(Belated) Congratulations, Mr Wiggins.

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I’ve been meaning to put something up about Bradley Wiggings for a while, But with Team GB doing so well in the Olympics, it’s been hard to tear myself away from the telly. Anyway, it’s about time I gave a bit of Lambrettista recognition to one of Team GB’s greats, and indeed one of our greatest sportsmen:Bradley Wiggins.

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The Tour de Fance and Olympic Gold within days of each other is an achievement that is unlikely to be matched, and certainly won’t be at a ‘home’ Olympics. But what’s that got to do with Lambretta’s?

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Well Mr Wiggins (and athough there are calls for it to be SIR Bradley, I think he’d be more comfortable with Mr – after all he doesn’t even use the OBE he already has) musical taste has been well documented. Getting into the mod scene through Oasis and Ocean Colour Scene, he has also acquired a taste for vintage guitars and classic scooters. And although the only picture I’ve got is him on a V*spa,  I’m reliably informed he is a “Lambretta man”. I’m told he owns a couple of Lammies, including a Series 3 TV175. Nice.

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So I’m (finally) adding this blog’s humble congratulations to the rest of the adulation Wiggo is receiving. And as a mark of respect, I’m suggesting all of us fellas of a certain age who sport similar sideys to Wiggo’s iconic ones, christen them “Bradleys”. Next trip to the barber “No. 2 at the back and sides, a bit longer on top with the scissors, and just thin out the Bradleys”. Works for me

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Check out Wiggos collection for Fred Perry here, and listen to him on the Modcast with Eddie Pillar here.

The illustration of Wiggo astride a Lambretta is by top artist Pete McKee… who is deserving of a Lambrettista blog post in his own right. If you”re reading Pete, it will happen! And if you can direct me in the direction of the artist(s) who created the illustrations, I’ll give them proper acredititation.

Finally, if you get to read this Mr Wiggins, get in touch and send us some photos… I’f love to talk scooters with you!

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Lambretta LI 126

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The Lambretta brand has been applied to many and varied products these days, and you might be surprised to find that an LI 126 isn’t a 125cc scoot with an extra cc thrown in… but a pedal cycle. I’m not a push bike expert, but I’ve seen worse looking treaders. If you fancy one, There’s a good deal on at Cycle King, with 52% off the £499 RRP, down to £299. Available in mens and ladies variants.

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UPDATE (2021)

Since I wrote this article – a decade ago – the Lambretta bike seems to have died a death – although the Lambretta brand is currently marketing an e-bike – here: https://www.lambretta.com/e-bike/

One of my readers got in touch, asking if I could help him source mudguards for a pair of LI126’s he owns. I’m afraid I couldn’t help… and the mudguards are quite a distinctive part of this bike… If you’ve got any leads on that, please leave a message below, and I’ll pass it on!