tiltjlp
PN co-founder
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
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- Favorite Pinball Machine
- Flying Trapeze 1934
Even as a young boy, I was overweight and clumsy. And that image didn’t change for the better when we moved from the Cincinnati neighborhood of Fairmount, to the suburb of Delhi Township 1n 1959. What clinched my reputation as a lovable oaf was an English Racer bike I acquired second-hand. English Racers are narrow, slender bikes not intended to be ridden by, shall we say, husky individuals. I fit the husky category to a T, and then some.
English Racers have a feature, that back in 1960, was uncommon on the average American bike, hand brakes. Unlike coater brakes, hand brakes, which are commonplace now, are controlled by levers mounted on the handlebars. When you squeezed the levers, brake pads rubbed against each tire, stopping you. The pads were cork, and wore out fairly fast, it seemed.
Since English Racers weren’t commonplace in the US, there were only a few shops that sold replacement brake pads. Of course, I was at the mercy of my father when it came time to purchase new brake pads. And since the nearest shop selling any English Racer parts was across town, I often rode my bike without brakes. That only added to the amusement of my friends and neighbors.
The subdivision street we lived on was a hill, and so when I’d need to stop, I’d aim for a telephone pole. With practice I was able to time my dismount and the impact into the telephone pole fairly well, and seldom had any problems. But the first several times I came away limping, which made the neighbors wonder about my lack of common sense. Suprisingly, that English Racer wasn’t nearly as fragile as it looked, and stood up to the punishment I inflicted upon it.
Since Delhi Township has many of the hills Cincinnati is known for, I at least had enough sense not to ride my English Racer out of the subdivision, which meant I walked most everywhere I wanted to go with my friends. I always hoped that all of that walking we did would help me lose some of my weight, but maybe I was destined to be larger than life. Things became a bit easier and more convenient once my buddies began to drive.
Looking back, I wonder how I rode that English Racer, with all its gears, and never was able to lose weight. Some of the gears made peddling so hard I’d dismount and walk the bike uphill to conserve my energy. But what I really wonder about is whatever became of the heavy duty Columbia bike I had before I owned that English Racer? That Columbia was much more suited to someone of my size and weight.
English Racers have a feature, that back in 1960, was uncommon on the average American bike, hand brakes. Unlike coater brakes, hand brakes, which are commonplace now, are controlled by levers mounted on the handlebars. When you squeezed the levers, brake pads rubbed against each tire, stopping you. The pads were cork, and wore out fairly fast, it seemed.
Since English Racers weren’t commonplace in the US, there were only a few shops that sold replacement brake pads. Of course, I was at the mercy of my father when it came time to purchase new brake pads. And since the nearest shop selling any English Racer parts was across town, I often rode my bike without brakes. That only added to the amusement of my friends and neighbors.
The subdivision street we lived on was a hill, and so when I’d need to stop, I’d aim for a telephone pole. With practice I was able to time my dismount and the impact into the telephone pole fairly well, and seldom had any problems. But the first several times I came away limping, which made the neighbors wonder about my lack of common sense. Suprisingly, that English Racer wasn’t nearly as fragile as it looked, and stood up to the punishment I inflicted upon it.
Since Delhi Township has many of the hills Cincinnati is known for, I at least had enough sense not to ride my English Racer out of the subdivision, which meant I walked most everywhere I wanted to go with my friends. I always hoped that all of that walking we did would help me lose some of my weight, but maybe I was destined to be larger than life. Things became a bit easier and more convenient once my buddies began to drive.
Looking back, I wonder how I rode that English Racer, with all its gears, and never was able to lose weight. Some of the gears made peddling so hard I’d dismount and walk the bike uphill to conserve my energy. But what I really wonder about is whatever became of the heavy duty Columbia bike I had before I owned that English Racer? That Columbia was much more suited to someone of my size and weight.
