John Little
12-Jul-11, 21:01
When I lived on Calder Drive I had a bike. When I was learning to ride I had those little wheels at the back. Eventually my dad decided that I did not need the stabilisers and removed them. I still remember falling off my bike where St Peter's Drive joins Calder drive and falling flat on my face- blood everywhere and a nose like a squashed tomato. For some reason it did not break.
It did not stop me being envious of the kids at number 1 who had a red scooter with a brake...
I loved that bike and rode up and round the estates on it quite happily until one day....
You'll note as you pass Calder Drive that number 1 has a slope up to it - not much of a slope by adult standards but by kid standards quite enough to perch your bike at the top of and ramp down. As I did that one day I fell off my bike and made a car do an emergency stop with its wheel 3 inches from my head.
My bike disappeared and for the rest of my time in Thurso I had to be a fast runner to keep up with my friends who did have bikes.
So eventually I was trusted with a bike again and was bought a second hand one in 1969 - a three speed Sturmey Archer one with 531 tubing and steel wheels.
Last month I had it resprayed. The wheels I cleaned up but are original. The gears work very well. Today I rode it down into town and wondered how I survived teenage because the brakes are very dodgy - I have bought replacements for them which I shall fit tomorrow. The bike is really too small for me and I do not wish step grandchildren to come a cropper- I've done it up for their use.
The three speed gears are severe - I must have had hard legs when a kid for I found the hills today much more difficult than on my hybrid.
But they made good bikes in Britain then - it's between 50 and 60 years old and still good.
It did not stop me being envious of the kids at number 1 who had a red scooter with a brake...
I loved that bike and rode up and round the estates on it quite happily until one day....
You'll note as you pass Calder Drive that number 1 has a slope up to it - not much of a slope by adult standards but by kid standards quite enough to perch your bike at the top of and ramp down. As I did that one day I fell off my bike and made a car do an emergency stop with its wheel 3 inches from my head.
My bike disappeared and for the rest of my time in Thurso I had to be a fast runner to keep up with my friends who did have bikes.
So eventually I was trusted with a bike again and was bought a second hand one in 1969 - a three speed Sturmey Archer one with 531 tubing and steel wheels.
Last month I had it resprayed. The wheels I cleaned up but are original. The gears work very well. Today I rode it down into town and wondered how I survived teenage because the brakes are very dodgy - I have bought replacements for them which I shall fit tomorrow. The bike is really too small for me and I do not wish step grandchildren to come a cropper- I've done it up for their use.
The three speed gears are severe - I must have had hard legs when a kid for I found the hills today much more difficult than on my hybrid.
But they made good bikes in Britain then - it's between 50 and 60 years old and still good.