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MG Midget and Sprite General - British Bike Question; No Spridget Content

I was just wondering whether bicycles in Britain have the rear brake lever on the left. I am assuming that your hands signals are opposite of ours, therefore being done with the right hand. Presumably the right shifter still controls the rear derailleur? ISTR the older Brazilian bikes (based on British bikes, thank goodness) with the horrible mechanical linkage brakes that rattled from Day 1 having the rear brake on the left. The only way we had of "fixing" this was to convert them to cable-actuated brakes (courtesy of parts from the 20" models). It got rid of most of the rattles, too.
David "wandering mind while riding" Lieb
David Lieb

"I was just wondering whether bicycles in Britain have the rear brake lever on the left"

Mine does.

"I am assuming that your hands signals are opposite of ours......."

I always put my left hand out when turning right, just to brighten up everyone's day!!

Ian
I Ball

David

You are correct in your assumptions.

Is the rear brake on the right in the US?

Here's another of my resto projects - 1973 Carlton Cobra - like I don't have enough to do!

Dave O'Neill 2

mine was like that, but I changed it round so I could manage the downhill (ish) right hand turn while actually stopping...
Rob Armstrong

Dave. Ooooh that's nice. I used to have a thing called a Saxon Twin when I was a kid. The down tube was split half way down so that the rear wheel could come more forward. It was made from Reynolds 531 tubing and had a lugless frame, GB brakes, 27inch alloys, tubless tyres and skinny Claude Butler front forks. I can't believe that I gave it away to my cousin. My mate, who is in ardent collector has got one now, but won't sell it as they are like hen's teeth nowadays. Sorry, no pictures. Happy days.

Bernie.
b higginson

Bikes sold in the US must have the front brake on the left side by federal requirements. I would think that you would want the front brake, which does most of the stopping, operated by your dominant hand. At least that's the way I have mine which is on the left since I am left handed. On a normal ride I don't even touch the rear brake. It only comes into service on long, fast downhills to scrub off speed and in panic stops.

Below is a 1950s Schwinn that I restored for my wife. That's why the seat is so far forward. It's got a long wheelbase and she's all of 5 foot tall. The bike has a springer front suspension, hand brakes, Sturmey Archer three speed hub and a front wheel dynamo. Since the picture was taken, I've replaced the rims with more period appropriate wider ones with matching tires.

Dave,

Your Carlton shouldn't take you more than a day to get back on the rode. ;-) Should be a nice ride.

Martin Washington

Dave,
I have a Carlton very similar to that. Only it needs more restoration! Chrome forks, very "lively" frame.

Guy
Guy

My bike is the only modern mode of transport..

9 speed alfine hub
hydraulic disk brakes
and maintained by the bike shop!

After 3 oldtimers and a house from 1910 I wanted something I never had to do anything to ;P

Dutch brand front brake left.
I use the rear more and the front only for emergency braking (with the disks you stop in a second!)

Onno Könemann

Front brake on righthand side, thats the one you are continually feathering to bleed off speed when required and under full braking takes on about 80% of the stopping duty.

As an aside, any body have any recommendations for the best way of transporting a bike around on the back of a sprite?

Mark
M Adams

I always put the rear wheel in the passenger seat front hanging over and tied to the rollbar.
Onno Könemann

Onno

What happens when the heavens open?

Mark
M Adams

drive faster
Rob Armstrong

Rob has the answer
Onno Könemann

A good point well made, but a nasty legal point concerning red lights etc may just get in the way of that otherwise excellent tecnique.
M Adams

Why then you just get a bit wet.
Onno Könemann

Mark

You could always fit a towbar and then use a towbar mounted cycle carrier.
I've just been trial fitting my Thule carrier tonight, but it fouls the lighting socket, so a new bracket will be required. :o(
Dave O'Neill 2

Guy

The Cobra frame was all chrome plated.

I've had mine from new, but it was only really used for about six years, although it did cover a lot of miles in that time.

