Mal Rees

Maldwyn Claude Rees was born in 1909 in Chepstow, Wales and first became interested in cycling as a 17year old riding with the Newport & Risca Wheelers.  He moved to the South London area about 1930 where he worked for various companies within the cycle trade including Holsworthy, F.W.Evans and Selbach.

In 1946 he founded Mal Rees Cycles at 83 Coldhabour Lane, Hayes, London where along with his own branded bikes he sold Hobbs frames.  His own frames at the time were built inside the shop by Bill Perkins.

By the early 1950s Mal Rees’ shop manager Ken Lingard negotiated contracts with master frame builder Bill Hurlow to build the top model frame the Rameles using one of his own designs and the Amersham and Chalfont models while Wally Green built the Chiltern model.

In 1967 Mal Rees sold the business to work as a sports journalist and photographer, much of his work can be read in Sporting Cyclist of this era.  Eventually the shop closed down in the early 1980s.

Mal Rees died in 1983

Info courtesy of Peter Stray/Classic Lightweights