Career
Apps" family moved near the Chiltern Hills north-west of London, where he cycled in the woods. He took up motorcycle ‘observed trials’ riding but was unhappy with the noise and disturbance. He began modifying conventional bicycles for off-road use in 1965.
By 1979 he had designed and created a lightweight bicycle for wet mud of south-east England that used 650Bx54 Nokia Hakkapeliitta snow tires from Finland.
Apps set up Cleland Cycles Limited to manufacture copies of his design in 1982 and these were sold under Apps" Cleland Cycles brand until 1984. They were designed for touring, in which reliability and comfort were more important than speed and racing.
Companies in Britain produced their own versions, notably English Cycles and Highpath Engineering.
