Sri lankan everyday bike.

[Paulus]

This is the ubiquitous bike of choice on the island.
The all steel Hunter. 27 inch wheels and rod brakes. It seems to come in one size only and one colour.

 

[MartinQ]

Remember hiring them a couple of times when we were there.
Functional is about the best you can say about them :-)

 

[Dayvo]

Unsurprisingly they've got them here in India, too.

Some in worse condition than others.

 

[Ian H]

I seem to remember Lumala being the ubiquitous make when I was there (about 21yrs ago). Very stable on dirt tracks, but certainly not swift.

 

[Moodyman]

Proper bikes. Steel frame, upright position, mudguards, racks and wide tyres.

Us Britons are always worrying about handling and speed. Always in a rush.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Crikey, for a minute there I thought the street sign post was the seat post!

It's always interesting to get a look at what the common types of bikes are in these exotic types of countries.
In India I noticed that the overwhelmingly popular (i.e. probably the cheapest) was Hero. And they all have this weird rack arrangement that looks to be engineered to carry a family. Which of course they do.

 

[slowmotion]

We were in Sri Lanka 38 years ago when bikes were more common than scooters, motorbikes and cars. We returned there in February and were surprised how few bikes were left.

Fortunately, a fair few of these remain, complete with specialised Masochist pedals.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Proper bikes. Steel frame, upright position, mudguards, racks and wide tyres.
Us Britons are always worrying about handling and speed. Always in a rush.

Not all of us are obsessed about speed. Most of mine are fairly upright, and either have full mudguards and rack, or are capable of being fitted with them. An old Puch Touring 3-speed from 1973/74. May look like a pile of
shite, but rides very well. For the 70's utility rider who couldn't afford, or wasn't willing to pay for, a Raleigh!

 

[battered]

Not all of us are obsessed about speed. Most of mine are fairly upright, and either have full mudguards and rack, or are capable of being fitted with them. An old Puch Touring 3-speed from 1973/74. May look like a pile of
shite, but rides very well. For the 70's utility rider who couldn't afford, or wasn't willing to pay for, a Raleigh!

View attachment 508924

Would that actually have been cheaper than a comparable Raleigh, back in the day? In the 70s European imports were taxed, certainly cars like Alfa Romeo were twice the price of something like an MGB. Puch Austria have a long history of bicycle, scooter and car manufacture (Steyr Puch) going back 100 years. I think of them as very much an Austrian Raleigh.

 

[Oldhippy]

If it ain't broke and all that. Made last when all the plastic, carbon fibre and gadgets have long been assigned to the dump these things will still be rolling along. I saw one with grass stuffed in the tyres once in lieu of inner tubes.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Would that actually have been cheaper than a comparable Raleigh, back in the day? In the 70s European imports were taxed, certainly cars like Alfa Romeo were twice the price of something like an MGB. Puch Austria have a long history of bicycle, scooter and car manufacture (Steyr Puch) going back 100 years. I think of them as very much an Austrian Raleigh.

Puch were about 20% cheaper than Raleigh for an equivalent type bike. The quality wasn't quite so good though, especially in regards to the chrome plating. The frame joints at the dropouts were also electrically welded with the tube ends being swaged flat - at least they were in the case of the gas pipe stuff. They were perfectly functional, with good geometry, but Raleighs were better made all said and done.

 

[midlife]

Yep, we carried Puch bikes (Steyr Daimler Puch) back in the 70's in the shop where I worked to sell bikes to people who couldn't afford Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon bikes.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Yep, we carried Puch bikes (Steyr Daimler Puch) back in the 70's in the shop where I worked to sell bikes to people who couldn't afford Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon bikes.

Sears in the U.S. sold re-badged Puch 3-speeds as a buy-up from the Columbia 3-speed usually sold. Still see a few for sale.