In an era where the marketing people have convinced us that we need the lightest possible carbon fibre bicycle with the skinniest high-pressure racing tyres with ten or eleven speed cassettes and double or even triple chainsets; and also the need to be constantly wired up to to gadgets which tell us our heart rate, cadence, calories burned, and all sorts of other information, it can be possible to lose sight of what can make cycling an enjoyable activity or a practical form of transport in the first place.
Some of my most enjoyable bike rides over the years have been on relatively simple or basic bicycles, often with no more than three gears, sometimes without a freewheel, and always much heavier the modern carbon fibre racing machine. How much heavier – how about around fifty pounds in weight! That is the typical weight of a traditional 28“ wheeled roadster though I’ve never felt the need to weigh any of my bicycles. I don’t believe it’s overly important to the utility or recreational rider.
People today equate heavy with cheap. A vintage roadster may very well be a hefty machine but that doesn’t mean it was cheap when originally purchased. In fact quite the opposite as they represented a sizeable investment for a normal working man. They weren’t heavy because they used cheap components; they were heavy because they used quality components!
Designed in a time when most roads weren’t the smooth metalled surface we take for granted today, the frame was built strong to take the punishment. Likewise the wheels – usually 28 inches in diameter. Large wheels because a large wheel rolls better on a poor surface (try going over a cattle grid on roller skates) and heavy because they had thick-walled steel rims and heavy, strong tyres to cope with poor surfaces. British bikes of this period usually had forty spokes on the rear wheel and thirty-two on the front; it made sense to build the rear as a stronger wheel as it carries more weight. Rod operated rim brakes are the normal on a bike like this – much heavier than cable operated calliper brakes but they will last forever with minimal maintenance. You usually find a fully enclosed chain on bikes like these too. The chaincase adds considerable weight but will drastically extend chain life by keeping mud and grit away from it and will also reduce maintenance required as the chain doesn’t get dirty it is easy to just oil it once in a while. Also for utility use, a fully enclosed chain will keep chain grease away from one’s trousers.
Usually the hubs and bottom bracket will also have oil ports so a few easy to apply drips of oil ever now and again will keep the bearings running sweetly and reduce the need for stripping them down for overhaul and fresh grease. Variable gears (if fitted – single speeds are out there too) will be of the hub geared type which again lends itself to low maintenance and all weather use as the gear system is protected from the elements inside the hub shell. The bottom line is that these bikes were built as the transport of the working class and were designed to cover large mileage in all weathers with minimal maintenance, something which they could do better than almost any modern bike. The laid back geometry of a vintage roadster combined with wide low-pressure tyres gives a comfortable ride. Anyone who laughs at a full 28“ wheeled roadster and it weight or the non-sporting aspects of it’s design has just demonstrated their ignorance of why they were built in the way that they are and the intended use to which they were put.
Changes in living arrangements mean I no longer have easy access to all my bikes so some don’t get ridden as much as I’d like. One of these is my 28“ wheeled Rudge roadster. This is a true roadster dating from 1951 with all the features mentioned above plus the added convenience of having a Sturmey Archer Dynohub lighting system so the dynamo is also enclosed inside the hub (can be back or front hub) away from the elements and also offers extremely low drag even with the lights on. Not all roadsters were fitted with the Dynohub lighting system but it adds further convenience as it means lighting is available at the flick of the switch. More upmarket versions were also available with a dry battery unit which took three R20 (D Cell) batteries to provide power to the lamps when stopped. Many of these type of bikes also had built in steering lock as an anti-theft device. It is incredible to look how well specified with practical features they were. They really did have everything required to be a practical all round, all weather commuting bicycle – try finding anything as well equipped in your local cycle shop today.
Mine is a Rudge. Rudge is a company with a long history, being founded by Daniel Rudge in Coventry in the days of the Penny Farthing. They used the slogan “Britain’s Best Bicycle” in their advertisements but whether or not that was true is open to conjecture….Daniel Rudge invented the adjustable race ball bearings still used in most cycles today which represented a major engineering breakthrough as it reduced friction and drag over the plain bearings used previously. Rudge was to merge with Whitworth cycles in 1894 to create Rudge-Whitworth. Like BSA,Triumph, and many of the other early British cycle manufacturers they got involved in motorcycle manufacture and the cycle division ended up being taken over by Raleigh. By the time my 1951 Rudge was built, it was really a Raleigh DL1 with a few features to distinguish it as a Rudge such as the sloping crown front forks and the hand chainwheel (Daniel Rudge had Belfast connections and used the “Red Hand of Ulster” as his logo. It survived into the Raleigh era) which is hidden by the chaincase on mine. Incidentally, the sloping fork crown of a Rudge should be chromed but this is a seperate piece of thin metal which slides down the steerer tube and is held in place by the lower race of the head bearing. Mine had rusted through and was beyond redemption so I just removed it and painted the fork crown when I refurbished the bicycle many years ago now. I don’t like to over-restore things and it was a case of making the best of what I had and a re-paint although I did have wheels rebuilt with new rims.
