Home & Antiques Magazine - July 2011

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TWOWHEELS

E leg an t.fun a nd fu ll o fc ha ra cte r - tr ad itio na lb ikes are en jo ying a reviva lFfATURf R OSA NN A MOR RISPI-lOTOGRAPI-lS B EN ANDERS here's something about vintage

bikes, with their delightful names,upright seats and cute bells that cantransform an ordinary journey intoan adventure. Forget sports drinksand lycra, we're talking about 20th-century classics that evoke summer

romance, whether you're pedalling down a country lane with apicnic in yom basket, gliding through the citywith your tea dressfloating in the breeze or looking effortlessly chic while pushingwhat has become today's latest fashion accessory.And fashion accessory they certainly are. In recent weeks Savile

Row tailors Gieves and Hawkes have used a Pashley'Guv'nor'as part of their window display and at the Clerkenwell VintageFashion Fair in May, new company Click Cycles took a pitchselling bikes,accessories and vintage parts amid the rails of dresses.But it goes far deeper than that. Since its inauguration in 2009,the 'Tweed Run' has seen growing numbers of nattily-clad cyclistsweaving through London at its events; sales of classic-style Pashleybicycles, made in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1926, have rocketed;and numerous related businesses have started up.Tom Morris, who founded vintage-style bike store Bobbin

Bicyclesin London four years ago, has noticed this shift in people'sattitudes to bikes and cycling.'When we started the shop, boringhybrid and overly sporty road bikes dominated: he says.' ow,more and more people want sit-up-and-beg-style bikes whichnot only come with sensible features like mudguards, racks andbaskets - handy for carrying your dog - but which look good too.These bikes have such character - some of our customers evenname theirs!'Over the next few pages, we meet three. people whosepassion for old bikes has wheeled them across continents and intoextraordinary business ventures ...


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TI-IE SI-IOP OW ERM egan W illiam s O Mara , Be ll s B icyc le s

A ccording to Megan Williams Q'Mara, a 24- year-old cyclingenthusiast who started hiring out and selling vintage andvintage-style bikes in Hastings a year ago: 'Vintage bikesmake you remember just how glamorous cycling is'.'I've always had a lot of old bikes: says Megan, who is currentlyriding a Prophete, a French bike from the late 1970s. 'I considerthem works of art as well as modes of transport. A lot ofimagination has been put into them. We tend to think of cyclingas masculine and dominated by sports, but we forget that bikesand cycling is actually very beautiful.'Determined to share her passion with others, on finishing

university Megan moved to Hastings and opened up shop in18th-century premises in the old part of town. Today Bell's Bicycleshas an ever-changing selection of machines, from 19405 super fast,f ixed-wheel track bikes to ultra-elegant 1920s Dutch loop frameexamples and simple retro town bikes from the 19705 and 19805.'Each bicycle is different and each has its o,!n place in the history

of British cycling: she says. 'I've been restoring tbem for years butit's been quite a learning curve fixing them to se ll on -I'm constantly scouring car boot sales and tips. 'Word of. Megan's interest has got around fast,

however. 'People have started bringing bikes to me,too: she says. 'One man brough t in a bike be had ownedfrom new and kept in his shed for 40 years. There area lot of people who don't know what to do with theirold bikes and they're too good to throwaway. They sellthem to me knowing they're going to be looked afterand brought back to life again.'For those customers hiring rather than buying a

bike, Megan packs them off to the delicatessen nextdoor to pick up a picnic - bottles of ginger beer amust.Then, theypedal happiJy off along Hastings promenadetowards Bexhill with the wind in their hair.

'I think there's something incredibly romanticabout cycling in summer: Megan smiles. 'I love thefeeling of nostalgia too. Vintage bikes conjure up thislovely feeling of pleasure and the pursuit of pleasure.'01424443033 ; be l ls b i cy c le s .c o . u l:

~ISTORV O~ CYCLING1871 The penny farthingwas invented by JamesStarley. Injust 20 years,60,000 of them wereproduced. Riders wouldhave their inside legmeasured to determinethe diameter of wheelthey could drive.

1880 The Post Officehas used bicycles todeliver mail since the18805, experimentingwith different designs,including a fivewheeledmachine known as a'pentacycle' ~unnilyenough, it never took off.

1817Baron von Draismade an early two"wheel contraption inGermany in 1817.Made ofwood. the laufmaschine(running machine) hadno pedals and wasmoved by pushing yourfeet against the ground.

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1894 Annie Kopchovskybecame the firstwoman to cycle aroundthe world. Carryingadvertising banners onher bike to earn money,and wearing bloomers,she completed the fealin 15 months.

1903 On tst July,60 cyclists set out ona 2,500km cycle raceacross France and theTour de I=rance hadbegun. It is sti ll beingenjoyed by spectatorsand by enduranceathleles today.


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TH TOUAGUIDEJack H arris) Ta lly H oi C yc le ToursIf you've been in London lately, you may have seen a troupea fl O cyclists pedalling sedately down The Mall astride newP as hleys , A t their helm, dressed in brogues, flatcap and tweedbreeks, is Jack Harris. Noticing how more and more Londonerswere getting around the capital on two wheels (not least thanksto the 'Boris bike' scheme, the Mayor of London's cycle initiative),Jack drew on his experience as a city tour guide and launched hiscycle tours in March.'Ilike thing,'; that are a bit vintage and quirky and there wasn't

a real ly British cycle tour: says Jack. 'There's no more entertainingway of seeing London. than on a stylish British-made bicycle. Welike to dress up and make it an experience.' Jack's tour', which lastthree to four hours, start at Lower Marsh Street behind the LondonEye, where he has:h is base. One tour takes riders down to LambethBridge, through the back streets behind Westminster Abbey andup to St James's Park. 'Depending on the time of day, we try tocatch the changing of tbe guard at Buckingham Palace: says Jack.'We then go down The Mall to see Trafalgar Square, across throughCovent Garden and back along Waterloo Bridge to finish'.

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'Th ere s no m o te entertainingw qy if seeing London than ona siylish. Brit ish-made bit),de,

'There's nothing strenuous in the cycling but it's a good way totie up some of the key London sites and learn about the historybehind them in a fun and quirky way, Depending on the group wehave with us, we try to give facts about the history and importantfigures and draw out some of the more unusual stories behind thelocations.' On the way, interesting features, such as the tiny stonemodel of the Duke of Wellington's nose under Admiralty Arch, arealso pointed out.

Fo r Jack, hi s unconventional get-up is all part of the fUD, 'Thestyle element of cycling is being rediscovered. You don't need bigknobbly tyres and Iycra, you can ride these bikes in smart dothes-one of our guides even manages in high heels!' he says. Clients areinspired to follow suit and Jack has teamed up with nearby vintageshops Radio Daze and What the Butler Wore so they can pick upnecessary accessories - a top hat, say - before they head out.'It's not about racing with your head down or being aggressive

with the traffic but about getting from A to B in a comfortable andstylish manner, taking your time and enjoying the view,' says Jack.07969230828; tattyhocydetours.com

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Home & Antiques Magazine - July 2011

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