Race transportation sixties style

Here's how you went racing on a budget back in the day. The motorcycle is a Panther, the cycle I couldn't say, fairly easy to recognise those Mafac brakes though.

Strange how we indulge in a hobby that should have impeccable environmentally friendly credentials but often put our cycles in the car to transport them to somewhere we want to ride. The rise of mountain bike parks has made this even more commonplace with folks driving perhaps for more than an hour just in order to have a cycle ride. 

Royal Enfield Advertising Proof 1913

Another Royal Enfield advertising proof. This one from the British Trade Journal in 1913.

1913 Royal Enfield bicycle advert.

Rudge Bicycles 1958 brochure

Here's the Rudge full range brochure for 1958. A lovely piece of advertising art.

1958 Rudge brochure front cover.

1958 Rudge brochure page 2.

1958 Rudge brochure page 3.

1958 Rudge brochure page 4.

1958 Rudge brochure page 5.

1958 Rudge brochure page 6.

1958 Rudge brochure page 7.

1958 Rudge brochure page 8.

1958 Rudge brochure page 9.

1958 Rudge brochure page 10.

1958 Rudge brochure page11.

1958 Rudge brochure page 12.

1958 Rudge brochure page13.

1958 Rudge brochure page14.

1958 Rudge brochure rear cover.

1958 Rudge price list.

Sturmey Archer brochure insert.

GB Sport brake set

The regular fleabay trawl has turned up a nice period set of GB brakes for the Sun Manxman project. The calipers are 'Sport' and the levers are 'Arret' models. The set is ideal for the Manxman, correct period, quality, functional and long reach. A curiosity about the levers is that instead of the usual small circular GB logo they have an image of a Lincoln Imp. I wonder if these levers were originally from an Elswick Lincoln Imp? The logo is identical, if anyone out there knows please comment.

Purely coincidentally the last project completed in the shed was an Elswick Lincoln Imp.

GB Sport front brake on Sun Manxman.

GB Arret brake lever with Lincoln Imp logo.

Compare with the Elswick Lincoln Imp logo. Identical?

'Mothers Behind'

Since the pioneer years of cycling the pursuit has inspired bawdy comedy. Here's a postcard from the immediate post WW2 years. This one hasn't particularly stood the test of time though one questions if it was ever laugh out loud funny. Whatever the case it's an intersting little snippet of social history.

The reverse of the card carries a ditty to inspire postwar austerity: 

'Keep saving for a rainy day'.

We saved to win the war,

Our efforts must not cease;

By saving more and more,

We'll surely win the peace!

'Humour' from back in the day.

Vintage club runs in the Highlands

A small selection of photos taken from a Scottish cycling club album. The pictures are all taken in Perth and Kinross area. Some truly tough riding. Cycling was for hard men back in those days! I've captioned the images with the annotation written on the back of each photo. 

Shiehallion 27/1/52

Amulree 1950

Loch Earn 3/2/52

Shiehallion 27/1/52

Villiers Freewheels Brochure 1927

Here's the brochure for Villiers freewheels from, I am guessing, 1927 - the brochure states that the freewheels had been in production for 25 years and Villiers started making them in about 1902.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 1.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 2.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 3.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 4.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 5.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 6.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 7.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927 page 8.