An interesting Carlton website...

http://spokessmann.tripod.com/id11.html
Dave O'Neill 2

Yes, the standard here is to have the rear brake on the right where it can be used to good effect whilst signalling your intentions with the left. While it is true that most of the braking in a car is done by the front, the same is not necessarily true on a bicycle, where this would tend to result in a loss of control and a reluctance on the part of the bike to maintain a level keel. If you are going to be operating only one brake, it is far safer that it be the rear brake, not the front.

Hand signals here are performed with the left hand, as that is the one towards traffic as well as the one by a window when driving a normal LHD car. It has recently become legally acceptable to signal a right turn with the right hand, however, probably because few people have any idea what an actual right turn signal means. When I signal on my bike, most people get this look of "I know that is supposed to mean something, but I am not sure quite what". OTOH, most first-generation drivers (especially Koreans and Russians) just have a totally blank look on their faces, completely unable to fathom why on earth I would be taking my hand off the the bars. Scary.

Here is a picture of my latest project, a KHS Special from, I believe, the mid 80's. I had to replace the original Campy Rally rear derailleur due to a stripped fixing bolt. Chromemolly frame, Campy high-flange hubs, etc. Just received the Lizardskins bar tape for it, so I should be done soon.
David "pedaling fool" Lieb

David Lieb

Good looking bike hope you enjoy putting the miles in on it.

Have to disagree about brakes. Not sure if it is still true but it use to be the law that a bike had to have a front brake, rear was optional. If you take a look at London cycle couriers (nutters to a man) they often ride with single front brake and fixed wheel set up to give a minimum amount of things to maintain or have to fix but still feel good about what they ride.

Front brake does do more, under heavey braking the weight transfer of rider from back to front makes the rear much more prone to lock the wheel. You can brake more heavily with the front and regain much more control.

Mark put me back on the bloody bike Adams
M Adams

I tend to catapult through the car in fronts rear window (minus my bike!) when I slam on the front brake in an emergency! ;-)

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

Have you seen the prototype bike glove with LED signals. When you signal left, a left arrow flashes on the back of the glove. When signaling right, a right arrow flashes. Pretty simple, but one of those. , "Why didn't I think of that?" inventions.
Trevor Jessie

Trevor,
That could be useful when riding at night! As it is, I tend to point my helmet-mounted headlight at my signaling hand in an attempt to make it more visible. I have thought about using one of those flashing wand things, but have not found one that seems usable.

Mark,
Yep, looking forward to racking up some miles on this one. Just topped 2000 miles for the year yesterday.
On a bike, since YOU are a very high percentage of the weight, you have a lot more control over the weight transfer than you would in a car. The reason those couriers only have a front brake is that they do a lot of the braking in the rear with the fixed gear. They would have no front brake if the law permitted, since a "real track bike" has no brakes. We aren't the only foolish people around... My tandems have three brakes (rear hub drum brake as well as the usuals); my braking limits tend to be my tires.

There is something about cycling that I like. It is as close to human-powered flight as I will ever get (no hang-gliders for acrophobic me), and it is so efficient. No, it doesn't really save me any money to commute to work by bike, cause I spend far more to fix up my bikes. Now if I could simply eliminate all my cars... nope, not ready to lose the Spridgets quite yet.
David "
David Lieb

you can get lights, like an ordinary bike light, that also have indicators built into them. you wire up a little indicator button to your handle bars and when pressed this thing flashes like a car. Simples! ;-)

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

"you can get lights, like an ordinary bike light, that also have indicators built into them"

True, but then you must move them to which ever bike you are riding... and it is extra weight.
Trevor Jessie

you clearly take your cycling more seriously than me Trevor! My main concern about them was the embarassment of having some flashy LEDs on the back of your bike making it look like a christmas tree!

