Militarvelo - Swiss Army Bike

Perhaps it is because Switzerland is a landlocked country that they held on to their Bicycle mounted army divisions for so long... The original Swiss Army bike, or 'Militarvelo' is simple, with one riding position and a single gear. It is extremly rigid and incredibly heavy. It weighs about 23kg - more than 50lb.

More recently, the army issue bicycle was developed using mountain bike technology, and that is the example you see here. It combined the qualities of the older roadster-style bicycle with the modern handlebars, brakes, and rear derailler of a mountain bike. Of course, the most obviously unusual feature are the many fitted bags

When I first saw these bicycles, they looked like the perfect do-everything bike. A bike you could hop on anytime and take on any terrain under any weather. A bicycle that also had plenty of load capacity and a simple, rugged appearance.

Of course, being more of a bike snob then a bike historian, my immediate impulse is to hone and improve the concept. A lightweight steel mountain bike frame with rack and fender mounts would be a great starting point, fitted with high quality componentry and racks. A classic leather saddle such as a brooks would look perfect with battleship grey or black paintwork, and the racks and accessories could be painted to match.

'Fit-for-a-purpose' is the best way to describe the quality that all the best bicycles have - and these Militarvelos are a great example of the breed.

US Military Bicycles - Montague

In 1997, under a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Montague partnered with the US Marines to develop a tactical folding all terrain bicycle. Check out this comparison table comparing the bicycle to other means of military transport: 

Efficiency Chart
SYSTEM	LOAD CAPACITY	DAILY RANGE	SPEED	FUEL PER DAY
Foot-Infantry	50 pounds	25 miles	@ 3 MPH	3 lbs. MRE for rider    24 lbs. H2O for rider
Bike-Infantry	75 pounds	75 miles	@ 10 MPH	3 lbs. MRE for rider    24 lbs. H2O for rider
Horse/Rider	100 pounds	100 miles	@ 15 MPH	40 lbs. Hay    150lbs. H2o 3 lbs. MRE for rider 24 lbs. H2O for rider
Motorcycle/Rider	100 pounds	300 miles	@ 40 MPH	55 lbs. Gas    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider
5-Ton Truck	10,000 pounds	300 miles	@ 40 MPH	710 lbs. Dsl.    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider
AAV (APC)	10,000 pounds	240 miles	@ 30 MPH	1,234 lbs. Dsl.    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider

Efficiency Chart
SYSTEM	LOAD CAPACITY	DAILY RANGE	SPEED	FUEL PER DAY
Foot-Infantry	50 pounds	25 miles	@ 3 MPH	3 lbs. MRE for rider    24 lbs. H2O for rider
Bike-Infantry	75 pounds	75 miles	@ 10 MPH	3 lbs. MRE for rider    24 lbs. H2O for rider
Horse/Rider	100 pounds	100 miles	@ 15 MPH	40 lbs. Hay    150lbs. H2o 3 lbs. MRE for rider 24 lbs. H2O for rider
Motorcycle/Rider	100 pounds	300 miles	@ 40 MPH	55 lbs. Gas    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider
5-Ton Truck	10,000 pounds	300 miles	@ 40 MPH	710 lbs. Dsl.    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider
AAV (APC)	10,000 pounds	240 miles	@ 30 MPH	1,234 lbs. Dsl.    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider

Efficiency Chart
SYSTEM	LOAD CAPACITY	DAILY RANGE	SPEED	FUEL PER DAY
Foot-Infantry	50 pounds	25 miles	@ 3 MPH	3 lbs. MRE for rider    24 lbs. H2O for rider
Bike-Infantry	75 pounds	75 miles	@ 10 MPH	3 lbs. MRE for rider    24 lbs. H2O for rider
Horse/Rider	100 pounds	100 miles	@ 15 MPH	40 lbs. Hay    150lbs. H2o 3 lbs. MRE for rider 24 lbs. H2O for rider
Motorcycle/Rider	100 pounds	300 miles	@ 40 MPH	55 lbs. Gas    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider
5-Ton Truck	10,000 pounds	300 miles	@ 40 MPH	710 lbs. Dsl.    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider
AAV (APC)	10,000 pounds	240 miles	@ 30 MPH	1,234 lbs. Dsl.    ? oil + pumping/storage Equipment 3 lbs. MRE for rider 25 lbs. H2O for rider

From the Archives....Fisher CR-7 Review

From the Archives - the Fisher CR-7 Mountain Biking UK Review from 1988.

After reading this (at age 13) I went with a friend on a mountain biking holiday in the Pyrenees in 1990. I was 15 going on 16! I also developed a deep desire to sometime own a Fisher CR-7 Mountain Bike, or at least ride one. Fast forward twenty years, and I am recently the proud owner of an original frame and fork, and looking forward to getting it built up! Read on and you will understand why....