Mine had belonged to my grandfather and was in poor condition when I acquired it as it had stood many years in a damp outbuilding but I nursed it back to health. I have ridden it quite a lot off and on over the years since it’s rebuild and I would describe it as a nice bike to ride. It isn’t a racing bike and you are aware of it’s weight when taking off from a standing start but once rolling it is fine and the conservation of momentum effect means that a bike like this is actually very effortless to maintain cruising speed in rolling terrain if no major climbing is involved. Also, the large 28 inch wheels roll so effortlessly. I wish someone would make lightweight rims in this size. For a taller rider, this wheelsize makes a lot of sense. The thing that anyone used to the aggressive geometry of the modern sports bike would find strange is the laid back angles and seriously raked fork mean that once you get up to speed they do not do sudden direction changes very well. It works great on lightly trafficked country roads but I would not want to ride this bike in the heavy traffic conditions of a large town in the modern era as they’re not very manoeuvrable and don’t stop very well in the rain.
I’m perhaps blessed to live in mostly rural area so when I ride this bike or my other similar vintage bikes I can take them into their natural habitat of single track roads with little traffic. The Rudge is joy to ride in such conditions where you can just cruise along at your own pace in perfect peace and tranquillity and leave the hectic modern world behind. This is a great way to enjoy cycling and to de-stress. Other bikes might get you there quicker but that is to miss the point. It’s not about the average speed – this is about enjoying the journey. Also, make no mistake, this may not be a racing bike but if you are not in seriously hilly terrain this old girl can be ridden at decent enough pace if your pedalling technique is good and you know how to use the three speed hub to best advantage. On this bike, I fitted a larger 22 tooth sprocket to lower the gearing to something more sensible as this bike, along with most Sturmey equipped bikes left the factory with gearing for timetrialling, not for a hefty commuter bicycle.
My route was to take from my parent’s home first to Raphoe, although I made a detour first to Beltany Stone Circle which is always a nice place to visit. The route up to is a tough one but I was able to climb it today – the last time about six years ago I rode this bike up here, I had to walk a little – my fitness has obviously improved. Beltany circle was built on a great vantage point over-looking the whole area around 1200BC and consists of sixty-four stones. There would have been more originally. It was used for spiritual and religious ceremony and the evidence shows it was in use for many centuries. I keep meaning to visit here sometime to watch the sun rise on the Summer Solstice but I have never gotten around to it.
From the stone circle I proceeded to Raphoe past where the railway line once crossed the road and evidence of the this is still visible if you look hard. I didn’t go into the town but used Sheep’s Lane which passes the castle (properly called Bishop’s Palace) which is now a ruin following an accidental fire in the early nineteenth century. Eye witness accounts say it burned for days. Sadly I can see how this imposing ruin has deteriorated badly even in my own lifetime. I wish money was made available to help preserve what is left before it collapses. Further past the castle you also pass the former Royal School House which dates from 1608 – one of five Royal Schools in Ireland which were established by Royal Charter. The modern school which I attended is located further out the road but the old school is still used as boarder accommodation.
From Raphoe, briefly along the main road for a few miles before turning on to the labyrinth of minor roads which eventually brought me to Carrigans where I was to visit the Dunmore House gardens which are open to the public. I wrote about the tragic history of the house in a previous entry on this blog when I rode there specifically to visit the gardens on my 1958 Raleigh Trent. Today I just absorbed the peace and tranquillity of the place in the scorching heat and enjoyed the shelter of the old and beautiful trees. It is definitely worth a visit I think.
My next stop would require some real climbing. I intended to cycle to Binnion Hill outside St. Johnston. My three gears were just about enough. This is where my grandparents lived and where my Rudge had languished alone and foresaken in a byre for many years until I decided to rescue it. It also offers stunning views and is not somewhere you will find on your tourist guide. It is private property but I am family! King James II camped here during the Siege of Derry in 1689 and declared that “it was a land well worth fighting for.” The views overlook the River Foyle. In the other direction you can see Muckish and Errigal in the distance on a clear day. Binnion hill is over 600 feet above sea level and I spent much happy time here as a child. It used to seem like a mountain to a child. An old byre in the yard was where I had originally rescued my Rudge from it’s slow destruction so in a way I was bringing it home for a visit too!
