That usage was still current even among young britons in the early 90s. "Pushbike" was used partly to distinguish from "motorbike."
For example: --How'd you get here? The tube? Picadilly or Circle line? --No, on my bike. --Really? A pushbike? --Aye. --Right then. Don't supposed you'd be on a motorbike in those shoes, innit.
I really wouldn't say "Aye" because like most Americans I said "yeah" but that was understood fine.
What wasn't understood in Britain was "Hey!" when shouted on the road as an alert. In London I'd yell "Hey!" and the taxi driver cutting me off would just look over wondering why I was yelling about alfalfa. Once I learned to say "Oy!" I got results. Or "Oik!"
Mitch Harris Little Rock Canyon, Utah, USA
On 6/17/08, Doug Smith <douguk2007@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
> An interesting fact arose which concerned the older bicycle owners jargon.
> It was
> the use of the words , "push bike", by all the folk young and old as a natu
> ral way
> to describe anyone owning a bike. A sample or two between folks would have
> been,
> still got your push bike , still ride your push bike to work and your push
> bike need a
> clean the list is endless. When I asked to be reminded why bikes were calle
> d as such
> and could anybody remember where the saying came from. It was concluded tha
> t it
> could have come from the days when a rider would put one foot on a protrudi
> ng step
> on the rear axle and push with the other when they gathered speed they moun
> ted
> their machine from the rear.
>
> So now you good folks far and wide are wiser to fact are no doubt the owner
> of a
> push bike like in the days gone by. It would interesting to know if this d
> escription
> was used elsewhere or perhaps whether its just local folk lore.
>
> I'll push off for now , take care.
>
> Doug Smith
> North Dorset
> UK