Hang on a minute, I need to set you straight on one point: "...the British had day trips and saddlebags."! Before the war, it was more than just day trips: I have in front of me the "Cycling Book of Tours". The first in the book is "An easy week's touring of about 280 miles", and the last one is a fortnight's tour of "about 825 miles". Most of the weeks' tours average around the 350 mile mark, and there are 10 day tours of 600 and 650 miles.
Day trips indeed!
Neil Foddering Weymouth, Dorset, England
> Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 22:56:31 +0000
> From: billydavid13@comcast.net
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR] Another possible reason French Constructeurs flourished.
>
> Hi all. To Jan's list i would add: Paid Vacations! Unless i'm mistaken the strikes waged in 1934 against the Popular Front government secured paid vacations for a wide swath of French workers [and perhaps professionals as well?] For families who could not possibly afford a car a well appointed touring bike or tandem could reduce the cost and increase the scope of such a vacation. Someone let me know if i'm wrong. Also, i don't think the British Labour Party ever secured anything comparable for British workers. Of course the British working class never demanded much of Labour. Maybe that's why the French had touring and panniers and the British had daytrips and saddlebags. {I absolutely love my Carradice, btw!} Billy Ketchum; Chicago, IL; USA.