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I love this photograph (1960s British chaps?)

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I love this photograph (1960s British chaps?)

Old 07-14-19, 06:05 PM
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Kilroy1988 
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I love this photograph (1960s British chaps?)

I have no knowledge of the context of this photograph. It was posted by a member of the London Fixed Gear & Single Speed forum in the following thread (on page 59, which is linked):

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/238801/?offset=1450

I just couldn't turn away from it for a while... It tells a story, methinks, and I wished to share it here. Cheers!

-Gregory

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Old 07-14-19, 09:57 PM
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Yep. Thats a great look. Long sleeve wool jersey, no freakin helmets, toe clips, black leather shoes. I try awfully hard to keep that look going. Finding the old stuff in larger sizes is tuff, but its out there.
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Old 07-15-19, 12:05 AM
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Wool tights these days have a very limited selection.
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Old 07-15-19, 12:16 AM
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Originally Posted by big chainring
Long sleeve wool jersey, no freakin helmets, toe clips, black leather shoes.
...and whatever gloves you could find in the cupboard.
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Old 07-15-19, 06:32 AM
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I think the photo comes from Roger Pierre's The Book of the Bicycle, c. 1973. It was printed in England and sold in the U.S. during the boom, a relatively thin hardback with many photos. There were many pix in there that appeared to be from the 50s and early 60s, including lots of shots of schoolboys riding dropped-bar bikes equipped with Sturmey gearhubs, lots of Carlton-built Raleighs, etc. Somewhere in that book is a photo of a gentleman in a loose short-sleeved buttoned shirt and touring shorts on a fixed or single-speed bike with fenders fording a creek, looking like he is participating in the old CTC touring/map-reading competition. There was a contemporary book that I no longer remember that had the same guy, same bike, same ride but a different location among its photos.
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Old 07-15-19, 06:36 AM
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Originally Posted by rustystrings61
I think the photo comes from Roger Pierre's The Book of the Bicycle, c. 1973. It was printed in England and sold in the U.S. during the boom, a relatively thin hardback with many photos. There were many pix in there that appeared to be from the 50s and early 60s, including lots of shots of schoolboys riding dropped-bar bikes equipped with Sturmey gearhubs, lots of Carlton-built Raleighs, etc. Somewhere in that book is a photo of a gentleman in a loose short-sleeved buttoned shirt and touring shorts on a fixed or single-speed bike with fenders fording a creek, looking like he is participating in the old CTC touring/map-reading competition. There was a contemporary book that I no longer remember that had the same guy, same bike, same ride but a different location among its photos.
You have to love the web, here is an interview of Roger Pierre:

Roger St. Pierre - One of Cycling's Premier Historians and Archivists - VeloVeritas
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Old 07-15-19, 09:25 AM
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Makes me hot just looking at it, 97° here yesterday. We did have a nice foggy ride down the coast yesterday. I used to ride wool back in the day. Much prefer spandex now, but that's just me.
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Old 07-15-19, 11:47 AM
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Great composition. You can see that it's both steep and cold! I like the mix of older club bikes with mudguards, lights, wide tires with the newer road bikes and their narrow sprint wheels.
Raleigh Pro second from the left?
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Old 07-15-19, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Kilroy1988
I have no knowledge of the context of this photograph. It was posted by a member of the London Fixed Gear & Single Speed forum in the following thread (on page 59, which is linked):
isn't the context given by 'Clubman' when he posted that photo?
I stand corrected about the current popularity of tubs (at least in this group). But on this subject have a look at the attached pic. It dates from the mid '70s and was taken by Bernard Thompson (a well known Cycling photographer and journalist at the time) it is one of my all time favourite cycling photos. He titled it 'On Rockingham Hill', but I'd be inclined to call it 'Jeff Demonstrates the Superiority of Tubs'. Jeff Marshall is the rider near the centre with the black and white panelled cap - he looks happy while most of the others look as though they are being tested, and they are on heavy 27" pressures which are really better suited to the grit strewn February roads. The riders on heavy tyres were also on single gears - mostly fixed.

I wasn't on that year's ride, but I did go on some subsequent ones (it was an annual 'training' weekend, 100 miles on Saturday, same on Sunday back home), and I can tell you we had an awful lot of puncture trouble with light tyres.


The photograph would be unlikely prior to 1973, given that that was the first year of the Brooklyn cycling team as the rider on the right is wearing a Brooklyn jersey.

I would be surprised if it was reproduced from a book. If you zoom in on the image there is none of the 'screening' normally found in the reproduction of photos in books. All I can see is the film grain and fine scratches and dust, which would have been lost in any attempt to descreen (ie blur) the image. I would suspect that it comes from the 280 images from that photographer that are/were available as a CD. The CD was also included with the book purchase. see https://cyclinguphill.com/classic-cycling-photos/amp/
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Old 07-15-19, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Big Block
isn't the context given by 'Clubman' when he posted that photo?

Oh, hey, cheers! I got through the first few lines of his post and it didn't seem to relate, so I moved on. I went through all 76 pages of that thread in a couple of mornings over coffee just trying to see what the gist was. Missed a lot of the nitty-gritty!

-Gregory
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Old 07-15-19, 03:41 PM
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there are a number of bike projects on LFGSS as well.
Peter's Hobbs projects are a glorious read. 7VEN's 1947 Hobbs of Barbican Clubweight Build and many other old builds

and Quiet Mikes projects are a visual delight 1948 Rotrax - latest project and 1950 Jim Guard Cycles of Southampton - Eroica Steed
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Old 07-15-19, 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Big Block
isn't the context given by 'Clubman' when he posted that photo?
Gotta get a new handle
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Old 07-17-19, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by rustystrings61
I think the photo comes from Roger Pierre's The Book of the Bicycle, c. 1973. It was printed in England and sold in the U.S. during the boom, a relatively thin hardback with many photos. There were many pix in there that appeared to be from the 50s and early 60s, including lots of shots of schoolboys riding dropped-bar bikes equipped with Sturmey gearhubs, lots of Carlton-built Raleighs, etc. Somewhere in that book is a photo of a gentleman in a loose short-sleeved buttoned shirt and touring shorts on a fixed or single-speed bike with fenders fording a creek, looking like he is participating in the old CTC touring/map-reading competition. There was a contemporary book that I no longer remember that had the same guy, same bike, same ride but a different location among its photos.
That photo does not appear in Pierre's book. There is a photo of a similarly dressed squad of riders who look like they are having more fun than the grim-faced bunch in this superbly composed shot, which, thanks to @Big Block we now know more about.
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Old 07-17-19, 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by conspiratemus1
That photo does not appear in Pierre's book. There is a photo of a similarly dressed squad of riders who look like they are having more fun than the grim-faced bunch in this superbly composed shot, which, thanks to @Big Block we now know more about.
You know, you're right. The group of similarly dressed riders in the St. Pierre book DID look less serious than this lot. Wasn't one of them waving or something? It's been a while since I parted with those books ...
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Old 07-17-19, 04:09 PM
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Great picture. Thanks for posting it. I'm still very much into wool. Love the look and feel.
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Old 07-18-19, 01:18 AM
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and I like this one


from the same photographer
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Old 07-18-19, 07:02 AM
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Salmon P. Chase?
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