50 Years Ago: May 1972 in Bicycling! magazine
 

Articles included are:
"Rendezvous in Paris" (first Americans to participate in P-B-P)
"Where Have All the Bikies Gone?"

Articles from this issue posted previously are:
TECHNICAL "What is bicycle stability?" (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...stability.html)
ROAD TEST "The Nishiki Safari Touring Bicycle (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ki-safari.html)

As usual, let me know if you'd like to see something else listed in the ToC and I'll add it in a reply to this post or send you a pdf.
If the latter, just send me a PM that includes your email address.

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I enjoyed the piece on PBP. I have two bikes from '73 and this article from '72 is motivating me to get them on the road and ride them.

Thanks for this. Would love to see the "The Trails of Chicago" article!

The PBP was interesting, definitely it has evolved since. ( and evolved from times prior )
Thanks for scanning and posting.

the stability article is interesting, I need to see if I can locate the actual Cornell study. I'm sure abridged in large part. (Note how professor portraits of the time have the subject tilting toward the future?)

of personal note, I have owned a range of machines, including some with very short wheelbases (37.375") my comments are related to the "static" loading on the wheels with the rider sitting on the bike in the most frequent riding position. I do think this was noted in the diagram but not noted in the article much.

from my reviews of my personal machined, Masi was a closet low trail designer. Or castor, the articles trade terms.

then we will note my daughter. When graduating to a 20" wheel bike and ditching the training wheels, she wanted a New bike - a Aquamarine Trek, attractive with little fork offset, combined with the steep head angle I was doubtful. But a pushover.
she had a devil of a time learning.
I pulled down the bike I gave my sister in 1977, a Raleigh Mountie. Slack head angle and generous raked fork. She was riding within an hour but still could not master the Trek.
I still have both, I should document the two.

You can find the original Cornell studies here: bicycle.tudelft.nl/schwab/Bicycle/calspan/
See reports VJ-2888-K and YA-3063-K.

In the article on stability, the term "caster" is defined and used.

In what way does caster differ from trail?

confusingly, the various installments seem to exchange the two terms... then there is for the anoraks, mechanical trail...

Another excellent post, and again we all benefit from your time and effort. Thanks again @SpeedofLite!

Any chance you have Part 1 of the PBP article on hand...?

Interesting to see the Eroba ad. I wasn't aware they were selling bikes in the US at the time. However, given the era, as well as the brand owner's ambition level, it shouldn't be surprising.

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Appreciate it.
I searched every issue back to January 1971 twice and couldn't find anything Clifford Graves wrote about P-B-P.
It's probably in the April 1972 issue, but I don't have that one.

Here you go -- The Castors of Chicago.

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Good thing I was just a wee lass back then, sounds like cycling was pretty rough and tumble. The “Scratchmen” sound downright brutish.

Thanks for trying, this was plenty. I'm angling for PBP in '27 and am all about more info.

What does the PBP article mean when it refers to "Audax"? It sounds to me like he refers to it as separate from the PBP? Was that a different event? I'm confused.

@SpeedofLite I gotta thank you again for this. I printed that off and read on real paper after dinner, old school like. That PBP article is excellent, really well done and evocative. I sincerely appreciate your efforts to continue posting these, and this is just one great example of the great content.

Thank You!!

You're very welcome.
If you haven't seen it already, here's a link to a post about P-B-P (Bicycling 1991) from a few months ago: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...randonnee.html

from Vintage Bicycle Quarterly, volume 1, number 2:
"However, since 1931, Paris-Brest has featured two amatueur events: The randonneur ride and the Audax event. The Audax rode in a group, with the goal of maintaining a prescribed average speed. The following is the story o fthe randonneur event. Randonneurs ride "allure libre" - any speed within the 96-hour time limit. Officially, there is no winner, only finishers. However, coming first carries a certain prestige, and the competition can be fierce."

I was just re-reading this, and that definition stuck in my memory. :)

Steve in Peoria (those old VBQ's were really quite good!)

Thanks. Prior to the May 72 issue, I'd never heard of PBP. 19 years later, I rode it. This article is what lit the spark.The link to the 1991 event brought back names and memories from nearly 31 years ago. I don't think I've ever been as tired in my life as when I rolled, slowly, over the finish line.

Great article.

This said, nostalgia pulls me in a different direction. Might it be possible to scan a few pages earlier where they promote America's Leading Bike Shops in New York?

Thanks.

Sure. Here's the full list.
I wonder how much I wonder what the criteria were to be deemed "Leading".

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I'm sure it was their advertisers. I was hoping to see my late Uncle's shop there, and I was not disappointed.

Thank You!