Fall riding in New England - Rapha Continental

Autumn in New York. Crisp, bright mornings. Multi-layered rides on quiet back roads. This November weekend saw the Bellerophon Cycle Club riding in Connecticut's Litchfield Hills, taking in part of the Rapha Continental route...

On these deserted Sunday morning rides it's always exciting to come across a sign that others also rate these roads as some of the best - in this case it was a series of Rapha 'R's, spray-painted on the fresh asphalt in West Cornwall, Connecticut. Rapha's famous 'Continental' riders rolled on these very roads.

About halfway through the ride we started skirting around the base of Great Mountain - flirting with the climb to come.

The climb itself is a monster, as I've described before - here. Suffice to say, it gets easier every time, but it will make you pay if Saturday was a late night...There is a riding stables just before the summit, and the local riders are usually good for some cheers of encouragement.

After the climb we hit the dirt roads - the surface is very hard and quite smooth at this time of year. We use 700x23 tires and they work fine - just make sure they aren't super light weights - these our the current favorites of the club - Continental 4-Season.

The resevoir is at high altitude, and feeds the town of Norfolk (home of Archer Cycles) below, fed by gravity. This is the water in my bidons.

It was 37 degrees when we left in the morning, and 66 when we got back to the club...great ride!

Continental Grand Prix 4-season Tires

Looking for the best fall riding tire for your racing bike? These are them. Possibly the best compromise clincher tire out there.

Introducing the Continental GRAND PRIX 4-Season tires, available in 700x23 sizes. These are the tires that the Rapha Continental Team have been riding all over the country, encountering roads sight unseen, that could be tarmac, gravel or dirt. You can read about those rides here:

http://www.rapha.cc/road-journal

Okay, so what makes these so great? Well, they have kevlar puncture protection, yet offer an incredibly supple ride. These are silky, feelsome treads. So much so, that you worry for them, but I have taken them over dirt tracks, gravel roads and cobbles, without complaint. The grip they offer is good, but more importantly, the handling feel they offer is excellent, allowing you to feel the limits of adhesion through the messages they send back through the bike's frame and bars.

Remarkably, these pictures were taken after a couple of hundred miles of riding. Looks like they are going to wear well. They have quite deep grooves in the tread compared to a lot of road tires, which is great when conditions get wet and slippery, and they have a nice look to them, the graphics aren't too bold and the sidewall protection shows with a faint dark orange webbing on the sidewalls.

With all of this performance and piece of mind the 220g weight per tire is small price to pay. You might save 30g on a set of racier tires, but you will certainly pick up more flats and/or ride less dirt roads. Did I mention I love these tires?

Riding the 1953 Raleigh Sports

Pedalling softly along the pavement, the well-oiled tick-tock of the rear hub mixing with the sound of the crisp autumn leaves rushing beneath the tires, I admire the smooth and efficient progress of this 1953 Raleigh. Every mechanical action feels solid, as smooth and precise as the day it left the factory in Nottingham, England.

1953 was a special time for the bicycle, and particularly for Raleigh. Their popular Sports and Roadsters models had become the premier form of human-powered transportation, being considerably lighter and quicker than either the old heavy English utility roadster or the American "balloon-tire" cruiser bikes. In 1946, Raleigh and other English bicycle manufacturers accounted for 95% of the bicycles imported into the United States. Moreover, Raleigh's dominance in the transport Bicycle market during the 1950s came at a time when automobile ownership in Europe was limited and the Bicycle was considered a primary means of transport.

This 1953 Raleigh Sports, with it's 3 speed Sturmey Archer 'pre-selector' gears, dynamo lighting, caliper brakes and all-steel construction, showcases all of the qualities that made Raleigh the top choice for bicycling in the 1950s. Since it's formation in 1887 was a manufacturer that put quality above any concern of cost. The Raleigh Bicycle was compared to the Rolls-Royce Motor Car, both companies famously striving to produce the best without sacrifice, and all of it's 66 years of technical innovation and knowledge is evident in this cycle.


The 57 year old paint is deep and lustrous, the surprising lack of scratches testament to the durability of the original workmanship. Every nut and bolt turns with the precision that comes from precisely machined tolerances and expensive materials.

Whether you are pedalling or coasting, a flick of the thumb selects the next gear, and when you briefly stop and resume pedalling, the hub moves silently into the selected gear. There are 3 ratios available, being 70%, 100% and 130% of the chosen ratios. The ratios can be fine tuned by selecting different size cogs for the rear hub, which are of the common type easily available today. On my hilly test route I found only the direct and 30% lower gears to be useful, although they were well judged.



