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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Ask a Civilised Cyclist: British Three Speeds, 8 Feb 2012

Yep, another one! Try to guess who "Rapturous in Renton" is.

 And keep those questions coming!

8 comments:

  1. I must say, spelling civilised with an 's' certainly seems very civilised.

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  2. In my 1960s youth in Manchester a 3 speed was considered a bit flash and sporty.


    Most cyclists rode single speeds, mostly Raleigh, but then Manchester is flat.

    However, by the 70s nearly everyone who still rode a bike had multiple gears, but everyday cycling had gone into a steep decline.

    I've got 8 modern bikes with between 21 and 30 gears, but for riding around my local bit of Manchester area I have a single speed Raleigh from the mid 60s.

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    Replies
    1. Kids these days will want to play around with their complicated little watchworks gadgets. Give 'em time and some of them will get over it.

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  3. Those Raleighs hit the sweet spot, I must say. My Tourist gets more miles than all my others combined (despite those pesky rod brakes!) If only we could get some company to build alloy westwood rims . . .

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  4. Dr. C- Indeed. And congrats on the impending move to Chester. If you need to "get rid of some bikes" because you won't have the room in your new digs, feel free to ship 'em to me.

    Pete- Cool. For me, the best aspects of the "British Three Speeds", as they are colloquially known over here, are not necessarily the three speeds but the other things. It's also rare to see single-speed British bikes of that era in the US, though I've come across a few single-speed Triumphs.

    LuckyChow99- Indeed! Maybe Sun Rims would be down?

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  5. I'll own one someday,sigh. Loving the toons more and more,my friend :)

    The Disabled Cyclist

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  6. @Adventure!

    It is my hope that my new digs will have room for even more bikes and bike-related paraphernalia. I'd love to do a Moulton restoration for example. I'll have to find the 'right' kind of bike shop there too

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