|
|
Post by triitout on Feb 27, 2017 4:31:49 GMT
If you love the history of the humble bicycle, here's a story forgotten by time. Amazing tenacity and endurance of the 25th division of all black soldiers proving the practicality of a bicycle. It's a long video but it held my interest way more than the Oscar's tonight. Single speed 55lb Spaulding bicycles fully loaded over muddy trails and railroad ties would be challenging on the best mt bikes today. Imagine doing 1900 miles in 41 days. Lots of mechanical issues, flats, etc. but from what I saw, not one broken "death fork"! www.upworthy.com/the-black-soldiers-who-biked-2000-miles-over-the-mountains-and-out-of-american-history |
|
|
|
Post by cusqueno on Feb 27, 2017 12:58:02 GMT
I like the line ' ... had been volunteered by their white commanding officer, 2nd Lt. James Moss', but I guess if Moss rode the same bike as the men he wasn't all bad. The pdf here - or follow the first link in the text - has some more information, such as 'Seventeen tires and half a dozen broken frames is the sum of our damage.' (According to Moss.) So there might have been death forks. I wonder how and if they repaired the frames? With wood? Seventeen tyres/tires seems remarkably few for the 1890s and for such awful terrain. Not sure they would have had self-vulcanizing patches then either. The pdf mentions: ' Pvt. John Findley, who had previously worked for four years at the Imperial Bicycle Works in Chicago. Private Findley’s skills proved to be invaluable. When somebody had a breakdown he would fix it. Sometimes he stayed up all night making repairs. Accounts describe Findley switching bicycles with the rider of the bicycle in need of repair. The Corps would ride on and Findley would catch up.' A real Bicycle Repair Man. |
|
