The wonderfully-named and faded nearly to nothing then reconstituted by great effort League of American Wheelmen (LAW), the nation's very first bike gang (in the XIXth Cent., pedalling high-wheeled "pennyfarthing" ordinaries) became, some sixteen years ago, the prosaically practical League of American Bicyclists.
H'mm, tenor of the times an' all that; what's one more advocacy group? (All the other kids do it, after all). Still, I'd be sad if that were the end of it.
Luckily for me, it's not: ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The Wheelmen!
They're my heros. I'll be watching this bunch closely; they look to be a prime source of material for Retrotechnologist.
(Staghounds, you know this is all your fault, sending me that antique bicycle book...!)
When I was working at my buddy's bike shop, he acquired an Ordinary form some place, to put in the window. It was taken out and ridden a couple of times, but I passed on the opportunity, out of prudence or an excess of caution, and I don't really care which you think it was. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing how many people would come in and ask how much for the old time bike. He would explain that it was not for sale, but he would give them the contact information so they could have one made for them...
Some of the hard-corps bicyclists in the area did contact the maker, though.
Shame about LAW changing their name. Hadn't heard, but it doesn't surprise me.
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteSo next are they taking up their umbrellas for the Chap Olympiad? :)
The Chap Olympiad? Heavens, Jenny, you're a treasure!
ReplyDeleteThis is a third reason to visit the UK, along with seeing Bletchley Park (I was gonna add the public section of RSGB HQ but it looks like that didn't pan out. Pity, I rather liked their old digs at Potter Bar, Herts.) and a tour of the various restored and preserved steam engines.
Oh! I thought you'd have been all over that.
ReplyDeleteMr. B the Gentleman Rhymer's worth a Google to, if he hasn't yet come up in your perambulations. :)
I just wanted to add that We Heartily Approve of the post title. :D
ReplyDelete(WV: "samstion". Not a word, actually, but it should be.)