added that “it is not quite as old as my wife and I.”

The rims are original, new bearings all round, he rebuilt the frames with new spokes, the saddle and handlebars he found and are as they would have been on the original.

Roger, David and his father have all been members of the Cycle Touring Club, and the bike is the CTC Model.