On yer bike!

[jamespowers]

Hey, my Dad has a BSA Bantam and a James Captain too.

B
T

Very good. I didn't think anyone was going to notice that my reference was to a motorcycle.
Your father has a very versatile motorcycle there. There are parts out there that can really make it a fast runner. I have four in various states of running.
I just figured we needed another type of BSA mentioned.

Regards,

J

[Mike1973]

Only kidding! My wife has a BSA M20 sitting under my bicycle rack in the garage

Salv, be interested to see your Coppi copy, sounds spot on!

[Salv]

As worn by Il Campionissimo




Now all I need is this bike and I'll be set:

[Mike1973]

and in pink...



http://store.bianchiusa.com/product....cat=288&page=1

A snip at $160 dollars

Better keep saving!

[fortworthgal]

Fortworthgal, the saddle is definately a Brooks, you'd be hard pushed to find a classic british lightweight with anything else! 90% sure the saddle bag is a Brooks...
My BSA just sports an old Great War army haversack, with loops added to fit to the saddle. Looking through post war cycle mags it's amazing the amount of adverts selling off army surplus for the camping/touring market - lamps, tents, even dyed battledress!

Excellent!

Here's my Raleigh with the Brooks saddle & bag combo:

[Salv]

and in pink...

...

http://store.bianchiusa.com/product....cat=288&page=1

A snip at $160 dollars

Better keep saving!

Oooohhhhhhh, want one!

[Mike1973]

That looks like fun! Is there a large community of vintage bicyclists there? Do any of the collectors ride bikes that are passed down within the family or are they more recently purchased?

The Veteren Cycle Club is one of several vintage bicycle clubs in the UK. My local group is the Hampshire Lightweight Section, who do one or more rides a month, usually about 30ish miles. A lot of members are a fair bit older than me, and usually ride the bikes the hankered after in their youth in the '50'S and '60's, but could never afford then! I'm always suprised when fellas old enough to be my grandad leave me for dust!

It's good to get on the road with people who appriciate vintage cycles. Me and David are trying to push the lycra brigade into wearing garb more sympathetic to the age of their machine though. We get a fair bit of stick for wearing plus fours, which we don't mind at all, but coming from older gentlemen, with more 'relaxed' figures than their youth, wearing skin tight lycra Now come on, who do you think looks more silly

[Sefton]

Mike 1973 wrote: "coming from older gentlemen, with more 'relaxed' figures than their youth..."
That's a very kind way of phrasing it!

[Salv]

The Veteren Cycle Club is one of several vintage bicycle clubs in the UK. My local group is the Hampshire Lightweight Section, who do one or more rides a month, usually about 30ish miles. A lot of members are a fair bit older than me, and usually ride the bikes the hankered after in their youth in the '50'S and '60's, but could never afford then! I'm always suprised when fellas old enough to be my grandad leave me for dust!

...

I rewatched the London-Holyhead video I mentioned earlier, and I'd forgotten that the tape also includes two 1950s British documentaries, one a round up of the 1952 racing season which also features a meet by a veteran cycling group at Hampton Court. It showed various octogenarian gentlemen and ladies arriving at the meet on their 1920s and '30s machines, some of the members having ridden down from Birmingham.

The documentary also covers the '52 Tour de France, which Coppi won in fantastic style. If you've ever seen Belleville Rendez-vous you'll see exactly where the film makers got the inspiration for Champion.

[feltfan]

As a fan of vintage bicycles and espresso machines,
I wear this jersey:

http://www.vintagevelos.com/jer-faema1.html

Nice wool, nice construction.