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Chris Bell, inventor of EGGrings and a partner in the innovative engineering-firm Highpath Engineering of Wales, has died after losing a battle with prostate cancer. His funeral takes place tomorrow, with a bike procession at 1pm from his house to Cribyn chapel, near Lampeter.
Bell designed and made EGGring front chainwheels from 1988 until 2011. A round EGGring was used by Mike Burrows on the Lotus monocoque bike which Chris Boardman rode to gold in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Bell, a former teacher and self-taught CNC miller, was a partner with Dave Wrath-Sharman in Highpath Engineering, a specialist engineering firm which made and repaired one-off parts. In 1995 Bell and Wrath-Sharman manufactured many of the parts for the Brox quadricycle, an influential cargo bike. (The designer went bust owning Highpath Engineering many thousands of pounds.) Highpath was acquired in 2015 by Patrick McLoughlin, a former customer.
Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004 Bell decided to live life to the full by touring by bike all over Europe, raising money for cancer charities as he pedalled, usually solo. Last year he rode from Finland to France.
Bell is survived by his wife, Di, and their daughter Sandra.
