TDF history & old bicycles

[Zelda]

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.

 

[Arthg]

>>Does anyone know what they are actually doing - are they removing the
sprocket and installing a larger one?

I believe there was a single gear on both sides of the hub, so the riders would just 180 the wheel.

"Zelda" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.

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[Benjo Maso]

"Arthg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >>Does anyone know what they are actually doing - are they removing the
> sprocket and installing a larger one?
>
> I believe there was a single gear on both sides of the hub, so the riders would just 180
> the wheel.

Right.

> > The 1938 page says, "Note the primitive derailleur gears, allowed in the Tour for the first time
> > in 1938." Interesting stuff.
>

Not quite correct. Derailleurs were already allowed before the First World War (some kind of Sturmey
Archer-model), but only for individual riders and only for a few years. From 1937 on (not 1938) they
were allowed for everybody.

Benjo Maso