50 Years Ago: August 1973 in Bicycling! magazine
 

Articles/columns included are:
LETTERS
QUESTION MAN
"The FDA: A Summary of Proposed Bicycle Standards"
TECHNICAL "Ideas and Innovations"

The following article from this issue was posted previously:
ROAD TEST: FUJI Newest Deluxe (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...st-deluxe.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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And in spite of a couple of Letters this month, this Uniroyal ad was on the next page....

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And lest some don't recall the offending Lambert ad mentioned in Letters, it was also on the back cover of this August issue.
You're welcome.

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Bicycle product regulations ended up under the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 16 CFR 1512. Although the adopted regulations didn't prohibit high-performance bicycles and components as DeLong feared, the reflector regulations have arguably created a problem in leading several generations of riders to assume reflectors alone are sufficient at night without a headlight and that side reflection is important in reducing angle crashes at night.

I didn't hear about it until it was almost ended, but there was a recent proposal to revise these regulations to remove the requirement for small kids' bikes to have a foot (coaster) brake, and to more closely-regulate electric bicycles. That docket is now closed to public comment, and we'll see what revisions come as a result.

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Thanks for posting this. I read the letters and was of course curious with regard to the source of the controversy.

Thought it was interesting Robert McInnes concern wasn't so much the sexism, but rather that the model was too unrealistically hot for him to get excited about.

Didn't really want to retro-dox him, but with his address right there I Googled if I could see what he might be up to today.

Sadly, we just lost him less than a year ago. In better news, he seemed like a more solid guy than his post might suggest (devout minimalist, environmentalist, and social justice advocate)... and he continued cycling DAILY right up to age 90. RIP Mr. McInnes. (94 years old).

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I didn't initially read Mr. McInnes' letter, but after doing so I'm struck by his "not one of the gang" comment with reference to his perception of who qualified as a "bicyclist".

By that standard, I might not even qualify - after all, I did today's ride on a beach cruiser...

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[MENTION=503211]BertoBerg[/MENTION] could use a contact like that ...

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No kidding! Good find.

Typing up my letter to Mr. Ando right now. :)

The hard part is finding the correct slot at the post office - Stamped, Metered, Bulk, Back in Time 5-20 Years, Back in Time 25-50 Years, etc. :)

Is this a trick question?

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Lol. Re-reading, I think that is more what he meant, and I misinterpreted him a bit. He was just saying he'd like the ad to feature and attractive woman who looked like a REAL cyclist....not some model in knee high leather boots with heels. I get that.

Thank YOU speedoflite for posting this trip down memory lane !!

GREATLY APPRECIATED !!!!! !

Could you post page 40 ?

About Cape Cod

Thank you again for posting !!!! :)

With its aftermarket fork, my UO-8 has toe-to-tire overlap, despite the 165mm cranks (down from the original 170) and 700C front wheel (down from 27 x 1-1/4 shown here). This has never been a problem for me, or even for my wife, who used it previously with the original longer cranks and larger-diameter front wheel.
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My UO-8 with barcon cables routed between the rack and the cylindrical Bellwether front bag.

A Cape Cod Journey
 

Sure. Here ya go.

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That Dana 3-speed bottom bracket still has a cult following. I'm not among them, but I know of people who seek them out because they prefer them. It's an interesting concept, but they're so damned clunky to me.

I can tell I wasn't the only one wondering what the bike ad that prompted the letters was about. You can't see the footwear of the girl in the old Takara ad, but I assume it wasn't boots so it didn't offend anyone.

Excellent reads, ty!

I was riding those roads in '73 on my first road bike, an Atala Giro d' Itaila. Very cool to see this piece.

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I would love to see Holland Peterson's "Why I Ride A One Speed Bicycle" on page 48 if you wish to share that with us!

I can do that.

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Put Holland Peterson's "I ride a one speed" into its pre-mountain bike historical context. For me, selecting an appropriate gear ratio for any given part of my ride is integral to my own enjoyment of bicycling.

Interesting to see his "my way is the only way, and anyone who doesn't agree is an idiot" screed from pre-Internet days. He'd fit right in as a C&V Bike Forums poster.

Like the Uniroyal Lady, I bet she has never actually pedaled a bicycle in her life, before or after the photo shoot.

I've started to make sure that the co-op bikes I work on get full reflectors. I don't think a person who is going to ride at night without a light is concerned about whether or not the bike has reflectors. They typically ride at night because they want to get someplace and they don't use lights because they don't have them. I've often thought that the wheel reflectors of a cyclist crossing the road are likely going to be noticed too late for a motorist to stop, but many are very wide angle and they clearly identify a bicycle in motion when they are seen, which can be from quite far away. I don't use them on my own bikes, but I have opted for a few tires with reflective sidewalls and I appreciate their visibility.

I think some forget that hot pants and boots are perfectly acceptable if you are using a bicycle for transportation. Anything is acceptable as Father Brown demonstrated...LOL!!