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

What an interesting NMC thread! I wonder where the Carlton name comes from. I have a "real" Raleigh (made in England) Carlton, circa about 1965 that I got when working part time at a bike shop when much younger. I usually took my pay in upgraded parts. I rode it all over and have great memories of those days, hence the reason I still have it, although haven't been on it in a while. Back then, the standard touring bikes had 27" tires and my tubular tires are pretty rotten. A few years ago, I thought about getting it road ready and inquired about tires and 27" seem to be out now, replaced by 700mm, I think, which would require new rims and lots more money. BTW, it has a fancy lugged frame, and the fork lugs look very similar to the pictures on the Spokesmann's website and it has the same roundish blue and red Carlton decal on each side of the fork. That's what made me wonder about the Carlton name/emblem.
Jack Orkin

David,

Finished my wifes 1971 Raleigh LTD-3 last weekend with the help of Sheldon Brown's web page. Rides very well, rear brake on right.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/english-3.html

Jack,

My 1971 Raleigh road bike also has the 27" wheels and tyres, so I have been looking for a suitable 3-speed replacement. Classic Raleigh Superbe, perhaps?

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/hybrid/2011-steel-hybrid/superbe-roadster-11/

Regards,

Larry C.

Larry C '69 Midget

Motorcycles, automobiles and mountain bikes all use the front brake for most of the braking action, due to the weight transfer allowing more energy to be controlled by the fronts, compared with the rears.


But bicycles have a very high center of gravity, so the mountain biking technique during this hard braking is accompanied by a shift of the rider's body as far rearward (and down) as their arms will allow (well rear of the post), and as far as the butt clearance to the rear tire will permit. Doing this, one can safely brake, hard, even while going downhill. If the front starts to lock up, it is modulated with the rear a little bit to get the best possible balance, in as short a time as possible.

My guess is that the road bike folks who feel that their front brake is too touchy, or too dangerous to use for a panic stop have not learned that weight transfer technique?

As a kid, I remember skidding to a stop (and loving the effect), on the rear brake only. But, since then, learning how to do this for mountain biking, realizing that the front brake can get the job done faster, and safer (as long as the body weight is shifted).

Or, maybe this is a sort of an "understeer/oversteer" thing? Understeer is inherently safer because the driver can make some adjustments naturally, so that maybe an overuse of the rear brake, which has more leeway for "things turning out badly", in the case of ordinary speed control, is more acceptable? The braking distance is going to be longer when only the rear is used, but bikes don't go very fast, so that is not much of a concern, compared to motorized vehicles?


Norm
Norm Kerr

Being partial to a spot of cycling myself, I would like to ask a question to see what people think would be the best option.
I have a Raleigh Carlton Corsair which I bought new in about 1984, I have covered many miles on it. Sadly 2 years ago I had an accident on it, the front forks are probably beyond saving, but the frame has a slight kink where the head tube joins the sloping down tube (sorry couldn't think of a better may of describing it)
Question is, is it worth trying to get it repaired and find some new front forks or should I just hand it over to the scrap man next time he's around. Do you think there would be much value in trying to sell the remaining components ? all original.

Thanks
Alan
A Pritchett

Jack. IIRC. Carlton was an independant company which got bought out by Raleigh prior to the date you mention, then Raleigh its self was taken over I think by the Japanese.(Raleighs used to be made in Nottingham, and if anyone has seen the film "Saturday night and Sunday morning", it opens with the main character, played by Albert Finney, making front wheel spindles in the Raleigh factory.)
Britain had lots of independants in the first half of the last century like Humber and Rudge many of which turned to making cars and motor cycles. Does anyone remember a bike called the "Lincoln Imp" and who made it? I can't remember.

Bernie.
b higginson

Nice LTD, Larry! I saw an old 3-speed Phillips chained to a lightpost last week. I must confess that I did contemplate just how easy it would be to unlock that wimpy combination...

