The Flying Pigeon Project

African Roadsters

You may remember that I had stated that my first brake rod roadster sighting wasn't in China at all...It was in Africa. A Phoenix in Moshi, Tanzania, as I recall. We were there to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Well, while sorting through some old photos of that trip, I discovered that the bikes were not just preserved in my memory, some were preserved in photos as well!

Africa is an important market for both Chinese and Indian roadsters makes, and of course the locals have a colorful name for the bikes. They are known as "The Black Mamba". Quick, like the snake, and of course most of the bikes are painted black.

 

The couple above is peddling through a forest path on their way to the farm fields. The bike appears to be an Indian Hero, 28" of course. Westerners may question the sidesaddle method of riding adopted by the pillion passenger, but this is basically the only way a pillion travels in China as well.

Of course, bikes are also used as work bikes. The picture below, was intended to be one of those, "Filming you filming me" pictures when this gent carting a bike full of brush rode into the picture. As I recollect the locals were collecting tinder.

 

The next pic was taken in town where you can see a few roadsters. The one on the left looks again to be of Indian manufacture, judging by the box constructed fork crown. The bike is also seriously tall. Note where the top bar is in relation to the rider's waist!! The front fork trusses are also apparently designed with curves to allow fitting a basket, which is absent on this bike.

So did we summit Kilimanjaro? Mission accomplished.

Indian Custom- "The Bone Shaker"

As we've seen from past posts, for folks outside the developing world, Chinese roadsters can be a good basis for a custom. They are inexpensive, so if you have budget you can splurge on more expensive components and paint than you normally would.

Frequent Blog commenter, Larry Bone, took a different path with his Abley INDIAN roadster. It was purchased on e-bay for a mere $100, but when it came, with bent spokes, un-trued wheels, and other defects it was clear it had been manhandled at the factory, the port and the post office.  Which is to say , everywhere. It was...umm.. "utilitarian". Extremely so. A real lemon. And therefore a perfect candidate for turning into bicycle lemon-ade.

The inspiration in this case was the Pashley Guv'nor. A high end British "Path Racer" which is 1930's-speak for "Mountain Bike".

Larry started by stripping away everything that didn't look like a Guv'nor. First off, ALL the body work went. All of it. Meaning fenders, braces, industrial strength package rack and hockey stick chain guard. While your at it, ditch the brake rods and handle bars too. All gone.  

 

Now that the bike had lost about 30% of it's weight, he added back the things that DO make it look like a Guv'nor.  The bars, of course are upside down North Road bars. Caliper brakes from a 1970's stepthrough Raleigh "Colt", while not strictly Guv'nor-esque, certainly help stop the bike. They actually work with the Westwood rims after some bedding in. And why not dig into your parts stash and throw on a Raleigh chainwheel? It all works.

 
The ultra heavily sprung seat is an original Indian piece. If it's suited for the hills of the Punjab, it is probably good for a few Pennsylvania woodland paths.

 
And that is how "The Bone Shaker" was born! Good work Larry! Some tasty lemon-ade indeed.

Lhasa Roadsters Pt. 4- Tibetan Bike Store

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in Tibet is Buddhist. In fact Lhasa has a substantial Muslim population. While perusing the vegetable market in front of the main Mosque, I spotted this bike store.

Out front was this Indian import. It's "World Famous", but I never heard of the brand before.

Inside, the store had a huge store of parts. But probably most interesting to westerners would be these forks made of rebar. I have seen these usually on heavy utility trikes, but once in a while, also on bicycles. These would seriously upgrade your carrying capacity!

Like most bike stores in China, the will also service lots of different forms of wheeled transport: Trikes electric bikes, scooters and mopeds. But this Tibetan shop goes even further!!

Lhasa Roadsters Part 2: Humber

Not all the bikes in Lhasa were Chinese. Being fairly close to India, you would expect a few Indian roadsters would make their way north. Plus, the Brits had a trade office in Lhasa until 1947, so if you were really lucky you might find an exceptionally old British bike.

Let's examine the roadster below. At even a casual glance you can tell it is not Chinese. The large loop springs on the seat and center pull brake rods are not usual on a Chinese bike. Plus, the headlight speaks of a foreign origin. Very few Chinese bikes (except mine) use a light and dynamo. And then there is the strange double tube fork...like Humber.

 

Well...whaddya know? Humber indeed! But is it British or Indian?

The super sprung seat is from an Atlas, which of course is Indian. The rear package rack also looks Indian with its strip steel construction. Hardly conclusive though. Note also the handlebar mounted rat trap "map holder"

So let's take a look at the headbadge. Yep. The "Humber"...Cycle Corp. of India. A welcome immigrant  from warmer climes to the snowlands.

 

Indian Roadsters Part 8: Bicyclopedia India

I have compiled a little visual index of all the different roadsters I came across while traveling in India: Bicyclopedia India. Overall there are 32 different brands...and those are just the ones that I saw in my short stint there. 

Almost all originate in Ludhiana, India which must make it the roadster capital of the planet. Ludhiana is sometimes known as "The Manchester of India" because of it's industrial capacity. But these days, I'd wager the Punjabi city far exceeds Manchester in industrial output.

For future reference and convenience, I've also placed a link to the Bicyclopedia India over on the left-hand border. Enjoy.