the trusty old raleigh

today, a light bicycle is a good bicycle. by this standard, all old bicycles like raleigh, hercules and robin hood are not good bicycles because they were much too tough and heavy. but, old bicycles were built to last; they were designed for durability and utility, not speed and transportability. can you imagine carrying one of these old roadsters on a rack at the back of your car; don't talk about on the roof.

those trusty old bicycles came with a lot of accessories, like a chainguard which completely encased the chain, a built-in lock, a rack at the back, a dynamo to light up the headlight and a bicycle stand. some were even equipped with a pump, like the kind used for inflating balloons. of course, there was this relector at the back.

you needed some effort and/or technique to put the bicycle on the stand because it was not just one leg leaning to the left. when the stand was in place, the rear wheel would be off the ground. you had to use your foot to press on the base of the stand and, using your body weight, lift and shift the bicycle backwards.

in those days, the difference between a lady's bicycle and a man's bicycle was very straight forward - the man's bicycle had a horizontal bar from the seat to the handle. and the seat was not the padded and slim type; it was ample and made of some tough material.

the policemen would go on his patrol and the postmen on his delivery round riding one of the bicycles. the shopkeepers also used this kind of bicycle to do home delivery.

these bicycles were built for adults; they were not meant for children. however, when we children did get a chance to ride one of these tall machines, we managed by gripping the handles and pedalling without our bum on the seat. we rode with the left leg on the left side but the right leg went under the horizontal bar to make contact with the right pedal.