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2 hours ago, Beekay said:

Hey Plantfit, I could do wonders with those mudguards !

Just imagine, some nice roses with a daisy chain surround. thumbsup

By the way, somebody's nicked yer bike pump.

pump in the shed, don't think flowers would look right on the mudguards, what about ivy lol

 

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Did a "church" ride a couple of months ago, ride through the villages taking pics of their churches, here's the results   Beckingham all saints Claypole,Saint Peters  

The weather didn't look too bad this morning so I got the trike out,filled my drinking bottle with water and put a couple of banana's in the bag and set off for Lincoln,Brayford warfe to be exact,five

Met up with a new friend today who has just moved into the next village to us,I saw him last week when I was riding back home along the cycle/footpath between our two villages,it was then he told me h

Plantfit's 1937 Hercules, An elegant pre-war bike with an amply sprung big saddle and rubber pedals which ensured the shins remained intact during a ride. When I was a young un in the late 40s-50s my Dad's garden shed contained 4 bikes and a tandem, all pre war. Until 1957 when my older sister bought a new Claude Butler racer which I was forbidden to go anywhere near, I got the second generation hand-me-down 'Ray' of uncertain vintage. It had handlebars very similar to the pictured Hercules. These bars I removed, turned upside down and refitted, which seemed to make the bike go a lot faster.

But that Hercules is a nice looking bike.

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Nice picture of a "Ray" bike for you willow, not mine I'm afraid, probably built by Raleigh

 

Ray_bike_1.jpg

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The Ray, yes that looks like the adult size of the smaller bike I learned to ride on when I was 4 or 5. Rod brakes, one piece stem and handlebars. The inherited adult bike I referred to earlier was when I was about 11 onwards. I think that one may have  been a 1934 Sunbeam Road Racer B; not a big stretch of the imagination from "Ray" to Sunbeam is it? 

Caliper brakes 'W' handlebars. Good picture on bike museum website.

It was still going strong after being subsequently and serially owned by my younger siblings and finally re-enammelled and refurbished in about 1965.

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Going through some of my bike ride pictures I found these of a "New years eve" bike ride from last year, thought it would be nice to ride the vintage cycles around the local lanes on the last day of the year, five miles on each bike then change over to another bike, might be of interest to some

 

New_year_eve_vintage_rides_2021_(1).jpg

New_year_eve_vintage_rides_2021_(2).jpg

New_year_eve_vintage_rides_2021_(3).jpg

 

 

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I see that you made a decent saddle and pedals for the 'Penny' Plantfit :)

Must take pics of the remnants of my bike collection (and learn how to post them).

Dolan TT bike, Look road bike, Trek hybrid and an Elephant bike.

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On 8/3/2022 at 10:54 AM, David sheridan said:

@plantfit interesting collection you have there !

Thankyou, apart from the Penny I ride them every week, no good them just sat in the shed they were made to be ridden

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2 hours ago, PeverilPeril said:

I see that you made a decent saddle and pedals for the 'Penny' Plantfit :)

Must take pics of the remnants of my bike collection (and learn how to post them).

Dolan TT bike, Look road bike, Trek hybrid and an Elephant bike.

Look forward to seeing those Terry, 

 

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8 minutes ago, plantfit said:

Look forward to seeing those Terry, 

 

Here's a better picture of the Ordinary for you Terry, the seat I covered with some foam then a piece of leather and used furniture dome headed nails to secure it, the pedals I made from M12 coach bolts for the axle going through some 15mm steel tubing, the end plates I cut from some 50 x3mm steel plate, the rubbers I bought from a bike shop, they do work and they do have a period look about them, the rear wheel I managed to get off an old pram at 12" diameter, forgot to add I made most of the spokes myself out of 3 mm steel bar, riveted over one end to the shape of the inside of the wheel rim and threaded the other end to 5BA, took me ages to find the right thread size

 

DSCF1151-2.jpg

 

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Mentioning garden sheds got me thinking. In ours was my dad’s 1948 Raleigh Record Ace and his 1936 Paragon, one brother’s Mercian King of Mercia, a Harry Quinn track bike, and buried at the back until I dug it out, my other brother’s Sheffield Langsett with Campagnolo everything, which he got in 1960. That was the one I cleaned up and got working after ten years of festering and rusting, mainly to get to and from school before I took up racing. I used it every day, leaving it in the school bike shed, or at the back of my mate’s pub. Rode it hundreds of miles training and racing. In all that time, I never once bothered with any security.

 

If that Langsett was still complete and in good condition, it would be a collector’s item and easily be worth the best part of £2,000 now. As it is, it’s now a bare frame in my brother’s garage waiting for me to get round to spending lots of money on restoring it. (He’s still got the other bikes mentioned, as well!)

 

 

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Looks similar to my Raleigh Pioneer, and like you I find it a very easy ride, done many hundreds of trouble free riding on it, I do like the Dawes though

P1090353.jpg

 

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2 hours ago, The Pianoman said:

Is that an adjustable stem you have on that?

Adjustable handlebar stem and suspension seat post

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Beautiful morning for a bike ride...........didnt go far but was well worth it...........Lady at the end of my avenue was stood at her gate taking the early morning sun.........not really spoke apart from a few 'ey-ups' and the odd wave...but today i had a lovely chat with her....

She's 84 lives alone....basically she gave me her life story....think she enjoyed doing so and certainly well worth listening to........

Divorced in her 40s and only fell in love once (not her ex).......served many years in the Army and in a few 'War zones........born in Grimsby but lived all over Europe.......finally settled here in Kirkby 40 years ago and loves it...even told me she's had a couple of relationships but nothing serious.........

 

Will never look at little old ladies in the same way again.....must get out on me bike more often...lol..

Told her i could have been your ''Toy Boy'' back in the day........

Bid her 'TA RA ''Duck and she shouted  ''YOU COULD HAVE TRIED'''

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lovely story Benjamin, you wouldn't get stuff like that if you drove passed her in your car, keep them pedals turning mate

 

Rog

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Just been to Giltbrook retail park and back. Wilko/Decathlon and a general ride round. And yes, you do see things that you wouldn't otherwise see while driving around in your car. Its also taking me to places that I wouldn't otherwise go in my car and for that matter, places I wouldn't walk to.

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Yes, I keep looking at bikes Barrie. My son has three of mine now. A mountain bike, a hybrid and a folding electric one which I bought but couldn’t mount due to a bad hip. Now I’m fit and well (within reason) I would like another to ride along the river bank. The problem is that, as a motorist, I have a dislike of cyclists that clog up the country lanes around here and I don’t want to become like one of them! I might compromise and ride my Honda quad bike round the field once the hay’s gone. I can do wheelies on that and go round corners on two wheels. No doubt some will say ‘look at that silly fool - at his age!’ :biggrin:

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Isn't getting an electric cycle a bit like cheating? Or at 79yrs would it provide some assistance. Don't have anywhere to keep a recumbent. Perhaps a folder might be better.

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