Those little signal lights are cute, but I have yet to see one that a driver from an appropriate distance would be able to discern whether you are signaling right or left. The arrows are just too small and too close together. In the winter I use a reflective glove along with a reflective coat and drivers have no trouble knowing that I am signalling something or another ;-)

Yeah, finding decent 27" tires is a lot like finding good Spridget tires. If you want real choices, you have to go to 700. That said, I do have two bikes with 700 rims, they just aren't my favorites. Something about an old English Raleigh just feels right to me. That said, Alan, I hate to say it but the junkman is probably the only one interested, although it wouldn't hurt to peruse fleabay, etc for a similar model with a good frame to transfer your components onto. That is effectively what I did this spring when I broke the headtube on my old Grand Prix... re-painted the fork to match (kinda) the Raleigh Super Course MkII frame I had which had gotten run over (yes, the rider was ok) and gotten the fork, crankarms, and front wheel bent. Made one good bike out of the two and it has become my default bicycle now, despite not being even close to the lightest.

Too much dependence on the front brake can break your bike, like the fractured head tube I suffered on my Raleigh Grand Prix. At any rate, I am at a loss for factors beyond aggressive use of the front brake and excessive Chicagoland potholes to blame it on. Of course I use my front brake, but it gets feathered whilst the rear brake gets clamped. Front brakes by themselves can get you into a world of hurt in a hurry. My brother refused to have them on his bike after a panic stop in which the rear brakes broke and the front brakes proceeded to launch him into a barbed-wire fence.

Back in 1982 or so, I looked at my bike and told myself that there wasn't a whole lot more they could do to improve the technology. Now I just wish I could take a Trek Madone back to 1982!
David "back to the bike" Lieb
David Lieb

Alan

With a kinked frame and fubar forks i think the safest bet is to get rid soon as. Try looking at ribble cycles website they usually have some good deals on framesets, not hugeley trendy make but the quality is pretty good. Then you could move over a fair amount of your components.

David

Hats off to the 2k in a year, I like cycling but have only managed about 600 so far this year. Feel that i should bow to more experience but will stubbornly continue to use my front brake more than the rear.

Mark have'nt hit anything yet Adams
M Adams

Mark,
Whatever the rights and wrongs I have always favoured the front brake, except that is on wet/ muddy roads, white lines, manhole covers . . . ..!
But on a dry road I just feel that I have more control with front wheel braking. Of course I use the rear brake too but more gently I think. It may of course be an illusion, but it still feels right to me! For years I used to ride a fixed wheel which was fun and certainly got you fit. But that was when I lived in the south and there with fewer hills, and I was a lot younger and a lot fitter!

Sadly I don't ride anything like enough now and have dropped off the fitness habit so that every occasional ride is now just slow hard work. :-(

Guy
Guy

Alan,

You could see if a local cycle maker, if you have any still, could repair it. Some years ago I had Argos Racing cycles in Bristol replace the top tube and down tube on a frame I got from a mate in Wichita Ks USA, I lived there at the time, and they did a nice job. He hadn't been paying attention and cycled into the back of a pick-up and ended up in the bed of the truck. It was a decent frame and fixing it was worthwhile for me. With everything being more expensive these days, especially labour, you would have to get a quote on the cost of repair to see if it was worthwhile.

I also bought an off the shelf replacement front fork as a standard item for that frame, I later made 2 replacement forks myself, not because I bent the previous ones rather because I wanted to. Not a difficult job if you're confident at brazing and can make some simple jigs.
David Billington

Wife and I ride a big bad tandem almost every day,
and we kick it up pretty fast.

Front brake is on the right.

But I mostly temper our speed with the rear
brake (quieter) and hit the front only when
needed.
chuckc

Guy

Believe me there are hills a plenty in Kent. Lots of slow hard work.