The geometry of the bike is not as slack as you would imagine, and the handling is surprisingly contemporary. The low speed maneuverability is outstanding, and although there is a slight loss in high speed stability, that trait is compensated for by the gyroscopic effect of the steel wheels. Beyond the modernity of the handling, what really surprises with the ride of this machine, is the pedalling efficiency. The bike pedals extremely well, mostly because of the quality of the mechanicals but also because the geometry produces a powerful cycling form. The upright riding position can be tailored to match any rider or preference, with a broad range of adjustment.

Handlebar set an inch below the saddle for a six foot rider.The 1950s design hides its bulk well. With the lighting system and mudguards, the bike weighs approximately 40 lbs, but somehow the weight is never an issue. Compared to my 16 lb Merlin Extralight Road bike, it is heavier, but it also has more momentum. It is surprising how little the weight matters, and when you consider that the bike is intended to be loaded with 200 pounds of rider and cargo, it becomes even less of an issue. I would not hesitate to take this '53 for a 10 mile trip.



The full chaincase is incredible. When riding or handling the cycle, you don't have to worry at all about chain grease staining clothes, which is liberating in a way that I hadn't expected. No longer does a bike ride require a change of clothes, a tuck of trouser into sock - just hop on and off you go. The system is also completely quiet, and has an appealing early aerodynamic style to it. There is no doubt that it is an added complexity when it comes time to change the chain or tire, but this is a rare event.

By the mid 1950s, Bicycle sales began to decline in Europe as automobile ownership became increasingly common. As the market shrank many of the English manufacturers were acquired by Tube Investments to form the British Cycle Corporation, and in 1957 they also acquired Raleigh Cycles, consolidating production at the Raleigh Factory in Nottingham, which then began producing not just Raleigh, but Humber, Phillips, Hercules, Rudge BSA and Sun. Thus began the dilution of the Raleigh brand, and the Raleigh product.

The 1952-57 Raleigh's therefore represent the product of an independent company at it's height of manufacturing ability. It shows everywhere you look and touch on this machine, from the quality of the chrome to the smoothness of the bearings. These are fantastic vintage bicycles that are a joy to use.

Tame the Monster! Riding with Bellerophon

Halloween morning saw the Bellerophon CC out on a 32.4 mile ride through the Litchfield Hills of Northern Connecticut, passing through Cornwall Hollow to the highest village in the state, Norfolk, and taking it's highest road. The final climb over 'The Mountain' was a monster, averaging 6% grade over 2 miles, and peaking at 8% grade.

Although it was only 37 degrees in the morning the sun was out, raising the temp to the mid 40s. The wind was gusting in places though, enough to almost knock us off our cycles.

 

Monster Mountain - 8% grade in Connecticut.

In Greek Mythology, Bellerophon is "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters" who rode Pegasus, the winged horse. Riding with Bellerophon is seeking out the best routes, finding the hardest climbs, the most scenic and challenging roads, the swiftest downhills.

Today, for Bellerophon, the roads were empty and beautiful - great ride.

Old School Legend: 1989 Fisher CR-7 Mountain Bike

There are a few bikes out there from the early pre-suspended days of Mountain Bikes (pre-1990) that have rightly earned legendary status for their combination of ride quality, ground breaking design, and aesthetic appeal. Fewer still, were durable enough to be rideable today, twenty plus years on. This rare vintage Fisher CR-7 composite mountain bike frame (he wasn't Gary back then, just Fisher) is one such bike. It was raced by Fisher's Mountain Bike Team, praise was lavished upon it by every test rider that swung a leg over it, and it was considered the ultimate ride from one of Mountain Biking's first practitioners.

The main triangle is aluminum and the rear triangle is steel. The rear triangle bolts onto the front portion. Clever idea. This is the production version of the very rare Mantis XCR Composite frame designed by Richard Cunningham to exploit the merits of both materials. The fat aluminum tubing used for the front triangle of the frame is stiff due to the large diameter tubes, but it is impossible to use such tubes for the chainstays and seatstays without excessive crimping, so steel is used in those locations. The two materials cannot be welded so the rear triangle is bolted on using heliarced inserts in the aluminum and steel allen bolts.

The main triangle has had the black paint removed, although some remnants remain on the bottom bracket. The welds are very nice. I could find no dents or damage to the frame.

The chainstays are built from Fisher specified Tange chromoly tubing and are very rigid, allowing very positive braking, and have investment-cast fittings welded to them. Unusually for a team race bike, the CR-7 has fittings for mounting rack and fenders, making it unique among Mountain Bike legends.

Fisher built the frame with a special bottom bracket which is 15mm wider than a conventional unit, providing greater tire clearances than any other frame at the time.

