At 7:48 PM -0700 8/16/04, Steve Maas wrote:
>The summer is drifting to a close, I haven't had a vacation yet
>(work, work, work: ain't I noble?!) and I'm starting to get an urge
>to do some touring. Maybe the California gold country or, perhaps,
>the Oregon coast.
>
>So, the question arose: has anyone done any touring on vintage
>lightweight bikes? If so, it brings up a number of questions that
>might be fun to discuss:
>
>1. What is the history of touring on older bikes?
Big subject! Lots of folks were doing bicycle touring in the century before last.
For me it started in the late '50s. My first tour was a 4 day trip
from Marblehead Mass to Alfred Maine and back, visiting a Boy Scout
summer camp with my scoutmaster on my old (then new) Elswick Tour
Anglais http://sheldonbrown.org/
My most ambitious tour was in 1966 or maybe 67 from Boston to Montreal on my Moulton Deluxe, with a $15 canvas pup tent and a $15 kapok sleeping bag. Each of these bikes was equipped with a Sturmey-Archer FW 4-speed hub with 3 sprockets. The Moulton had a custom made 72 tooth chainwheel and a 52 tooth granny chainwheel. This was a solo, guerilla-camping adventure.
I also did a fair amount of touring on my second home-built tandem.
http://sheldonbrown.org/
>Did bicycle manufacturers produce products designed for touring, or
>did people just adapt what they had? If the former, what was
>available? If the latter, how?
Very little was available as far as mass-produced, purpose built tourers until the early '80s.
High-end bespoke tourers were available to those who could afford them, but most touring cyclists used modified "sport touring" bikes, a.k.a. "tenspeeds."
However a LOT of touring was done before the '70s bike boom on
English 3 speeds, and even on balloon tire cruisers. American Youth
Hostels was the major organization keeping the flame alive through
the '50s and '60s in the U.S.
>
>2. If you were planning to do a serious tour on a vintage bike, how
>would you outfit it? Is there a particular frame you would use, or
>would you modify (ouch!) one? If so, how? What components?
I'd be inclined toward modern components, especially brakes. I love the ride and versatility of many older French and English frames, but I don't get too misty-eyed over the old parts.
I'd consider a fixed/free flip flop rig for touring in non-mountainous terrain. Can't beat it for reliability. There's always the "24 inch gear" (two feet!) for the tough hills. If I was in a hurry, I'd take a plane or drive.
Sheldon "Last Tour Was Chevreuse To Chartres, 1989" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
http://sheldonbrown.org/
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
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Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
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