Cycling UK Forum

mrjemm wrote:My suspicion is that in the dark days of murderous Maoism, a bicycle would've been viewed as a sign of elitism and the rider taken off and disembowelled.

I first went there at the end of the Mao era and everybody either rode bicycles or (more rarely) the bus all in their Mao suits. Cars were reserved for the political elite. As a foreign guest of the Government, I had a car and driver, a minder who had to go everywhere with me and in the hotel there was a lady at the elevator on each floor that noted your arrivals and departures. Today there are still quite a few bikes but also a lot of motor vehicles with the two interacting in a wonderfully free form way similar to what happens in naked-streets areas here.

I should look out my slides from back then and the pictures of bicycle rush hour in Beijing.

On the subject of socialism, I believe the National Clarion organisation is still going. This was a network of clubs set up before the war to promote the ideal of socialism among cyclists. I think they still have a website.

My Mother in Law was born in a Socialist country (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche ArbeiterPartei).
The country is no longer Socialist but they still do a lot of cycling.

jezer wrote:On the subject of socialism, I believe the National Clarion organisation is still going. This was a network of clubs set up before the war to promote the ideal of socialism among cyclists. I think they still have a website.

I'd be interested to see that

gaz wrote:Google "Socialism can only arrive by bicycle", a quote attributed to Jose Antonio Viera Gallo.

I think you'll find that your blog has already been written.

Gaz, I checked this out but could only find the quote, not any other extra stuff to back it up.
Any ideas if it was a whole theory and/or ideology or was it just a nice quote?

Sooper8 wrote:

jezer wrote:On the subject of socialism, I believe the National Clarion organisation is still going. This was a network of clubs set up before the war to promote the ideal of socialism among cyclists. I think they still have a website.

I'd be interested to see that

http://www.clarioncc.org/about.html

I looked at the AGM weekend and decided that I am too poor to be a socialist.

The Clarion clubs are obvious evidence of take-up of cycling by those with a socialist outlook, but it would be a leap of logic therefore to say that cycling was exclusively, or even disproportionately, taken up by that group. The early cyclists were of course the nobility, the gentry, and other rich types (no-one else had time).

Should be an interesting article...

Sooper8 wrote:Gaz, I checked this out but could only find the quote, not any other extra stuff to back it up.
Any ideas if it was a whole theory and/or ideology or was it just a nice quote?

IIIRC I first came across the quote on this forum, possibly someone's signature line. I've no knowledge of the context in which the quote was made.

Googling the quote turns up a forum thread on Urban75 and a blog discussing the idea.

Gaz
Thanks for the Ubran 75 link,the OP in that link has it about right IMV and some don't like it.Here's a quote from a reply further down page one:-

There's an element of arrogance to cyclists tho that really irritates me, its a sort of I'm doing my bit for the planet, therefore I'm on the road and I am more blah blah blah.

I saw a bloke on a bike the other day who was so paranoid about being on the road he was lit up like a disco on wheels with lights everywhere and high vis clothing. I remember thinking if I were that paranoid about being on a bike I'd take the bus.

I'm always aware of them when I'm driving but there is an element inside of me that wants to pelt them with rotten eggs as I drive past.

That can only be a percieved view of cyclists by an element of motons,how big an element is anyones guess.
But one thing's for sure,it's overtly and unnecessarily anti cycling which proves Coop's(the OP in the link) POV.
The bicycle is classless(viewed from outside of cycling that is ) it is cheap to buy,maintain,run and going off the quote above,galls atleast some motorists because of its cheapness,but mainly because they can not or will not do it themselves even for the shortest of journeys.
IMV the reason is that it requires effort,but mainly because they see it as beneath them and as such it would reduce their social standing or street cred.
This is the class system at work which is IMV played out on the road daily and consequentially capitalist/rightwing/Tory/etc.

I'm not sure how pertinent it is to your OP, but HG Wells was socialist in his outlook, and a number of his social narratives give an interesting view about the class system of his day, technology, and where he thought events might lead.

In particular, you might get some insight from his charming novel "The Wheels of Chance - A bicycling idyll", less well known than Kipps and Mr Polly. From this novel comes the quote, "When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” - well-known on this site.

stoobs wrote:I'm not sure how pertinent it is to your OP, but HG Wells was socialist in his outlook, and a number of his social narratives give an interesting view about the class system of his day, technology, and where he thought events might lead.

In particular, you might get some insight from his charming novel "The Wheels of Chance - A bicycling idyll", less well known than Kipps and Mr Polly. From this novel comes the quote, "When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” - well-known on this site.

Many thanks - I'll check that out!

This is all far simpler than it seems. Cyclist but no lycra = socialist, cyclist in lycra = facist (unless racing then elitist)

hexhome wrote:This is all far simpler than it seems. Cyclist but no lycra = socialist, cyclist in lycra = facist (unless racing then elitist)

I love it when something complex can be summed up in such a simple way. Bravo! (BTW My response is tongue firmly in check before anyone gets too upset)