Another Fisher innovation is the 'Fisher Evolution Headset' which is oversized, being 1-1/4" instead of the 1" which was the standard at the time. As contemporary testers put it - "The headset and steering column are about 25 per cent larger in diameter than conventional units. This makes an astonishing difference to the steering characteristics. The design is based on tests that showed the major stress point on bicycle frames to be around the bottom of the headtube. Fisher saw this as the obvious place to concentrate strength. This he achieved by making the whole unit bigger...Gary Fisher stuck his neck out, produced a unique headset and brought in a winner.

I'm not sure what I am going to do for a final finish - the original Fisher color scheme and graphics seen on the similar bike above, are classic looking, but I may also opt for a stealthier custom look in plain black, perhaps with an Archer logo!

1989 Fisher CR-7
Seat tube: 19" c-c, 20 1/2" c-t

Top tube: 22 1/2"

Chainstay: 16 7/8"

Head tube: 4"

Uses a 31.6mm seatpost (not included)

Rear dropout spacing is 135mm

Bottom bracket height is 12"

Standover height is 31"

Head tube takes a 1 1/4" headset

Serial number is Y98278.

The Archer Workshop - serving the classic and performance bicycle enthusiast

Introducing the Archer workshop in all it's glory. We are currently going through a major reorganization. In stock - spare parts, vintage parts, tires and accessories. Bicycles for repair and restoration.

New bicycles just arrived, including a 1970 Raleigh Sports Ladies Bicycle.

Also in are some legendary classics from the world of Mountain bikes - 1998 Spooky Metalhead, 1990 Yeti For Racing Only (FRO), 1998 Yeti DH-6 and a 1994 Yeti ARC-AS-LT. We look forward to bringing you more information about these and other project bikes in the future.

1953 Raleigh Sports, Part II

Here are some detail pictures of my 1953 Raleigh Sports, made in Nottingham, England. It is amazing to think that this bicycle was built 57 years ago. It is a survivor, rather than a restored museum piece, which I like because that means that I can use it, and not feel too guilty if I add a little more 'patina' to it. It has a few dents and the decals are scratched off in places, but it wears it's original paint and most of its original parts.

The original headlight has a black painted body, much like the lights on a 1953 Jaguar XK120, which were also painted instead of chromed due to a chrome shortage in England at the time.

The brake levers are very clean and unmarked - newer replacements perhaps? The brake cables and housings look very aged, and it is going to be a tough call whether to replace them with new for the sake of performance, or to keep the ones that are on there for the sake of originality. 

The saddle is an old brown Brooks B66 sprung saddle. I have the original one safely stored but it is too decrepit to use, the leather nose has torn clean off. This one is a vintage model of very similar colour and finish, unlike the new Brooks B66 which has a texture to it.

The chaincase is a very desirable feature, as it means that you can wear any clothing you please without getting grease or dirt from the chain on yourself. The chain is also protected to some extent from dirt and debris, and thus can go longer between services.

The shifter chain and cable for the 3-speed Sturmey Archer rear hub exits through the hollow hub axle, which makes for a very clean design for the chaincase. 

The dyno front hub has two pick-up points for the positive and negative wires for the lighting system. The front headlight then has a switch on the underside so that the system can be switched off during the daytime - I have read that this reduces the drag from the front wheel but I have not been able to test this. At the moment the system is not working and I need to troubleshoot it. There is no noticeable drag from the hub at the moment.

Here is a great shot of the 1953 Raleigh logo - so stylish.

The pedals are also stamped with the Raleigh logo.

The rear hub is a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub. It has an oil port which you put a few drops of motor oil into. These bicycles need automotive lubricants, not modern lightweight oils. They are designed to be serviced at long intervals.

The classic English white tail to the mudguard. Also notice the leather hubshiner, and the rear dynamo light.

The original stem is very compact and does its job beautifully. It reminds a lot of many high end cnc'd mountain bike stems, but in a much smaller size. The bell is a new Japanese brass bell - there is a fashion at the moment for installing these on the neck of the stem, so I am giving that a try at the moment - not sure about it though, as I imagine that you would want the bell closer to your hand in a panic situation. The Sturmey Archer 3-speed thumbshifter is another original piece that reminds me of my mountain biking days - remember the 1989 Shimano Deore XT Thumbshifter? SIS, or Shimano index shifting, was only a few years old, but these English bikes had it long before!


 

These bikes came in different sizes, and I think that this is the largest - a 23" frame. It is a great fit for me and the bike is very comfortable and pedals efficiently. The cranks are 170mm long, and I am used to running 175mm long crankarms. I am still refining the riding position, but this is pretty close to what the final position of bars, stem and saddle will be. Next on the list is taking the bike apart and going through it - tuning, tweaking, new tires, a rack, and getting the lights working.