# Cyclist vs Motorbikes



## Nick-theCut (Mar 15, 2014)

A friend shared this with me and I thought it was a fun read.  The writer, an early cycling purist, certainly is on his soapbox.
Motorbikes rule!


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## fat tire trader (Mar 15, 2014)

The Moto-Bike marks the beginning of the sickness that is America.


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## Nick-theCut (Mar 15, 2014)

fat tire trader said:


> The Moto-Bike marks the beginning of the sickness that is America.




God bless America!


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## MOTOmike (Mar 15, 2014)

*Thoughts from 96 Years Ago...*

So….. "Small things amuse small minds….."

I love moto-bikes…., hey wait a minute, does that mean I have a small mind?

Mike


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## barracuda (Mar 16, 2014)

> …a whistle fitted like an exhaust pipe along the compression stays, and operated by a bulb on the other side of the handlebar!




I'm pretty sure I want one of those.


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## MrColumbia (Mar 17, 2014)

Marketing ridiculous things to small minds is an American tradition. A basic business model if you wish. That is why there is dozens of home shopping channels.

Now how can I fit another klaxon horn on my bike? And maybe some playing cards on the spokes to make it sound like my Harley. Vroom..VROOOM!


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## bricycle (Mar 17, 2014)

Motobikers end up with stronger legs from pedaling the extra weight, and when riding a "ordinary" bike, they will blow the handgrips off the "cyclists".... 'nuf said!


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## bikewhorder (Mar 17, 2014)

I always wondered if people at the time thought all the extra crap added to bikes was kind of dumb. I love that line _We prefer their room to their company_.   I guess snobery is not a recent development in human history.


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## bricycle (Mar 17, 2014)

bikewhorder said:


> I always wondered if people at the time thought all the extra crap added to bikes was kind of dumb. I love that line _We prefer their room to their company_.   I guess snobery is not a recent development in human history.




...not at all.  The cave man with the narrow stone wheel thought he was better than the wide wheel caveman.


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## wasp3245 (Mar 17, 2014)

Thank you very much for such a great posting .   The bicycle became a Christmas gift ....so the more ornaments the better .  Bicycles were bought by the parents ..not the end user as earlier in the cycling industry .  With fear of being run out of Dodge ..the trend of building flashy Christmas toys continued to the death of the American cycling industry. The bicycle was the lowest rung on the ladder of personal transport .  More is better may not be the best American trait .   "They are not cyclist's, they merely have  bicycles."  
Cheers Carey


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## Nick-theCut (Mar 17, 2014)

wasp3245 said:


> Thank you very much for such a great posting .   The bicycle became a Christmas gift ....so the more ornaments the better .  Bicycles were bought by the parents ..not the end user as earlier in the cycling industry .  With fear of being run out of Dodge ..the trend of building flashy Christmas toys continued to the death of the American cycling industry. The bicycle was the lowest rung on the ladder of personal transport .  More is better may not be the best American trait .   "They are not cyclist's, they merely have  bicycles."
> Cheers Carey




Don't thank me, thank the CABE.  Love this forum.  A place to learn and share. If you enjoy it, feel free to contribute.


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## wasp3245 (Mar 18, 2014)

The author of the article  "Wayfarer"  has been given credit for leading cycling  in England in the post WW1 period . He was able to attract a huge following through his cycle "teachings" to promote bicycling as a way of sport, leisure,  exploration and life. 

Walter MacGregor Robinson, a.k.a. "Wayfarer", had the cycling mettle to back up his comments.

See : http://www.cyclingnorthwales.co.uk/pages/wayfarer.htm

"Let us learn how to get the fullest possible use out of our mounts".


Was there such a cycling  advocate in America   or just newspaper contests  and Santa Claus leading the cause? 

Thanks to Glenn Eames for finding the link . 

Cheers Carey


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## videoranger (Mar 18, 2014)

Thanks for posting that very amusing old article. While I love riding my bicycles now, back when I was a youngster I too rode around on my bike dreaming of the day I could get a motorcycle. At that time 26" balloon bikes seemed kinda clunky, light weight road bikes not even seen, english 3 speeds rather rare and square and StingRays were the cool rides (although not too good for going long distances from home). Waiting to get a drivers license didn't seem too necessary at the time until you got caught sneaking out on the motorcycle.


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## Wing Your Heel (Mar 18, 2014)

*?*

I put this article online two years ago on the www.oldbike.eu online museum website

It's a free public database, but it's a courtesy to credit the source

Colin


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## Wing Your Heel (Mar 18, 2014)

*on this page*

on this page

http://www.oldbike.eu/museum/1920s-3/1924-2/1924-indian-motocycle-co-motobike-model-151/


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## videoranger (Mar 18, 2014)

http://www.roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/category/1905-1918/
"The essay in the book – did it appear in National Lampoon first? – is headlined ‘A Cool and Logical Analysis of the Bicycle Menace And an Examination of the Actions Necessary to License, Regulate, or Abolish Entirely This Dreadful Peril on our Roads.’"
kinda says it all


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