Sometimes I am asked about focusing on a particular type of vintage bike rather than collecting all different kinds. I focus on three speed bikes because I enjoy them. I enjoy fixing them and riding them. I also enjoy discussing them. But I also enjoy the details, the different styles of bike within the family traditional utility and sporting bikes.
Below are my classifications of traditional three speed type bikes. They are meant as a "10,000 foot view" of these bikes. There are certainly exceptions to each category, but I find these are helpful in talking with people who are new to this style of bicycle.
British School of Design: Traditional and Functional
The traditional, British style tends to be on the conservative side, especially on bikes made prior to 1950. The bikes were built with a pragmatic approach: accessories that added functionality to a bike in dealing with adverse weather or dark conditions. The bikes tend to (though not always) have traditional colors: blacks, dark greens, dark blues, and maroon type colors.
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| 1940s Raleigh chaincase - old school design |
Decoration often involved Victorian or Edwardian style pin stripes and box stripes. The flash of white on the rear fender, a classic characteristic of these bikes, was actually to comply with a road safety law and not just as a matter of style. Certainly there are "flashy" English roadsters and utility bikes, particularly during the 1950s when American influences began to creep into some models.
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| 1970 Raleigh DL-1: basically a piece of pre-WWII technology |
But the English school was very much the originator of what we think of when we consider three speed bikes.
Low Countries and Denmark: European Pragmatism and Daily Commuters
The Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark represent another school of design. They share many similarities with English functionalism, but they add a continental twist. These countries have held onto daily commuter features such as generator sets, fully-enclosed chain cases, and drum brakes. Older models in this school tend to have large frames, large wheels, and single-speed gears.
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| A Dutch commuter - all the accessories needed for daily work |
Internal gear hubs later became more popular. These bikes have some unique features such as rear fender coat/skirt guards, high stems and handlebars, integrated generator light systems, frame locks, and various other features required by regional safety laws. Eventually, modern materials fused with traditional features: full chain cases made of plastic, plastic coat/skirt guards, alloy rims and lightened drum brakes, etc. This school of design focuses heavily on the bike as an everyday utility object and daily commuter. It's even common to see magnet fishermen pulling these bikes out of canals and estuaries.
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| Schwinn Traveler - mid-century American style |
U.S.A.: Automotive Influences and Flashier Styles
The English-style, three speed bike first arrived in the USA in quantity in the 1930s. Hercules, BSA, and Raleigh gradually grew their market presence from 1933 onward. American-made bikes of this kind began to appear, at least in some quantity, in the late 1930s. Initially, the American-made bikes were similar to English "light roadsters" with cable brakes, diamond or step-over frames, and 26-inch wheels.
After WWII, automotive style became more important: fins on fenders and chainguards, art deco or streamliner styling, bright colors (often with two-stage aluminum paints), large amounts of brightwork made from chrome or stainless steel, etc.
Americans have loved their automobiles going back to the Model T Ford (or even earlier), so when "lightweight" bikes became more popular in the late 1940s, automotive influences quickly mixed in. American bike technology such as one-piece cranks and coaster brakes are common. The American three speed bike, particularly after 1945, is defined by its extroverted style and presence.
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| Stainless front fender "fin" on a Schwinn Traveler |
Nothing makes a statement like a full set of polished, stainless steel fenders with a fin on the front...
French Bikes: Idiosyncratic Standards and Artistic Designs
French bikes cover a wide range. The French used a separate set of engineering standards than did the British, Dutch, or Americans. These bikes range from English-like commuters to ornate bikes with wild pain schemes, complicated lugs, and specialized parts. These can be beautiful bicycles, but be careful of one-off parts and weird threading standards...
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| A very classy, artistically-inclined Singer bike |
These bikes run the range from basic, to bespoke and handmade designs. These bikes often are works of art exhibiting art deco designs and hammered fenders. Aluminum and stainless steel are commonly worked into these bikes. The French preferred the derailleur over the internal gear hub, but some of the bikes have internal gear hubs.
Africa and Asia: Budget/Value-Oriented Bikes
African and Asian bikes tend to be very traditional, of British style, but also less expensive and aimed at simply staying on the road. Simple mechanical features are the defining features: single-speed rear hubs, steel parts, and parts made as inexpensively as possible. Colors are usually traditional and done in basic coats without any excess.
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| Flying Pigeon - the most-produced bicycle of all time |
The goal is to provide working, durable transportation as cheaply as possible. Keeping the bike on the road means keeping the family or business running. These bikes are gradually being replaced in Africa and Asia with more modern ones. I previously posted an old article on utility bikes operating in mainland China (once known as the kingdom of bicycles). Huge numbers of Flying Pigeons have been produced since the beginning of its run...
There are other styles out there, but these are the major ones a person is likely to encounter "in the wild". Each has its attractive points and its challenges.
