Happy New Year to everyone. Here we are in the dead of winter, with temperatures well below freezing every day and periodic snowfall. There is no riding here for quite some time, so I thought I'd take a look at an old Consumer Reports (at the time Consumers' Union Reports) article on bicycles from 1938. Special thank you to CABE user "dihummer" for posting this article.
.jpg)
I find some of the points in this article to be spot-on, and others to be kind of perplexing.
I like that the authors pull no punches in describing certain bicycle accessories as nonsense or gimmicks. At the time, the trend was to equip bicycles, particularly for children, with all sorts of horns, sirens, and other gadgetry. The authors correctly point out that these are unhelpful at best, and distractions at worst. But looking back almost 90 years now, those gadgets have a certain period, historical appeal for some of the bikes. Still, I agree with the authors a simple and reliable bell and a good light will do the job better than any siren, whooper, or other gadget. Though I will admit my preference in bells is for the old-school Lucas with the brass top. Bevin and New Departure also made nice bells.
I find it interesting that the authors also take "streamlining" to task. From an objective standpoint, they are right. Streamlining a bicycle might look nice, but the rider create enough wind resistance that streamlining a bicycle doesn't really help. Still, I think some of the 1930s era balloon tire bikes have a beauty emblematic of that time period. I disagree with the authors that streamlining weakens the frames substantially. These old balloon tire frames were so heavily-made that even decades later they were being used as downhill, early mountain bikes. The decades since this article have proven the "streamlined is weaker" argument wrong. I do agree though that the diamond frame is the most straightforward approach to building a generally good frame for most purposes.
I find the footnote about tires interesting. I agree with the authors that the tire-tube balloon tire system was a definite improvement over the glue-on single-tube tires. I also agree with the dissenting consultant, who found that the best balanced tire size was a 1-1/2 inch width tire. That size was used on English roadsters (both in 28 and 26 inch forms) and French touring bikes (as "650b") for many years. It's a wonderful, moderately-sized tire. American 26 x 2.215 balloon tires are fine, durable tires, but I prefer the 1-1/2 roadster tire for general use.
I like that Consumer Reports was willing to challenge the mystique of Schwinn's balloon tire bikes. Schwinn made some very fine bicycles, but the authors here are right that they tended to be gimmick and gadget-heavy. I also like that the authors give at least brief credit to Schwinn's diamond frame type touring bikes, which were just starting to come to market.
I agree with Raleigh being a "best buy" for a quality, imported touring bike. Take, for example, the wonderfully plain Model 35 Raleigh of the 1930s and 40s. There is absolutely nothing extra on the Model 35 and every cent spent by the consumer went to the core quality of the bike. My 1947 Model 35 is one of my best-riding bikes. I applaud the authors' willingness to at least discuss imported bicycles at a time when English bikes were still trickling into the USA. Raleigh had only recently started to send bicycles in numbers to the USA, and Hercules and BSA were also exporting to the USA but at a much lower level than after WWII.
I am perplexed with the lack of mention for Dunlop tubes, though the article gives credit to Dunlop tires. The best vintage tubes I have ever encountered (and I've seen more than my share of tubes - good, bad, and ugly) are Dunlops. Several of my old Raleighs are running original Dunlop tubes, and they continue to hold air just fine. I've had Dunlop tubes as old as 90 years old still work beautifully.
- I'm also bit stumped as to why the authors were so taken by rod brakes. I love rod brake roadsters as much as anyone, but I have to admit a good cable-caliper set up stops more smoothly and effectively than rod brakes do. Perhaps the authors were stuck with some badly-adjusted or poor quality calipers. Raleigh's double-ended cables and calipers were pretty good for the time in the late 1930s.
- I like that they credit multi-speed gearing, such as the two and three speed hubs of the day (including drum brake Sturmey three speeds). They were somewhat exotic in the US in those days, and credit to the authors for mentioning they as helpful, especially in hilly areas.
- I love that the authors admit that most riders aren't going for top speed. If this article had been written in 1978 instead of 1938, the focus would have been much more on speed, high-end imported bikes, road bikes, racing features, etc. In some ways, American bicycle culture took two steps forward, one step backward in embracing bicycle use during the 1960s and 70s, but then focusing gimmicks and fads appealing to would-be racers but not the general public.
