TDF history & old bicycles

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/veloarc...tour/index.htm

This page
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarc.../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/veloarc.../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.

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/veloarc...tour/index.htm

This page
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarc.../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/veloarc.../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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"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

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