Hello from Austria
09-29-23, 11:24 AM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Hello from Austria
Irish guy been in Graz, south east Austria for almost 30 years. Grew up riding steel framed bikes with friction shift etc & they're still good enough for me. Recently have fixed up New Old Bike which is a Mercian frame. Blog about this and other stuff at https://twobiscuits.at
Old Bike
New Old Bike
Old Bike
New Old Bike
Last edited by twobiscuits; 10-02-23 at 02:58 AM. Reason: add pics
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10-03-23, 12:58 AM
#4
Coquetdale Pagans
How do!? I bet those bikes get some envious looks on the roads of Austria. I'm a Brit living over the border in Germany for almost multiple decades too by now. I've never been to the Graz/Wien corner with the bike, but Tirol, Saalbach, Leogang, Badgastein and the Zillertal are frequently under my tyres. Will check out your blog. Happy cycling!
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10-03-23, 03:27 AM
#5
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Not sure many ppl around here know what to make of bikes like this ;-) Somehow the British concept of a touring bike seems to be absent. I know exactly one local guy who gets it. Last time I ran into him I said I was building a new bike with a Mercian frame and he took me by the arm and said "You know what the best mudguards are. Honjo." And I had to laugh bc they had just arrived. Others tend to see it as a museum piece. Which it isn't to me.
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10-03-23, 09:36 PM
#6
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These bikes were marketed in USA as "fast touring" bicycles.
Both early 1980s
Both early 1980s
Last edited by Wildwood; 10-03-23 at 09:41 PM.
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10-04-23, 07:48 AM
#7
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The ones you’re showing there were made by Puch right here in Graz :-)) (Austro-Daimler was their upmarket/handmade brand)
& I think they illustrate what I mean. They're pretty close to road sport bikes. If they weren't serious racing machines they would be called "Halbrenner". A somewhat different species to the British style of dedicated touring bike, which was mechanically similar enough to a racing bike, just with wider ratios, but had more relaxed geometry (typically 72° head angle) and clearance for slightly bigger tyres (1 1/4" or 32-ish) with mudguards.
The UK, France and Japan seem to have had bikes of more or less this type, which people would use for multi-day trips, with large saddlebags or panniers, often carrying tents, whereas here, that doesn't seem to have been much of a thing. Ppl either went on bikes like the above with a minimal/spartan amount of kit, or they possibly travelled on much heavier bikes with upright handlebars, etc.
In the UK/Ireland it may have been a climate thing. You could never rely on dry weather, so mudguards and waterproofs and a change of clothing were essential. That dictated a certain minimum of luggage. Rain on the continent in summer tends to come as thunderstorms, where you flee to the nearest shelter for an hour and then the sun comes out again. You don’t have to ride in drizzle all day …
Look at the bikes in this (part one seems to have gone missing). Almost uniform setup - that's what "touring bike" meant in England then.
& I think they illustrate what I mean. They're pretty close to road sport bikes. If they weren't serious racing machines they would be called "Halbrenner". A somewhat different species to the British style of dedicated touring bike, which was mechanically similar enough to a racing bike, just with wider ratios, but had more relaxed geometry (typically 72° head angle) and clearance for slightly bigger tyres (1 1/4" or 32-ish) with mudguards.
The UK, France and Japan seem to have had bikes of more or less this type, which people would use for multi-day trips, with large saddlebags or panniers, often carrying tents, whereas here, that doesn't seem to have been much of a thing. Ppl either went on bikes like the above with a minimal/spartan amount of kit, or they possibly travelled on much heavier bikes with upright handlebars, etc.
In the UK/Ireland it may have been a climate thing. You could never rely on dry weather, so mudguards and waterproofs and a change of clothing were essential. That dictated a certain minimum of luggage. Rain on the continent in summer tends to come as thunderstorms, where you flee to the nearest shelter for an hour and then the sun comes out again. You don’t have to ride in drizzle all day …
Look at the bikes in this (part one seems to have gone missing). Almost uniform setup - that's what "touring bike" meant in England then.
10-04-23, 09:28 AM
#9
Newbie
Thread Starter
Wait for it … "Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Evolution Folding V-Guard" 32s.
Afaik discontinued. Schwalbe told me the alternative is the Marathon Racer.
Afaik discontinued. Schwalbe told me the alternative is the Marathon Racer.
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