Z
Zelda
Guest
With the publicity about the 100th anniversery of the TDF, I started wondering what the bicycles
were like in 1903. I found a good web site, though I wish it had more pictures:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/index.htm
This page http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1908.htm has a pretty good picture of
the bike, which has only one sprocket on the back, and no brakes that I can see.
This page http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1922.htm shows that at the top of a
mountain, "two riders stop to change to a higher gear for the descent". Does anyone know what they
are actually doing - are they removing the sprocket and installing a larger one? And where are
their brakes??
The 1938 page says, "Note the primitive derailleur gears, allowed in the Tour for the first time in
1938." Interesting stuff.
were like in 1903. I found a good web site, though I wish it had more pictures:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/index.htm
This page http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1908.htm has a pretty good picture of
the bike, which has only one sprocket on the back, and no brakes that I can see.
This page http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1922.htm shows that at the top of a
mountain, "two riders stop to change to a higher gear for the descent". Does anyone know what they
are actually doing - are they removing the sprocket and installing a larger one? And where are
their brakes??
The 1938 page says, "Note the primitive derailleur gears, allowed in the Tour for the first time in
1938." Interesting stuff.