Mark
M Adams

I know very little about bikes, but I did coincidentaly see a 'Carlton' race/road bike tied to a lamppost on my walk home from work today. Very spooky! ha ha

Malcolm
M Le Chevalier

I used to dream of Campagnolo as a teenager! Could never even consider affording it. Finally achieved my ambition of a 531 tubed frame though!
Matt1275Bucks

A friend of mine when working in Ghana had an Allard J2 as a company car(yes,really!)and being an ex- British Colony they drive on the left.When turning left,topless,he just used his right arm over his head to signal.The locals on bikes soon adopted this system as well and it continued for years.
A.G Peters

I'm reactivating this thread as I was looking through some old family photos tonight and found one of my Father with his 'cycle, probably early 1940s.

It would appear that the front brake is on the left. Could this bike have been imported to Ireland from somewhere other than UK?

Any old bike experts recognise it?

It looks very sporty for the time...and sharp suit!

Dave O'Neill 2

Interesting bike. I like the bell on the handle bars.

I have an Italian bike from about 1963 which has the same style wing nuts holding the wheels on. Very convenient for changing a wheel but not as expensive as a quick release. The brand is a Nova from Torino (Turin). Ten speed with Simplex derailuers (sp) and Balilla brakes, I believe.
Martin Washington

Dave,

Just a thought, but the handlebars look reversed from standard (north road style), when turned the other way around would be correct for UK. Front brake on the right?

Forks look to be Raleigh/Three Spires, perhaps?

Work continues on my fathers 1955 Hercules Royal Prince with "Her-cu-matic" 3-speed.

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

This is a great thread, I'm glad it was revived.
I got an old bike for my wife for her birthday, it's a 'Norman of England' single speed and seems to be from the early 60's.

It needs some restoration, however it is all there and seems original and I want to be careful about how I restore it just in case I might ruin something important by going ahead when I shouldn't.

What's a good set of rules to go by? I want to remove little rust speckles from the rims and of course leave the originality intact as much as possible.
It has a leather seat that's split across, I don't know if it was sewn and the thread is gone but it appears to have been made that way.
The seat was removed and replaced with a more modern version for my wife to ride in comfort.
I've put the original seat up on a shelf for now.

Should I just clean up the old paint, maybe apply some wax and buff it a bit? Part of it's charm is the old paint.

What's a good product to use in cleaning off the rust speckles from the rims? Just chrome cleaner and some steel wool?

If anyone's interested I will post a couple pictures.
Rick Bastedo

Rick,

I use Bronze/Brass wool to clean chrome. Paint store, or Ebay for a source.

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

Thanks Larry, I was thinking the same.
Any recommendations for a product to apply that will help shine it up and protect it?
Rick Bastedo

Larry -

I have a 1958 Hercules Royal Prince - my Christmas present that year. This was about the first machine I took apart and successfully reassembled! I rode this bike for my Bicycling Merit Badge on a 50 mile overnight camping trip, quite a ride in 1962 on an over 40lb bike with tent and gear. Have you found a source for parts? I need a bottom bracket spindle and bearings, and some other bits.

I also have an Armstrong, probably early '70s vintage, which I am fitting with sealed bearing cotterless crank, alloy rims and front hub, and other updates.

My usable bikes are my '79 Raleigh Competition, '85 Ciocc Special, and a cheap Bianci I picked up at a flea market.

I need to make more time to ride......

- Bill
Bill Gavin

"What's a good product to use in cleaning off the rust speckles from the rims? Just chrome cleaner and some steel wool?"

Use no abrasives of any sort! NO "wool", no "chrome cleaner", no metal polish.
I've used nothing but WD40 and a soft rag to clean up lots of British chrome with superb results. I have a Norton Commando that had no visible chrome when we found it, after 15 years in a damp basement; I was going to sand the pipes and mufflers and paint them black. Soaked in WD40 for a couple of weeks then gently rubbed with a shop rag. Repeat until all the rust is gone. Wound up with practically new looking chrome with a few places where rust pits had eaten too far on one muffler. The only chrome on the bike that did not clean up perfectly was the rear rim, a poorly plated replacement. Rode it two hundred miles through pouring rain to a big show and got 2nd behind a newly restored trailer queen. That was twenty years ago, and it still looks the same. I clean it the same way, the WD gets into any micropits and prevents more rust. And I've cleaned up lots of cars with similar results.

