Norris Lockley wrote
Among the riders in my own club, we tended to have a well-balanced do-everything road frame with a wheel base of 41.5/42", 73/71 or 73/72 angles, drop-outs with mudguard-eyes..even a lamp boss on the front fork. On such frames we did everything, Sunday club runs, mid-week training rides, cycle tours and holidays. etc ,etc.
Just a point of interest I was one of those riders who could only afford one bike in the 1950's. It took many months of saving on my apprentice wages to equip my choice of frame finally being a short wheelbase Hills Special for the purpose of time trialing and track pursuit season. During the Autumn and Winter months , known as the social season , the weekend club runs continued and any racing done was indoors on rollers set up in the club room. Apart from our club events I used to travel to the Brighton Dome midweek on a dark evening to compete in the various races from sprints to the more prolonged events. I wonder how many folks have experienced riding home afterwards with racing wheels attached for the distance of 17 miles after competing on a set of rollers all evening , it was a hard and painful journey to say the least!.Often it was mostly cold, wet and windy and our home did'nt have the modern facillities to have a bath/shower only wash down after putting the kettle on the stove for hot water. Happy days !!
Norris is not the only contributor who spends too much time down memory lane , I still convince myself it was all worth the effort.!
Doug Smith
North Dorset
UK