Malvern Star

“Malvern Star bicycles had their beginnings in 1903 when Tom Finnigan opened a bicycle shop in Melbourne Australia, funded by his winnings from the 1898 Austral Wheel Race, the biggest bike race in the country at the time. He built the first Malvern Stars in his workshop at the back of the shop.”

“In 1920 his business was purchased by a young bicycle salesman named Bruce Small. A year later Small began to sponsor a young racing cyclist by the name of Hubert Opperman. So began one of the great partnerships of Australian cycling and Australian industry. Hubert Opperman’s fantastic sporting achievements provided publicity for Malvern Star while Bruce Small’s promotional skills guided Opperman’s career and made him Australia’s most famous cyclist. Malvern Star became synonymous with bicycles across Australia.”

“Many top Australian cyclists rode for Malvern Star including Opperman and Sid Patterson, a winner of four world championships on the track.”

“In 1939 Malvern Star introduced their Five Star model. It remained their “top of the range” racing model through to the 1960s picking up World Championships, Olympic Gold Medals and Empire Games Gold Medals on the way.”