FRM


FR Millmore

Thanks for the tip. My '73 Carlton Cobra has a chrome-plated frame and it has suffered from being laid up for over 30 years.

I'll try some WD on it.
Dave O'Neill 2

Bill,

No source for Hercules parts except e-Bay/Craigslist. I have been looking for a spare bicycle to use as a donor. Perhaps someone in the UK can offer a lead for (pre-Nottingham) Hercules parts?

FRM,

Thanks for the WD-40 tip. Back in the 1960's, I rode a BSA B-33 for about 20 years, did you purchase your Commando new?

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

Bill,
I thought most of the old bottom bracket spindles were similar - later some longer for twin chainsets - all held on by cotter pins (taper wedges).

I may have some in the shed if you could sketch what you need.

R.

richard boobier

Before WD-40 came on to the market there was a product called MTW (makes things work)

Anyone remember this? and was it WD-40 under a different name?

Dave
D MATTHEWS

Down on the bottom of the planet here the front brake is on the right
I'm a single speed mountain bike fan
My ride to work each day is on a Giant Youcon single speed - good fun - 17 teeth on the back and 52 chainring for the road -40 for the bush
The guys have got a saying here -
One gear more beer
Bill's Hercules at 40lb compares well with my son's road race bike at 7 1/2 kg - a slight difference in weight there thanks to the dreaded carbon fibre
Willy
William Revit

Dave's father's bike's handlebars look more like "mustache bars" to me rather than simply reversed bars. In any event, removing the handlebars would have necessitated removing at least one of the brake levers, so I have to believe their placement reflected personal preference.

Willy,
Somehow, even to one living in the flatness of the state of Illinois, the concept of a "single speed mountain bike" seems a bit odd. I rode in the Apple Cider Century last weekend in lower Michigan, and there was only one bike I saw (out of 6000 registrants) that was a single speed (not a fixie, however). Mind you, she passed me twice... "Rolling hills" were a feature of the event.
David "27 gears on the Specialized Tricross Sport I rode to work in the flatlands today, but I only used half a dozen of them" Lieb
David Lieb

David
There are quite a few single speeders here (bit of a hero/cult thing) Most guys run 2-1 gearing in the bush
I like mine a bit taller so the 17 teeth, but I think 18 would probably be perfect for me but it is really hard to get 18 tooth sprockets as all of the cassettes I've checked out run uneven nos. after 16t
Great fun coast downhill, pedal hard along the flat and go as hard as you can uphill,it's surprising how steep a hill you can conquer once you get used to not looking for a gear. There's a bit of on the shoulder work in really steep stuff but when it's like that you can carry your bike as fast if not faster than the guys racing up there on there geared bikes - pedaling away at snails pace
Cheers Willy


A pic of my boy's race bike, keeping guard on my Golf just to make sure the paint's safe ha ha

It's a genuine team issue Scott, the frame itself weighs less than one kilo A real nice thing

William Revit

Bill,

Not sure if this is what you're looking for?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-BICYCLE-BOTTOM-BRACKET-HERCULES-CUPS-BRAMPTON-AXLE-/350496462390?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item519b379636

Willy,

Your son has a very nice bicycle, can you post a photo of your bike?

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

Larry
Will do, but disgustingly filthy at the moment, I'll give the thing a tub tomorrow and get a couple of pics.
It has been fairly used and abused so don't expect anything special. --- Willy
William Revit

Here we go
I had forgotten how nice it is to ride a clean-ish bike
This is how it is for riding round town. there are a different set of tyres for the bush Cheers Willy

William Revit

The other end

William Revit

hub

William Revit

Not quite sure I understand the rationale behind removing cogs from a cassette and calling it a single speed. Kinda like buying a five-speed box for your Spridget and blocking out first gear. At least pull the rear derailleur off!
David "just pulling your chain" Lieb
David Lieb

Willy,

Thanks for posting the photo's. I will need to visit my local bicycle shop to have a closer look. I've been away from bicycles for about twenty five years, and amazed at the progress especially the brakes.

