With the modern day method of ordering and paying for parts over the internet being so convenient we sometimes forget that enthusiasts have always wanted or needed to order parts for their projects. With the big suppliers located in the main centres and the isolation of the smaller towns and customers the only way to advertise was through catalogues. In the 1920s and 30s numerous companies would have advertised in this fashion however as businesses expanded and more products became available the catalogues became outdated very quickly, naturally very few have actually survived (a bit like old telephone directories try and find one of those even from the 1950s (and yes I do have one, somewhere).
So when WingNut plucked this 1927 Skeates and White Catalogue deep from under his bed he thought that the Barnstormer readers might enjoy it. Many thanks.
It is an excellent record of parts and accessories that were available at the time and extends from bicycle supplies tyres, seats, bells and hubs, to motorcycle parts carburetors, sidecar parts, corbin speedos etc, and general merchandise of wet weather gear, riding attire and tools. At 82 pages there was something for everyone.
While compiling this I have even recognised a lot of the unimportant bits that are lying in various boxes and drawers in my kingdom. Knobstas’ favourite is the Dunlop Rubber Solution (pg 62). Don’t really know why he gets excited by this (and don’t want to know) however next time we go away on a rally I think I will order a separate room!
Some of these pages would look good enlarged and framed to display in your motoring room. They have been scanned larger, each page about 2Meg so if there are any that you would like for this purpose contact us through our contact page and we can send them out.
Click on the cover page to see the complete book. Have a look, you will be surprised.
This is a PDF so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. I have resized it to a useable size whilst trying to retain the detail however it is still quite BIGGG at 18Meg and may be a bit beyond a dial up connection.
