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

[kylecycler]

Ouch!

[thelawnet]

This ad apparently dates from the 1920s

It doesnt say anything particularly interesting:

BSA bicycles are liked by bicycle riders
The best quality
Model and features so sweet
Ride BSA bikes
Available in black and green paint
Importer L Platon Batavia Semarang Surabaya

The same importer also imported BSA motorcycles

I am not sure exactly when this ad is from but I think the reference to the Netherlands Trading Company dates it to post 1949, pre 1957:

[thelawnet]

This is a Gazelle comic apparently from the 1930s Dutch Indies.


'In many cities and villages
There are many kinds of bicycle sold
Uncountable brands
The price is extraordinary'


'There are also cheap ones
The price of a single goat
But if you ride them for two or three days
Everything broken and not resellable'


'From that the clever man
Like Maas the wise man
Buys the Gazelle brand pneumatic bicycle
The famous brand'


'Gazelle brand select pneumatic bicycle
Light and pretty without competitor
Models pretty like a maiden
When astride you'll feel like in heaven'


'Fast like the wind
Carts, cars you'll leave behind
Down, up, you'll fight the wind
Always Gazelle in front


'Made from strong iron
Wheels and chain just the same
Can withstand being slammed down, do what you will
It's fine for tens of people to sit on it'


'Cheap, light, strong'

'Gazelle bikes are already famed
Light, fast, strong and cheap
Also available with light
Find profit extra income'


'The story of the brave Maas
Owner of a Gazelle, choice bicycle
To the upper golden islands
Gazelle bike is not left behind'


'Everyone who saw it
Is surprised to see such a beautiful bike
And asked 'Where did you order'
The answer 'Go to your Gazelle Agent'


'Not only many people
Who asked as such
But also Sultan Pakantan
Great glorious king'


'After listening to Maas' answer
They each opened their coin purse
And went directly to the Gazelle Agent
Flocking like to a rice store'


'All asked about Gazelle bikes
Pneumatic bicycle the #1 strongest
The agent replied calmly
"Gazelle brand is #1 in every respect"


'Look at this Gazelle model 7
In the world it has no comparator
To the seventh heaven
Gazelle always at the front'


'They each mounted their bikes
Flew like a Garuda bird
Their smiling face a sign of their happiness
They reached home without feeling a thing


The Sultan also excited
To own a Gazelle, select bicycle
Morning & afternoon no question
Ride the Gazelle to the gardens


Upon his return from the gardens
His face beaming like the moon
Because of his happiness with Gazelle select bicycle
Like winning a battle


The Sultan
Who has a daughter
Many sons of kings proposed to her
But none were successful


But now what has happened
But His Highness with good heart
After owning a Gazelle that's certain
Summoned young Maas


The princess was also summoned to the royal audience hall
To face the powerful king
Then asked the princess
What do you think of young Maas


The princess replied respectfully
Held out her two hands
All my father's wishes will follow
As long as you follow the Gazelle pneumatic bicycle


It was crowded with the people of the nation
For the wedding of the two youngsters
Revelling for days
Endless eating and drinking


The two of them lived perfectly
Without ever moping
Owning diamonds & gold
Grandchildren and children surviving


Despite wealth immeasurable
That belonged to his wife the crown princess
Gazelle bicycle always remembered
Just like he loved his wife


Gazelle bicycle always remembered
Just like he loved his wife
Because of its strength, lightness, and quality
Can last until his great-grandchildren



How Maas got a princess as his wife

By Gazelle Penumatic Bicycle Factory
Dieren Holland

[thelawnet]

Here we have a Goodyear tyre ad



It reads 'Ride Goodyear bike tyres without thinking'

I am not sure if this ad was used in Holland or the Indies, but it says 'Fongers, used by the army in Holland & the Dutch Indies





This is 1920s



It says: Pneumatic Bicycle Raleigh brand. Best. Lightest. Long lasting. Fastest.

This ad is a bit confusing



The Best Make

Jost Bicycle Industries Rotterdam

Batavia Yogyakarta

No idea what 'Jost' is here.

