Phil Bikes

Bike commuting: The good, the bad, and the ugly

May 3rd, 2007

It’s National Bike Month. My snarky reply when I heard this was, “when is it not bike month?”

Now that the triple threat of cold, rain, and dark has been supplanted by a mostly nice Spring, I’ve been riding nearly everyday. So, now I’m now going to use the most over-used cliche since 1966 :

Good: You get to see newly-hatched Canada goose chicks up close. (May 1st)

Bad: You might get caught out in a hail storm, unless you leave work early to run some errands. (May 2nd)

Ugly: Any driver who thinks the bike lane downtown is for pulling over to ask directions deserves more than me just rapping on their window, but antagonizing motorists is not going to help anything. (May 3rd)

Hooray for bikes!

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Peter on Way to Six Record

May 2nd, 2007

From Cycling, December 9, 1967.

click image for larger version

“NOW RIDING towards his 41st six-day win is big Peter Post, unquestioned king of the big-time Sixes, and a rider whose forceful style has made him a favourite with crowds everywhere on road and track. Beaten by Merckx at Heerlen in the world championship and at Ghent in the Six, Peter still showed how to ride when he happed the world champion three times behind Derny pace. Will he take his record 41st Six at Amsterdam? The whole of Holland hopes and expects him to.”

Peter Post was a Dutch rider, who won the Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent, or Six Days of Ghent, in 1966 (with Swissman Fritz Pfenninger) and 68 (with fellow Dutchman Leo Duyndam), but not in ‘67 to which the text refers. That’s the road world championships which he lost to Eddie in ‘67.

Post won the 1964 Paris-Roubaix, setting what is still the average speed record of 45.129 km/h, or 28 mph (!). I can’t imagine going his speed over pave, but I bet it was a dry day. Post later went on to be manager of several teams, including the infamous TI-Raleigh team during the 1970s.

Unfortunately, Post didn’t win the Six at Amsterdam in 1967, losing to Palle Lykke and Freddy Eugen from Denmark (results), but did win in 1969 with Belgian Romain DeLoof.

Posted in historical, racing, track | No Comments »

Vic (on a Moulton) knocks 18 min. off

April 29th, 2007

From Cycling, September 9, 1967:

“Making good use of Sunday’s strong wind Vic Nicholson regained for Moulton Bicycles the Cardiff to London record. His time for the 151 miles was 6-14-54 seconds, beating Brian Catt’s three-months-old record by nearly 18 minutes.”

Note that this is the Moulton of Sir Alex Moulton, whose “tiny machines” (to quote Kent Peterson) are an icon of British bicycles, rather than one of the many other Moultons across the Pond, including this one, lost to history, or the well-known frame builder (and now blogger!) Dave Moulton.

One thing to notice in the photos is the enormous chainring the bike used. The article states it was 111 gear inches, which would be around 67×12 on a bike with 20 inch wheels, or 51×12 on 700×23 tires.

click for full size image