Cycling before the internet

[simoncc]

In London, the commuting kit of choice wa usually a 531 Claud Butler, or Dawes tourer, Green Karrimor KS100E panniers ...

For some of us this is still the commuting kit of choice. And I have no trouble outpacing most of the new breed of commuter on his heavyish, shiny, fat tyred, inconveniently wide handlebarred, front suspensioned or even full suspensioned, often quite expensive MTB with his little rucksack on his back steaked with gritty rainwater because of a distaste for unfashionable mudguards.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Tourers make excellent commuters.

 

[Keith Oates]

Word of mouth and LBS were the two main sources of knowledge for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dave5N]

YEP!
And how to shove a bicycle pump down a dogs throat, plus, how to pull its legs out sideways to crush its heart...very few pointers on how to cook your dog once you'd killed it though. Very remiss.

I haven't looked at it for years! I'll check and get back to you! I'm sure it did say that though I'm unsure why it should be considered controversial.

 

[Keith Oates]

It wouldn't be in certain parts of the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jaded]

The very early days of the Edinburgh Bicycle CoOperative.

That's where I found out about aluminium rims!

 

[red_tom]

...The Freewheel catalogue which I think sold Madison stuff....

I still remember drooling over the Modolo Kronos brakeset in the Freewheel catalogue. It just looked so far ahead of its time. Lucky I didn't have the cash to buy them (I think they were about £100 - in the eighties!) as it turn out they couldn't stop a grape from rolling off a table.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

in my first stint of riding a bike for pleasure, channel 4's tdf coverage and occasional visits to harry hall's shop (before it got bombed) were my main source of cycling knowledge.

 

[mr_hippo]

I was never a fan of the Freewheel catalogue, I preferred Ron Kitching's ‘Everything Cycling’. In my teenage years, a lot of my skills were learned by trial and error, spare parts from the local tip and specialised tools that included the famous dog-bone spanner, monkey wrench and lump hammer!
I think I still have tucked away in a suitcase back in the UK my first CatEye Mate.