This is a Victoria delivery bicycle model V122H. Extra strong, fast. For bakery, milk, laundry. 1954

[RubaDub]

Not an advert or a reference to anything impending.

[reohn2]

Not an advert or a reference to anything impending.

Image (549).jpg

The chap on the right doesn't look it to me!

[kylecycler]

Not an advert or a reference to anything impending.

They're all politicians.

The two 'cyclists' are Arthur Balfour, Prime Minister from 1902-5, and William Harcourt, Home Secretary and Chancellor under Gladstone and then Leader of the Opposition.

The two 'starters' are Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquis of Salisbury, Prime Minister three times between 1885 and 1902, and Archibald Primrose, Earl of Rosebery, Prime Minister from 1894-5.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Balfour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H ... politician)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ga ... _Salisbury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald ... f_Rosebery

Do I get a prize or sumpin?

[kylecycler]

Raleigh 'special edition' police bike ad from 1933.

The blurb reads: Always ready for duty - fit for any undertaking, however rough - good for its "twenty-six years service", and then still as reliable as ever - the RALEIGH is indeed an indispensable member of "The Force".
The model illustrated is the all steel X Frame type which was specifically designed for police duty. It will withstand the heaviest strain, yet, while tremendously strong, it has a delightful flexibility which damps down road shocks. Heavier chromium plating and thicker enamel keep the RALEIGH always bright and smart however much it is used - whatever weather conditions it faces. Practically every member of the Force rides a RALEIGH - the finest value obtainable in cycles!

[JakobW]

Interesting; did police have to buy their own cycles, or was this just advertising pointing out that you too could own one of these Leviathans?

[Brucey]

The Raleigh ad is one from Ireland; the address is one in Dublin. IIRC there was a satellite Raleigh factory (in the north somewhere?) and they carried on making X-frame Raleighs long after they had been discontinued elsewhere in the UK. Dunno if they had to buy their own bikes but the 'twenty-six years' may be an allusion to the service term for coppers at that time?

cheers

[RubaDub]

Do I get a prize or sumpin?

Your inquiry about a prize will be dealt with in due course.

Meanwhile here's another.

[RubaDub]

Raleigh 'special edition' police bike ad from 1933.

Thanks for that ad.

The ad is from the Garda Review and the bikes were probably assembled in Dublin from imported parts to minimise the heavy duty on manufactured goods coming into what was then the Irish Free State following the Eire government's refusal to pay land annuities which started an 'economic war' with tit-for-tat imposition of import duties.

Here's a Rover catalogue from 1911 featuring a bicycle designed for the earlier Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).

[Brucey]

if you suffer from the 'inconveniences' listed, maybe the cure isn't a velocino so much as giving up cycling altogether...?











The steering lock is presumably limited by the handlebars clouting your thighs. If there were more movement available, I'd expect the pedals to hit the front wheel. Riding up steep hills is something that I would assume is impossible. The Velocino was (and is) illegal in the UK, since it only had one brake. Fitting and attempting to use a brake on the front wheel would be likely to propel you over the front wheel at high speed. At least the open frame design might improve your chances of landing on your feet...?

cheers

[wjhall]

The Raleigh ad is one from Ireland; the address is one in Dublin. ...?

cheers

The small print right at the bottom appears to say it was published by or for the Garda Siochana, which explains the uniform, probably closer to the twentieth century military tunic than English police uniforms of the time, which I think still followed nineteenth century military models. Possibly also why it refers more often to 'The Force' than to the police. (1)

Publication in a Gardai journal does seem to raise the possibility that the Guards were being urged to buy their own bicycles for service use, or perhaps paying for an advert in their magazine was an expression of gratitude for a large official order.

(1) http://www.theirishstory.com/2017/08/23 ... beginning/

[Brucey]

seventeen dollars was not a vast sum of money at the time, so machines of this type were within reach of many people. Not very many years earlier similar looking machines had sold for about ten times as much. Sears probably sold millions of bikes mail order; I have no idea whether this one would have been high quality or not.

cheers