TDF history & old bicycles

[Zelda]

With the publicity about the 100th anniversery of the TDF, I started
wondering what the bicycles were like in 1903. I found a good web
site, though I wish it had more pictures:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/index.htm

This page
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1908.htm
has a pretty good picture of the bike, which has only one sprocket on
the back, and no brakes that I can see.

This page
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1922.htm
shows that at the top of a mountain, "two riders stop to change to a
higher gear for the descent". Does anyone know what they are actually
doing - are they removing the sprocket and installing a larger one?
And where are their brakes??

The 1938 page says, "Note the primitive derailleur gears, allowed in
the Tour for the first time in 1938." Interesting stuff.

[Arthg]

>>Does anyone know what they are actually doing - are they removing the
sprocket and installing a larger one?

I believe there was a single gear on both sides of the hub, so the riders
would just 180 the wheel.


"Zelda" > wrote in message
om...
> With the publicity about the 100th anniversery of the TDF, I started
> wondering what the bicycles were like in 1903. I found a good web
> site, though I wish it had more pictures:
>
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/index.htm
>
> This page
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1908.htm
> has a pretty good picture of the bike, which has only one sprocket on
> the back, and no brakes that I can see.
>
> This page
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1922.htm
> shows that at the top of a mountain, "two riders stop to change to a
> higher gear for the descent". Does anyone know what they are actually
> doing - are they removing the sprocket and installing a larger one?
> And where are their brakes??
>
> The 1938 page says, "Note the primitive derailleur gears, allowed in
> the Tour for the first time in 1938." Interesting stuff.




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[benjo maso]

"Arthg" > wrote in message
...
> >>Does anyone know what they are actually doing - are they removing the
> sprocket and installing a larger one?
>
> I believe there was a single gear on both sides of the hub, so the riders
> would just 180 the wheel.



Right.


> > The 1938 page says, "Note the primitive derailleur gears, allowed in
> > the Tour for the first time in 1938." Interesting stuff.
>

Not quite correct. Derailleurs were already allowed before the First World
War (some kind of Sturmey Archer-model), but only for individual riders and
only for a few years. From 1937 on (not 1938) they were allowed for
everybody.

Benjo Maso

[Scribe2b]

on the rear fliflop hub one side had a fixed gear, the other a frewheel. at
the top of climbs the rear would be flipped for a freewheel descent
jc