Rode in my first Tweed Ride last weekend...
 

There were some really cool vintage/antique bikes there! Didn't take any pictures, myself, but I saw a restored 1923 Columbia with wooden rims, the requisite high-wheeler, lots of 3-speeds (unsurprising, they're quite common around Boston), and some other cool stuff, including a Swiss military bike that was designed in 1905 and made pretty much the same all the way up until 1993, with this particular one being built in the '60s. I think one of the coolest things, though, was the fact that my bike didn't look completely out of place when surrounded by antiques, when it's a build made up entirely of modern components. There's a picture of me and some friends (David325 pictured in the white cap) with my bike, another vintage-inspired modern build, and the Swiss bike, taken by its owner:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...%20vintage.jpg

Riding my bike:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...tweedride1.jpg

Taking the Swiss bike for a spin:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...eswissbike.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...429_102319.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...429_102327.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...429_102337.jpg

Looks like a good time. Thanks for sharing!

I'm not familiar with the 'tweed ride' concept, so I won't comment on that.

But the Swiss bike is a bit of a puzzle to me.

I've traveled through Switzerland quite a few times, and it's safe to say that it's entirely made up of mountains.

Seriously big mountains.

And I'm fairly certain they were already there in 1905.

And they have been providing their soldiers with single speed bikes?

They're a lot of fun -- people dress up and pretend they're in a British pub ride from the 1930's or so. There's one in my area that I try to do every spring.

I led NJ's first tweed ride in about 2010. We did it in May, and it was fun. It was already too hot to be wearing a tweed jacket, though. In London, they hold them in January. Their Januaries are not as cold as ours. Maybe February or March would be a good time for us.

Looks like fun, @agmetal and @David325! Cheerio!

Did some Googling. Tweed Run: invented by hipsters, sponsored by Ralph Lauren. I'm probably still better off not commenting.

Still wondering about the Swiss bikes, though.

Apparently they decided to add a few gears around 1993, but from 1905 to 1989 - yes.

Swiss army bicycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The linked article notes that "[r]iders had to be quite fit"!

It was a very fun ride for sure! A beautiful day too- now that spring is around, all of us in the New England area are remembering why we like living here.

:lol: Not very hipster-y here, just people with some old bikes having fun. I also got to ride the Swiss bike, and I imagine they did a lot of walking up hills. I'm not sure what would be worse- trying to get up the hill, or relying on a front 'spoon' style brake and rear coaster brake when it's time to go back down?

So the Swiss are strong AND brave. No wonder no-one ever invaded that country. Those bikes are a more effective deterrent than Leopard tanks. :)

You and me both. Never understood the dress up in tweed to ride bikes thing.
But that's a very cool jacket you're sporting there.

Mine? WWII era Swedish. Typically referred to as an M39/58, since it was modified in the late '50s to more closely resemble the new uniforms of that period, and not waste the old stock. Mine is from 1941. :thumb:

Nice cycling jacket. It even has pockets on the back. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...tweedride1.jpg

A couple people made that comment, haha! I wear that as my regular winter jacket...it's a bit light for walking/standing around, but it's perfect on the bike, even down into single digits if you layer correctly!