Vintage Bicycle Advertisements; good, bad. ugly...

[bagpussctc]

No, but I have just shed some light on it

[Sweep]

A certain artistic licence in that lucas beam I think bagpuss.
Wonder if anyone ever took one back?

[rmurphy195]

Growing up in Birmingham, in the 50's, not far from the factory, we always believed BSA stood for 'bl%%dy sore @rse'

I had one, good description

[Mike_Ayling]

Royal Enfield Bicycle ............... made like a gun.

BSA = Birmingham Small Arms.

Come to think of it Bell Helmets are alleged to be part of a group in the arms industry in America.

Mike

Growing up in Birmingham, in the 50's, not far from the factory, we always believed BSA stood for 'bl%%dy sore @rse'

I was aware of that too!

Mike

[Brucey]

Chain anyone.
2007_1109OLDC0008 by rebalrid, on Flickr

split link personality


cheers

[bagpussctc]

Probably got sent to....Coventry.

[bagpussctc]

Here in Derby Mercians looked to Cartoons to help sell their wares. All done by the late Jonny Helms .
Johnny Helms and Mercian by Robert, on Flickr

[Spinners]

Here in Derby Mercians looked to Cartoons to help sell their wares.

An early tweet from Mercian!

[bagpussctc]

We need a cat.

2007_1109OLDC0018 by rebalrid, on Flickr

[Brucey]

more 'bikes with steering wheels' nonsense, in this case Sears branded 'screamer' and 'spyder' models. These were built for Sears by one or more of the large US bike manufacturers, (Murray and Huffy are mentioned by others, but to me, most of these bikes look a lot like the Murray models upthread). Some models sported front suspension too, with an even smaller front wheel, for 'better handling' they say.





cheers

[bagpussctc]

Raining well here ...
2007_1123oldcats20007 by rebalrid, on Flickr


I will get my coat.
Every cloud has a silverthan.
filename-1 - Copy by rebalrid, on Flickr

[Brucey]

a little more research tells me that 'BTM' stands for 'British Tube Mills', which was a steel manufacturer with a tube mill based in Australia. Thus 'Healing' bicycles -handlebar style notwithstanding- bought in Australia would be made using locally produced tubing.

[Brucey]

Papillon (butterfly) bicycles are a brand I have not heard of before. Here the ad appears to be aimed at free-spirited (and presumably wealthy) young women; despite (or perhaps because) of her corsetry, the lass in the picture appears to have gone for a spin down the steps in her wedding dress, much to the consternation of the rest of the wedding party. Perhaps she hasn't yet lost the innocence of youth, as hinted at by the children playing in the fields beyond.

[Brucey]

another lass lifts a posh bike using just her fingertips; perhaps at the time it was obvious what the context was but today it seems less clear. Presumably it is the monocled chap's bike, he's certainly looking pleased with himself or something. Its not clear if the look of shock on the other lady's face is because she is lifting the bike or because she is talking to strange men....

Anyway the bike is made of that wonder-metal, aluminium. You will note that the frame has an additional diagonal tube, thus making the main frame fully triangulated. Goodness knows how the steerer is made; it very difficult indeed to make an aluminium steerer in 1" size that has a really good fatigue life. Aluminium didn't become very widely accepted as a frame material until a combination of oversized tubes, low cost/weight and -arguably- low expectations emerged, many years later.

[Brucey]

safety trousers? I think these have reinforcement on the hips, so that you don't get so badly knocked about should you come off. Perhaps they have other hidden 'safety features' that were not deemed fit for publication at the time?