Originally Posted by
Bianchigirll
great thread and fabulous pics!! I never gave thought to people doing anything much more than riding about town (maybe promenading is a better word) or racing on Ordinaries. Then after it was recomended somewhere on BF I read "The Lost Cyclist" and realized that for a whole generation or more these bikes were actually a huge source of not only local transport but a resource for traveling great distance for both work and recreation.
great pics!. there is a repro one of these at a local shop, one of these days i may have to hop on it just say I did ride one.
btw the rack on the split window is cool too
The Lost Cyclist, Around the World on a Bicycle and 10,000 Miles on a Bicycle are incredible reads about the era. I suggest every single one of them to any cyclist. You should ride one - they're a blast.
Originally Posted by
ColonelJLloyd
This is one of the most beautiful bicycles I have ever seen. Wow.
Good ol' American engineering. I do have to agree with you. All the ordinaries, as simple the mechanics are, are engineered amazingly. All the pieces of the original bikes are just so clean and finely crafted. The fact that they had very little in terms of machinery and still crafted these the way they did is simply amazing. Here's some original Columbia bearing housings.
Originally Posted by
Italuminium
I love these ordinaries. A local LBS has an ariel in a bad shape hanging above his door, makes me want to save it. I'd love the ride on one day. Bucket list stuff.
Ariels aren't all that common. I'd be trying to poach this if there wasn't a great deal of water in the way
. Mark that off the list - get to it!