Well, there was no one in my neighborhood who had a Raleigh, too expensive. I was the first kid with an "English Racer". That was because my grandfather bought it for me. He wanted me to have a real bike, like he had in the old country, and it had to be black too. Within a year every kid in the neighborhood had an "English Racer" but they were all bright colors and came from Sears or Wards. I remember that they were not as well built as my Dunelt.
There were two reasons you did not see full chain guards on bicycles in the US. The first was import taxes. American bikes were heavy and to keep imported bicycles from competing with them there was a much higher tax on bike that weighed more than 35 lbs. The second was that bicycles here were considered kids toys and doing away with the full chain case made them both cheaper and more sporty looking. As I recall the only bicycle that had them were the very top of the line Raleighs. That tax thing was another reason that the heavy Roadster type bicycles were not imported. Most of them that wound up were brought back by GI's who had picked them up while stationed in England. The so called English Racer was actually a "Sports" or "Light" Roadster. It was a city bike, while the Roadster was a country bike intended to deal with much rougher roads and tracks. I have kind of come full circle on bicycles, from that Dunelt 3-speed, through an aluminum Raleigh racing bicycle, to a hybrid commuter and now I have another Black Dunelt (about 20 years newer than the one I had as a kid and nowhere near as well made) that I have to find an original 32 spoke front wheel for. I would like to have a full Roadster too; something about a long tall bike. Graywolf Website: http://www.graywolfphoto.com Blog: http://www.graywolfphoto.com/journal/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- P. J. Alling wrote: > My first adult bike was a Raleigh three speed roadster, even that bike > only had a half chain guard. After about 6 years I wanted something > fast and worked in a factory over a summer and bought a Supercourse Mark > II, (10 speed), put an aluminum rack on the back that I could hang > canvas panniers off if I needed to carry anything. I think I'd still > have that bike if it hadn't been run over by a car. > > graywolf wrote: >> Hey, that bike has been made exactly like that since 1903, kids! Oops! >> Sorry, >> they did upgrade it in the 70's when they started putting bright stickers on >> it. >> There are about 20 companies in India building those bikes, most of them get >> shipped to Africa. However you can get basically the same bike build in >> Holland >> with high-tech parts for $1500 or so. >> >> A little less tongue in cheek, the old roadster bicycle has its place when >> you >> need a bicycle for transportation instead of for a toy. They ain't fast, but >> they don't break, even when you hang a few hundred pounds of cargo on them. >> >> Graywolf >> Website: http://www.graywolfphoto.com >> Blog: http://www.graywolfphoto.com/journal/ >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> P. J. Alling wrote: >> >>> Actually I was alluding to the point that bikes with full chain guards >>> were at least WWII vintage and therefore ancient... >>> >>> David Savage wrote: >>> >>>> I interpreted Peter's comments as meaning that bikes with chain >>>> guards are for juvenile delinquents & sissies. >>>> >>>> But that's just me :-P >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> Dave >>>> >>>> >>>> At 01:11 PM 19/12/2007, graywolf wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>>> So, Peter, just what is your point? That you have been deprived? If >>>>> that is so, >>>>> I can understand your resentment. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> P. J. Alling wrote: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> I haven't had a bike with a chain guard since I was 12, and I never had >>>>>> one with a full chain guard. >>>>>> >>>>>> graywolf wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> Ah, heck, Scott, the wheels are even already laced. This is the >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>> way they are >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>> supposed to come (second picture): >>>>>>> >>>>>>> http://www.yellowjersey.org/EASTMAN.HTML >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Scott Loveless wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> http://picasaweb.google.com/sdloveless/RaleighRapide02 >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >> > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
