The Tweed Ride phenomenon

The enjoyment of cycling has spread across many different communities all over the world in various styles and types. Bicycle polo, bicycle moto cross, and the fixed gear culture are to name a few. 

More recently a new cycling phenomenon has emerged that takes cyclists back to an era between the 1920's and 1950's when life seemed romantically simple and without complication. In a rapidly changing world cyclists have developed these cycling events that enables them to briefly return to this period of time......the opportunity on a relaxed Sunday afternoon to experience the cycling joys of a bygone era with a group of like minded people.

These events are known as "Tweed Rides" or Tweed Runs".  

The riders that participate in Tweed rides are expected to ride vintage bicycles and dress in the style of traditional British cycling clothing from the period between, but not limited to, the 1920's to 1950's. The term "tweed" relating to a type of fabric commonly worn in Britain during the period.

 

Typical tweed fabric.



The first Tweed Run was held in London in January 2009 and was organised by the London Fixed Gear and Single Speed (LFGSS) internet community. Their website is located at http://www.lfgss.com/ and provides alot of interesting cycling information, forums, classifieds, and links.

  

The advertising poster for the first Tweed Run in 2009.

The first Tweed event in 2009 gained alot of public interest and media attention. The annual event has since grown in participation and following. Detailed information and images are found at the official London Tweed Run website http://tweedrun.com/

Since the first Tweed event similar events have popped up across the globe. The events are usually organised during autumn or spring when the weather will most likely be suitable. Below is a list of organised Tweed events from today forward in 2011. The list, although not exhaustive, indicates how popular the event has grown in recent times.

2011

                                                                  

Kiel, Germany. Tweed Run - Sept 18
Birmingham, UK. Tweed Ride - Sept 24
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Tweed Ride - Sept 24
Nottingham, UK. Cycle City Ride - Sept 25
Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Tweed Ride - Sept 25
Portland, Maine, USA. Tweed Ride - Oct 2
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Tweed Indeed Ride - Oct 2
Edmonton, Canada. Tweed Indeed Ride - Oct 2
Bellingham, Washington, USA. Tweed Ride - Oct 2
Missoula, Montana, USA. Tweed Ride - Oct 8
Stockholm, Sweden. Tweed Run - Oct 15
Toronto, Canada. Tweed Ride - Oct 15
New York City, USA. Tweed Run - Oct 15
Madrid, Spain. Tweed Ride - Oct 29
Manchester, UK. Tweed Ride - Oct 29
Pescara, Italy. Tweed Ride - Nov 20

***Whilst all care has been taken to provide accurate information in the above list, please don't assume the dates are confirmed. Please check local cycling event guides closer to event dates as times and dates often change without notice.

As a vintage bicycle owner I have been interested in the advertising posters associated with the events. They capture the spirit of the events, and often carry images of a bike I own....the Pashley Guv'nor, a timeless 1930's path racer. The Guv'nor is a vintage classic, lovingly reproduced with modern components.

Please enjoy a sample of the advertising posters for the events below. 



Tweed Ride Philadelphia 2009 (USA)



Tweed Ride Paris 2010 (France)

 

Tweed Ride Dallas 2009 (USA)



Tweed Run Fremantle 2010 (Australia)



Tweed Ride California 2010 (USA)

 

Tweed Run London 2010 (UK)

  

Tweed Ride Newcastle 2010 (Australia)

 

Tweed Run London 2011 (UK)


 

Tweed Run Florence 2011 (Italy)

  

Tweed Run Adelaide 2010 (Australia)

 

Tweed Run New York City 2011 (USA)

 

Tweed Ride Sydney 2010 (Australia)

The events attract a large variety of participants who ride a wide range of vintage or reproduced vintage styled bicycles. Here are some typical sights seen at tweed events...beautiful bikes and beautiful people re-creating the atmosphere of a bygone era.







 Until next time....ride safely.

James



My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star bicycle - Part 2

If you have perused Part 1 of my post regarding my 1965 Malvern Star you'll see that I originally re-painted the frame a beige colour....well, I experienced some problems with the paintwork. As I was assembling the bike the paintwork badly peeled away from the frame on the forks, the rear dropouts, and the seat post clamping area at the top of the seat tube.

I was very disappointed. I had my heart set on the frame being finished nicely so I had it sand blasted again, but this time around I had it powder coated a navy blue colour. In terms of durability and finish, I don't think you can beat a powder coat finish on a steel bicycle frame.

After powder coating I repainted the stars on the head tube and forks, assembled the bike.....and here it is - no paint problems this time!



My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star



The 28 x 1 1/2 inch rear chromed Westwood 40 hole rim has a Perry (England) brand 19T rear coaster hub that was restored from old. The hub polished up quite well, although the coaster brake itself isn't too effective for braking. The old coaster brake will pull you up.......eventually, but in today's traffic you need more than just "eventually"! 



Perry England 40 hole coaster hub.

I'm not too concerned about the lack of rear braking as I've also fitted a period Dia-compe caliper brake setup to the front chromed 32 hole Westwood rim. The brake is operated by a drilled Dia-compe lever - drilled levers always look great. Althought the Westwood rims offer a very limited braking surface area the front brake is quite effective in dry conditions (...although I don't think riding this one in the rain is an option!!).

  



Dia-compe brake caliper with drilled lever.

I had trouble sourcing an original Malvern Star chromed headset so I opted for a chromed Japanese Tange headset that looks quite good. The chrome finish sets the head tube paintwork off nicely.



