During the 1960's and 1970's, the "shopper" was a popular genre of bicycle in England.
Usually, it was a small-wheeled bike with a longish wheelbase. This designed allowed it to be wheeled in and around marketplaces easily, and made it more stable than other small-wheeled bicycles when loads were carried on it.
People often mistook them for folding bikes as, to the untrained eye, they looked somewhat similar. However, a shopper typically could not be folded. More important, even when they are unfolded, "folders" are typically more compact than "shoppers."
Bobbin seems to be trying to revive the genre in Albion and introduce it to Americans. I wonder how many Yanks, upon hearing the term "shopper", expect a bike like this:
Today, in one of the college's bike racks, I saw something interesting:
I apologize that I couldn't get take a better photo. But, as you can see, it's a small-wheeled bike that doesn't have a folding or collapsible frame. It seems like a variant on the "Shopper" bike, which Bobbin and a few other companies have re-introduced during the last couple of years.
The medium-wide semi-slick tires are what one might expect to see on a city bike. And the bike's low profile makes for quick mounting and dismounting. Those features were common on the "shopper" bikes Raleigh and a few other English companies made during the 1960's and 1970's. Those bikes were very popular in Albion, but didn't seem to find much of an audience anywhere else. I think one reason may be that, in the US at any rate, people equated the small wheels with folding or children's bikes.
The bike in the photo differs slightly from those bikes, and from the Bobbin "shopper" I saw at Adeline's and in last year's New Amsterdam bike show. For one thing, the Bobbin, like the classic "shopper," comes with an internally-geared hub, while the bike in the photo has a rear derailleur with six speeds. Also, the Bobbin and the older bikes had fenders, chainguards and lights: They looked rather like classic three-speeds with smaller wheels and a somewhat tighter geometry.
Also, the bike in the photo has white(!) rims and chain. Could the maker (I could find only a "C" logo) be trying to appeal to hipsters? Even if that's the intent, I think it's an interesting bike. I was surprised to see it parked at the college. Then again, it might be just the right bike for a lot of student commuters or for students on residential campuses. In other words, it just might become a "collegiate" bike.
All right. Because you've all been such good readers, and I've been to a bike show, I'm going to treat you to some "bike porn." However, I'm going to show you some important but not-so-flashy stuff first.
In an earlier post, I started to talk about some of the ways in which this year's New Amsterdam Bike Show was different from shows I attended in days gone by. I mentioned the emphasis on utilitarian bikes. As much as I love to ride for sport and recreation, I'm glad that some bikemakers are actually seeing, and selling, their wares as alternatives to cars.
In that regard, the bikes that impressed me the most are those from Yuba Bicycles. They're probably the nearest two-wheeled equivalent to pickup trucks and vans. The bikes are actually equipped with a "flatbed" in the rear. Onto it one can attach seats, oversized panniers and even shelves. I've been told that these bicycles have been used to move the entire contents of apartments and houses, not to mention surfboards, stereo systems and such.
Yuba bikes must be seen to be believed. These bikes are not for anyone who has even the slightest pretense of being a racer. The wheelbase of a Yuba is nearly four times as long as that of Tosca, my Mercian fixed-gear bike!
The spiritual grandparent, if you will, of Yuba might be Worksman Cycles, who still make their machines in Ozone Park, Queens--just a few miles from my apartment. I've mentioned Worksman in a previous post, and meeting Bruce Weinreb, the company's Director for Custom Programs and Special Markets,only deepened my respect for their products, and for the company itself. Their industrial bikes are used all over the world, and countless pizzas have been delivered on their bikes. They can be great alternatives to cars and trucks, if for no other reason than they usually outlast, often by decades, their gas-guzzling counterparts.
They also make tricycles. I see at least a couple every time I go to Florida. However, they're not only for those who can no longer (or never could) ride two wheels: The space between the two rear wheels is all but ideal for baskets, bags and other ways of hauling cargo. They also make a Special Edition: the model you see in the photo. Ten percent of the purchase price of each of those bicycles is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Gazelle, which has long been noted for its city bikes with internally-geared hubs, is also making a bike out of recycled materials. A lighting system is built into the bike: The headlight is found where a head badge would normally be installed, and the tail light is under the seat. Both are solar-powered, and are said to store more power--and use it more efficiently--than earlier solar-powered bicycle lights.
Another utility bike I saw at the show has a lineage almost as long as that of Worksman or Gazelle bicycles. Actually, I first encountered it two nights before the show, in Tribeca's Adeline! Adeline!, where I attended a party intended to launch Bobbin, a British maker of city and transport bikes, in the USA.
At first glance, most people would think it's a folding bike or, if they're more knowledgeable about bikes, a replica of an early Moulton. However, there's no way to fold the bike, and about the only thing this bike has in common with the Moulton is its small wheel size. It's what's known in Albion as a "shopper." People ride them to marketplaces because their low profile makes them easy to mount and dismount when they're loaded, and easy to maneuver through the narrow aisles and crowds of people in marketplaces.
All right, now that you've stayed with this post, I'm going to deliver on what I promised. First off is a Horse track bicycle. Check out the lugwork and paint:
Here's one of their touring bikes:
And how can you not love a trussed frame like this one from Benjamin Cycles?:
Benjamin and Horse are both based in Brooklyn, NY. Could we see the day when a model called "Greenpoint" or "Bensonhurst" has the same cachet as one called "l'Alpe d'Huez" or "Stelvio"?
