Old Bicycle Newsreels
May 6, 2016 6:43 AM   Subscribe

British Pathe has a bunch of great old bike newsreels uploaded to YouTube: Birth of the Bike (1937); Historic Bikes (1953); Six Day Race (1937); Penny Farthing Bike (1928); Penny Farthing Race (1936); Cycling Tips (1936); Housewife Cyclist (1956); All about Bikes (1959)
posted by OmieWise (12 comments total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
I don't have time (interest?) to watch them all, but that first one at least was quite enthralling.
posted by srt19170 at 6:59 AM on May 6, 2016


Now I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike.
posted by entropicamericana at 7:22 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


"Cheerio, old fruits!" How delightful!
posted by oh.ghoulin at 7:23 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


A timely post as riders are currently grinding through the Giro d'Italia prologue TT.
posted by selfnoise at 7:31 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


I love these old Pathe videos.

That being said, Ladies Professional Cycling Champion, Miss Hamilton is a pro cutter. /swoon
posted by Sphinx at 7:32 AM on May 6, 2016


This is great! So much clever innovation before we ended up with the diamond frame and bike chain. I wonder: How much innovation would there still be if all the money and engineering hadn't been sucked off to cars? I'm seeing a bit of innovation now that high-earning people are moving downtown, like the food delivery bikes that I see every day, but nothing like the variety that's in these videos.

It makes me think of punctuated equilibrium in evolution: A huge number of crazy designs when a new possibility first opens up, then all of them being driven extinct by a winning design.
posted by clawsoon at 7:55 AM on May 6, 2016


Six Day Race (1937)
"Every meal they eat tons of beefsteak"
(Laced with amphetamine)
posted by DZ-015 at 8:15 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


In 1955: Here's a railroad promotional video, about their cyclist train excursions out of London. It's cycle clubs riding out in the country lanes, with stops at the pub for a pint.

Cyclist's Special Part 1 Mostly loading and riding the train.

Cyclist's Special Part 2
This is the actual riding.
posted by jjj606 at 8:19 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


The penny-farthing cyclists, pedaling as fast as they can, make me think of kids riding Big Wheels. Go faster than you've ever gone! Pedal faster faster faster!
posted by clawsoon at 8:25 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


Well, I entirely enjoyed this post and shall be getting on my own bicycle--which I'm sorry isn't a Penny Farthing--straightaway. Thanks for the delightful inspiration!
posted by kinnakeet at 8:43 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


How timely, i am biking for the first time in 10 years. Thanks for posting!
posted by rebent at 10:19 AM on May 6, 2016


Lovely.

Six-day bicycle races used to be the most popular sport in the USA, before World War II. Racers were the highest-paid professional athletes in the country, perhaps the world, and people turned out by the tens of thousands to watch the events!
posted by entropone at 11:34 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


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