Headtube and headset.

The stem is an original Malvern Star chromed steel stem from the period and the handlebars are also chromed steel drop bars (Nitto steel bars - not original but nice!). Sure they're a little heavy, but chromed steel components still look great on any restoration.

The cranks are Williams brand new old stock (NOS) originals that were very common to bicycles of this era.

This is a track crank setup where the chainwheel is interchangable without removing the cranks from the bottom bracket spindle. The 46 tooth chainwheel is secured to the crank assembly by 5 pins (very hard to find these little gems!) These also polished up nicely as did the NOS T.D.C bottom bracket cups.



Williams chainset.



T.D.C bottom bracket.

The Malvern Star decals look great. I again sourced these from Greg at Cyclomondo on eBay.

.......and of course I fitted a restored Brooks B17 saddle and seatclamp, a bottom bracket oiler cap, and chromed wingnuts to the front axle to finish things off!



Chromed front wingnuts.



My 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star is very enjoyable to ride. The large 28 inch wheels with thick black rubber tyres roll along effortlessly on the flat. A soothing sound is emitted from beneath the rider as the 1/2" x 1/8" steel chain rolls around the chainwheel and rear cog. The comfort of a Brooks leather saddle rounds off the experience.....steel, leather, rubber - what a nice combination!

Please see the related posts:

Part 1: http://perthvintagecycles.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-1965-malvern-star-2-star-bicycle.html

Part 3: http://perthvintagecycles.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

Ride safe...

James.

The Sturmey Archer legend



Henry Sturmey and James Archer teamed together in the early 1900's and commenced designing and producing bicycle and motor cycle components. In 1902 they patented their first 3 speed hub. Their approach to cycle component design would become legendary throughout the 20th century as bicycle and motor cycle manufacturers adopted Sturmey Archer components as the basis for cycling innovation and design.

The history of the Sturmey Archer phenomenon is well documented at http://www.sturmey-archerheritage.com/  At this site you'll find some fantastic information on the Sturmey Archer story, with old catalogues and historical advertising material.

The catalogues are fantastic, and the advertising material even better. The advertising style captures the periods of the various products brilliantly. I have posted some advertising material below that captures some of these periods.

...and of course Sturmey Archer are still producing cutting edge cycling components today. Their latest catalogue can be found at http://www.sturmey-archer.com/

I am a proud owner of a 2010 Pashley Guv'nor 3 speed bicycle that is geared by a Sturmey Archer X-RD3 rear hub with drum brake. This equipment is faultless, an amazing piece of technology that is based on the Sturmey Archer patented 3 speed hub of 1902.



X-RD3 - 3 speed rear hub with drum brake

The Guv'nor also has a Sturmey Archer X-FD front hub with drum brake, this hub is also excellent.... and very stylish too.



X-FD - front hub with drum brake and wing nuts to match.



I have recently restored a 1974 AW 3 speed hub. Below are some before and after images of the hub that is in perfect working order.



The old hub covered in oil and dirt.

 

Reconditioned and polished.....almost like new!



The beauty of these hubs is their longevity.....a generously oiled hub prevents corrosion and wear so make sure your hub is well cared for to ensure years of riding pleasure.

Of recent interest is their new line of rear hubs....2 speed kick back, and combined fixed and free hub models with anodised colour choices.......just brilliant.

Until next time...

Safe riding,

James



Brooks bicycle saddles



When I was in Year 12 in 1982 I lived with my Grandparents in a Western Australian country town. My own bicycle had been recently stolen so I borrowed my Grandfather's old push bike to ride to school each day.

His bike was an old steel men's bike with 28 inch wheels that had a back pedal coaster brake. It was a fantastic old bike. The most memorable thing about the bike was that it had an old leather saddle. I don't know what brand of saddle it was, but the experience made me fall in love with leather bicycle saddles.

Over the last few years I have rekindled my cycling interests and, as this blog shows, I've also started to build vintage bicycles. Steel, leather, and rubber....a fantastic combination of materials that are reminiscent of all vintage bicycle builds.

With my rekindled bicycle interest I've been able to extend my appreciation of leather bicycle saddles, and in particular, the Brooks range of saddles. Brooks make some beautiful leather saddles!! Please see more at www.brooksengland.com/

Below are some images of the saddles I have recently fitted to my bikes.



A new brown B67 on a 1949 Elswick.




A new black B66 on a 1975 Raleigh Sport.



A 1974 black B72 on a 1974 Raleigh DL-1

 

A new brown B72 on a 1950's Speedwell.





A new brown Brooks Professional on an early 80's 10 speed racer.



....and of course a new Titanium Brooks B17 that came fitted (OEM) to my Pashley Guv'nor, a beautiful saddle.

....and of course the matching saddlebags also look fantastic, Brooks have a complete range of saddlebags that compliment any Brooks saddle.

When buying any new Brooks saddle it always pays to get a tin of Brooks proof hide, a waxy paste that is applied to the underside of your new saddle. The proof hide moistens and protects the leather making the saddle more supple and easier to break in.

I don't think a vintage rebuild is complete without a Brooks saddle, and I have found that even older used saddles come up a treat after they receive a little care and attention.

I am currently building up my 1965 Malvern Star 2 Star and have restored a brown B17 Special for the occasion.....once finished I'll post some images.

Until next time...ride safely.

James.