TE Lawrence – born on this day in 1888.
“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.”
I want to ride my bicycle- This 1903 Triumph safety bike has such an elegant shape. With a sinuous open frame to allow women to pedal in their skirts. These old human powered machines just look so perfect in their functional purpose. The advert to the left is a mid-Century model promoting the bike as a form of exercise; though the dropped cross bar seems a tad dated.
And it’s goodnight from him – Ronnie Barker is captain of this endless tandem passengers by other bowler hatted riders as well as Blue Peter favorites John Noakes and Lesley Judd. The front end is definitely motorcycle rated and the structural truss frame very engineered. This was October 5th 1972. The Vigintipede (21) was used by Littlehampton Rotary Club to raise money for the RNLI and the Blue Peter lifeboat.
I read the news today oh boy – alas another day of infamy. December 8th 1980. John Lennon was shot dead and the world lost a force of creation. He was a complex chap, possibly hypocritical on his stance of world peace versus his personal life, but, either solo or with Paul, could write a damn good tune.
The Grand Hotel – back from a weeks much needed vacation touring Michigan. We spend a night at the much lauded establishment on Mackinac Island, where only hotlrses and bicycles are used for transport. I spied this vintage Coca Cola delivery bike in the the foyer in red paint and shiny bell.
Oh, and the roads in Michigan are wonderful, I now need to plan a motorcycle trip there someday…
The Rebel Yell! We had a day trip to Milwaukee today, where the Museum of Art has been reorganized with a new layout for their modern collection. I spied this cracking bicycle devised by Wisconsin industrial designer Brook Stevens. A basic trailing arm front suspension, double rear wheel caliper brakes, stick gear shifter, comfy banana seat, and a noodle of a shape to the handlebars.
Some form of two wheeled transport is always wished for at Christmas. If I was a young ‘un back in the early sixties I want one of these. Red Triumph Thunderbird inspired pedal motorbike. I bet many a motorcyclist started out like this! Pillion capabilities too.
This one was sold recently on EBay for $175.
One of my old trusty fixed gear bikes.. Now long gone after an abrupt meeting with a car door. It was a steel framed Schwinn and 27″ wheels the rear being a flip flop fixed gear on one side and freewheel the other. Great for nipping around the City and up and down the Lakefront.
Maureen O’Hara who passed away yesterday was a feisty and beautiful Irish actress who met the leading men of the day as their equal. Here she played Mary Kate Danaher who was John Wayne’s love interest in what was my granda’s favorite film. One of the best scenes is when the Duke’s character ex boxer Sean Thornton has an epic fistfight with Mary Kate’s crabby brother.
Old bicycles have beautiful features that hark to the craftsmanship that went into these popular modes of transport. The chairing where the pedals attach typically have the name or logo of the maker. Here’s Triumph.
Look at that rod operated rear brake and the rubber tread pedals.
Martin Luther King Jr. Would have been 86 today. He gave a heartbeat, voice, and power to the unqual citizens. Promoting human rights to a minority. He has a dream that lives on.
This cycling image shows the humility of the man.
December 8th is Jim Morrison’s birthday, but more poignantly was the date John Lennon was shot in New York City 34 years ago.
He was of course a great bicycle rider. From Liverpool to NYC…
“As a kid, I had a dream – I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bicycle, I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe in the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bikes in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed.”
He could make you laugh so hard you’d cry; he could make you cry hard too. From off-planet Mork, to on-air hell-raisin Vietnam DJ Cronauer , influential teacher Keating at a stiff prep school in Dead Poets Society, a dogged doctor in Awakenings; his ragged professor of Good Will Hunting a true zenith of roles. And more. Stand-up to the heights of a frenetic manic colossus. He rode and collected bicycles too.
“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead…”
Walt Whitman
My Pa dug out this old snap of me on my chopper bicycle. Not your common or garden Raleigh but an esoteric 5-Speed big chunk of a ride. Before I got my racer this was the mode of transport around Wooler. My trouser leg is tucked into my sock – Classic!
Once the largest motorcycle manufacturer in France Motobécane was crucial to Gallic all two-wheeled transport for over half a century. Literally “motorized” “bike” its logo is quite striking with the capital “M” and facing Mercurial or Hermes heads. I saw this on a locked up bicycle today and had to capture as part of my ongoing collection of M’s (my wife’s name begins in this strong symmetrical letter).
geordiebiker.com 