Comments on: Our Bicycling Heritage

Our Bicycling Heritage

quonsar — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 23:09:05 -0800

High wheels, hard tired, pneumatics and children. The Wheelmen is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling, promoting the restoration and riding of early cycles (1918 or earlier), and encouraging cycling as part of modern living.

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:30:52 -0800

I'm looking for a snark, but I can't seem to find one. Posting while drunk again, quonsar?

By: normy

normy — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:48:09 -0800

Great stuff, quonsar. If you like old bikes, Classic Rendevous is a good resource, and there's Vintage Bicycle Quarterly as well.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:52:04 -0800

Nice post. I've always wondered about those old "high wheels". What's the point? It's the gear ratio of the big ole' wheel? Is this the least mechanically complicated (thus, reliable) way of achieving that ratio? But, man, looks awkward.

By: normy

normy — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:56:12 -0800

I've always wondered about those old "high wheels". What's the point? They were invented before the chain-driven 'safety bicycle' (as the modern arrangement was originally named) and were the only way of getting a sufficiently high gear.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 01:06:56 -0800

Awesome work quonsar. Thanks.

By: nofundy

nofundy — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 05:10:05 -0800

Lance and myself just love cycling. Thanks quonsar.

By: caddis

caddis — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 06:47:40 -0800

Who says that the blue is in decline? This is a top quality post. Thanks quonsar. By the way Matt, when are you going to add "quonsar" to the dictionary in the spell checker?

By: chicobangs

chicobangs — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 11:17:43 -0800

I like that quonsar is out of the dictionary. A rebel till the bitter fuckin' end, I say. If I could find and ride a pennyfarthing in Manhattan (without it being stolen in about 8 seconds) I shurely would. These things are the cat's fuckin' pyjamas. Ah, q, stellar post, old bean!

By: Quinbus Flestrin

Quinbus Flestrin — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 14:04:02 -0800

Those who liked the above might like Myths and Milestones in Bicycle Evolution. It has a nice time line which helps dispel the impression given (maybe inadvertently) by some of the links that the bicycle is a product of Yankee ingenuity.

By: blade

blade — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 14:59:54 -0800

As an owner of a couple of restored old Schwinns from the fifties I could spend all afternoon looking through these links. These are great posts, quansar! I had the chance to ride a 'pennyfarthing' (named for the size of the coins in England) and they are just as awkward as they appear to be. Although it was really neat to be sitting up so high, they don't have anything on this guy, the world's tallest bike. Of course, if you think the builder's a little wacky, then you haven't seen anything until you've checked out Chunk 666!

By: zarah

zarah — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 18:31:25 -0800

The vintage bicycles are so pretty & romantic, and everyone looks so nice on them in their big fluffy dresses and fancy hats. But I'll bet a lot of them had some really nasty accidents, all things considered. I can envision people being strangled by their own petticoat or bonnet and such, eek! heels

By: zarah

zarah — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 18:32:49 -0800

Whoa, where'd that "heels" come from?

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 18:40:40 -0800

They appear underfoot from time to time. Ignore them.