Ride old bikes forever!

This is my new bike.

Although when I say new, what I really mean is, new to me... obviously.

Old bikes get a lot of love here at the Bicycle Safari, sometimes for the awesome bike logos and graphics, other times because they're some vintage masterpiece but equally often because they're a rusting pile of steel tubes. Regardless of these reasons though, I think there is something inherently good about riding old bikes. You're certainly not over whelmed with features, as perhaps the best boasting point on my new Hercules is the logo'd lamp bracket on the front.

But what you get has pretty much stood the test of time. Not to say that all old bikes were made well, carefully thought out or looked after since! But they are at least tough enough to still be rolling today which is a good sign.

Practical considerations aside though, the feeling of riding an old bike is definitely different, I think you remain very aware of the history involved in your bike and that you're extending the life span of a manufactured product into a new century. Or maybe old bike are just rad, either way, may this Hercules ride on for many years to come.

Improvise your way through a hipster winter

If you ride a fenderless fixie and are suffering from the road spray this winter, why not take a page out of the book of this rider, who's improvised a rear guard out of a water bottle jammed into their seat stays. At least I presume that's what it's for?

Obviously if you run a rear brake, your success may vary!

Hercules from Nottingham with retro bicycle logos

Hercules is another old British bicycle brand that started off well, allegedly producing bicycles strong enough to deserve to bear the name!

With the dominance of Raleigh in the 20th century though, the brand eventually got bought out and it became one of the many brands being made in Raleigh's enormous Nottingham factory, which at the time was the largest bicycle factory in the world.

With the decline of the British bicycle industry though, came the end of Hercules for a while. But through the brand has now been revived by an Indian manufacturer who seem to have applied it to a highly customizable mountain bike.

So to round off these photos of a nice vintage Hercules with some rad old logos. Here is the opposite.

Taken from: http://www.bsahercules.com/cycle-customiser.asp

Vintage Dawes has a sparkle in it's wheel nuts

Something this bicycle has surprised me with, is that it's the first Dawes I've inducted into the Bicycle Safari hunting cabinet. Dawes is a pretty massive brand here in Britain, and from taking a look at the ever lengthening list of bike brands over on the right, you'd presume it'd be up there with the Monarks, Peugeots, Raleighs and Husqvarna bicycles that have been featured here before.

But it's not! So here's the first Dawes, with a nice embossed head badge, stuck to the classic lugged steel frame, in this case finished in perhaps a questionable shade of brown.

But I think the nicest little touch on it is the starred wheel nuts. Quite a nice vintage touch, which you from time to time.