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

David,

If you look closely at the chain ring you will notice that there are actually two. That's why the derailleur. So technically it's a two speed but as Willy says "52 chain ring for the road -40 for the bush" which means he doesn't change gears except when changing terrain.

Martin "pulling back"
Martin Washington

I guess my eyes aren't as good as yours, Martin. I looked for the second ring and didn't see it. That is a good reason to retain the rear derailleur/chain tensioner.

Larry, All the trick parts I lusted over 30 years ago are now quaint curiosities and wall art. I was thrilled with my Suntour Ultra6 13-32 freewheel, now cassettes have taken over and it is hard to find a decent freewheel. The trick stuff now has 11 cogs on the cassette! Of course they break more chains now... Somehow, I still love the feel of an old Raleigh, however.
David "over 3000 bicycle miles in 2011" Lieb
David Lieb

Spot on guys
Two chainrings on the front and a modified derailleur just as a tensioner to keep the slack in the chain under control.
The reason we use cassette type freehubs with all except one sprocket replaced by spacers is that it is easy to replace the sprocket when it's gone or to change to a different tooth count
Also the frame is built for the wider cassette type hub so you are stuck with it really
Larry
It really amazes me the changes in bike stuff
Things like hydraulic disc brakes on mountain bikes
And some of the road bike stuff is unbelievable, some of the riders that my youngbloke races against have the latest remote electric derailiers - battery powered no wires, just clickers on the bars and the derailier motors it's way in and out , they look like half the thing is missing but they seem to work great
Cheers Willy
William Revit

I might have the terminology wrong

when I was in a cycling club in the early 80s (we couldn't afford a car for 6 years, violins) a couple in the club had bikes with fixed rear wheels (that meant there was no free-wheeling) those must have been hard work
Nigel At

While in the U.S. Air Force late 1960's my wife and I lived on post, and I rode my bicycle to work every day that weather permitted. What was interesting at our last assignment were the restrictions. Between our housing, and my place of work were the senior officer/enlisted quarters (very nice single homes). We were told we were not allowed to drive, or ride our bicycles through this area! No problem, I would take the perimeter road past the golf course, and lake on my 3-speed Raleigh. Much more pleasant anyway.

Regards,

Larry C.

Larry C '69 Midget

Nigel,
Those are variously known as track bikes or fixed gear ("fixies" for short) bikes. Originally developed for racing on velodrome tracks, they were built to have nothing extra at all. In their purest form, they have no brakes, either. Back in the 1940s my father had one of these. His went so far as to have only every other tooth on the cog. Once he told me about the poor quality tires which were all they could get during WWII; so bad that he wore out a brand new tire going down one hill!
These bikes are currently popular in Chicago.
David "never had a chance to ride one" Lieb
David Lieb

David,
you've put me on the right track of thought (ignore the pun)

I remember now, and it's probably the 40 years and other side of the pond differences, they were called fixed-wheel

the lads in our local CTC (Cycling Tourist Club) used theirs on the road rather than track

our local CTC was ressurected at that time by a chap just a few years older than me that moved to work at the same place as me and sort my interest as I biked everywhere including to work

luckily he also shared our (the 'wife' and I) other interest of real ale so most tours stopped at a real ale pub before the return journey

we usually done 30-50 or so miles round trip as a Sunday touring ride with all ages, these lads on the fixed wheel bikes when they were with us would carry on from the pub for another 60 miles at least

arh, but the "twiddlers"(?) wise old birds

we now travel in the Spridget and often make it to two pubs :)
Nigel At

Some of the bikeriders around here use singlespeed fixies for training - they are the best thing going to build your legs up Willy
William Revit

fine on flat roads not so much fun up and down steep hills
Nigel At

This thread was discussed between 17/08/2011 and 09/10/2011

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