The air was painfully hot as I wandered around Binnion Hill and the clouds looked ominous. As I was here I decided to visit my uncle and whilst I inside the inevitable thunderstorm occurred. I was pleased to have biscuits, tea and shelter from the storm as I looked out the window as the rain coming down in stair-rods and observed the cattle in the nearby field run for shelter as the thunder rolled.
As is often case with summer thunder storms, it passed very quickly and I entered a world that was smelled fresh and pleasant after the hot sticky atmosphere a little earlier. I made my way, down some steep descents and it highlighted the single biggest failings a bike like this has. The brakes don’t really work in the rain. It may have stopped raining but the roads were still saturated and the spray was enough to mean I had effectively no brakes. I had to drag the brakes to keep the rims dry so they just might work if I actually had reason to stop suddenly. Polished chrome is not a good braking surface and also these brakes don’t have the mechanical advantage of something like cantilever brakes.
The journey back to my parents house was extremely pleasant, now that the atmosphere was fresh and clean after the rain and thunder. The few people whom I seen out about probably thought I was a bit mad as I charged along splashing through puddles and grinning like an idiot as I charged along on my majestic steed, revelling in the conditions and feeling at one with my bike and my surroundings as I remembered how deceptively rapid it could be in the right terrain. The enormous front mudguard with original leather mudflap (which absorbs road spray rather than deflecting it like a plastic or rubber flaps. A leather mudflap is a worthwhile addition to an all-weather bike and can be cut from an old armchair or similar.) kept my feet bone dry. The heat of the road surface was such that the rain evaporated off them and it wasn’t long before it looked like there had been no rain at all. Everything now looked so green and so clean in the fading June sunshine. In the meantime I rode through the puddles and the clouds of water vapour coming from the road surface. My own personal sauna! It was also peaceful. The thunder had stopped the birds from singing. There was just silence apart from the gentle tick of the Sturmey Archer hub gear in top gear and the slightest amount of tyre noise and gentle squeaking you tend to get from sprung leather saddles. This is a very quiet bicycle. Riders of derailleur geared bikes may not be aware of how much racket the chain makes as it threads it way through the torturous meandering route of the jockey wheels unless they have ridden hub geared or single speed bicycles.
Yes, a fifty pound bike can give perfect enjoyment and satisfaction. People have toured on these. I covered around forty miles on my afternoon ride and really enjoyed it and didn’t find it any great hardship. A good “light” roadster on 26 inch wheels is great to ride too but in a different way – they lack the majestic and effortless ride of their larger, heavier ancestors. As I thought about it as I rode home, these bikes were a pretty amazing piece of engineering in their own right. Mine is one of the good ones in a way – built before cost-cutting came in and quality in British industry in general was to go steadily downhill in the postwar era. Don’t completely dismiss a late model Raleigh roadster should you find one – the paint and chrome will possibly fall off it in great chunks in comparison to much better quality earlier ones but they still rode well.
The incredible durability and the practicality of it all – the closed in chain, the oil ports, the built in lighting system, the comfort of 1 1/2 inch wide tyres, slack angled frame and triple sprung saddle. You may very well choose something lighter for long rides (and even back in the day, keen cyclists usually did too) but for practical utility riding, these old roadsters had all they needed. It is true the brakes are fine in the dry and pretty hopeless in the wet and great though the Sturmey Archer Dynohub was, the lights with a 1.25 Watt headlamp bulb and 0.4 Watt tail lamp bulb are just too dim for modern road conditions but that is too miss the point. Progress has brought us better lights and brakes. This Rudge had everything it needed to carry out it’s role using the best technology available at the time. Almost seventy years after it was built, it can still give me enjoyment today and is still capable of doing what it was meant to do. The Sturmey dyno can power a modern LED headlamp (I know as I’ve tried it – it is bright if a little flickery due to low frequency AC generated by these hubs) and it would be possible to fit drum brakes to the wheels to bring the braking up to scratch if you were really intent on using one of these as everyday bike.
As for me, I will just accept it’s limitations and enjoy the time-travelling ability to take me back into a slower, more carefree life whenever I feel like doing so. It’s only had one overhaul in it’s 70 year life. I will probably not live long enough to wear it out – that is proper quality!