Pushbikes.

Here you are, Ulrich. This may give you some idea of the prices involved...

 

there the famous d-day pic with the Canadians coming ashore with thier bicycles

 

Trooper Stan W Scott, No. 3 Army Commando tells of riding his fold-up bike from the beach to Pegasus Bridge

D-Day to Pegasus Bridge 1944 - YouTube

...

 

An example of a folding bike used by the Bersaglieri (Italian sharp shooters), the photo is from the early 1930s, but it was in service in WW2. The link is to a WW1 example showing the method of carrying it:

File:BicycleBersaglieri2.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Excellent article on infantry bicycles in the Wikipedia here:

Bicycle infantry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Thank you all for your efforts to show me the bikes! Not a really bargain. But it looks good.

 

Hi all, been looking for an old P&C advert for the Parabikes, they had piles of them at £1-10-0 each, I saw them when I was a kid, found mention of the WD motorbikes, and one old advert, where they are selling 900x13 tyres,!!! and other interesting bits. but no luck with bike advert.


In 1939 Pride and Clarke were importing foreign machines - a DKW 250 could be purchased for £45.15s.0, and a 500cc Deek twin for £69.10s.0 (or if you preferred the never-never, £8 deposit and 36 months to pay -- which was a very attractive way to obtain that dream before you could really afford it!).
You could also buy a 122cc motorcycle badged as a Pride and Clark in 1939; it was called a Cub and used a Villiers two-stroke engine in a simple loop frame, with girder forks and a three-speed gearbox. It was listed for just one year…
The lean years of WW2 were soon forgotten in the bike trade as Pride and Clarke were selling ex-WD motor bikes for £39.10s.0, finished in attracted olive green and delivered to your nearest railway station (this was before the years of Dr Beeching!).
Of course you would need something to protect yourself, the cloth cheese-cutter flat cap was the uniform for your head but Pride and Clarke's clothing department had a further £15,000-worth of stock in their clothing department. Suits you - if you were into ex-DR's gabardine raincoats and black leather boots or black rubberised PVC clothing.


By the way, the one sold on E bay for £2078.67

regards lofty

 

Blimey - that eBay one's sold:
US $3,250.00 [ 36 bids ]
Approximately £2,078.67

Oooh man...!

 

Sorry VP doubled up on that , however a staggering amount of money, but seemingly an Arnhem original, look how many bikes you could have bought years ago for the price of a knackered saddle, not a what if, just a reflection.

 

Blimey - that eBay one's sold:
US $3,250.00 [ 36 bids ]
Approximately £2,078.67


I've been thinking about how good a bike you could buy for £2000 today. It's a heck of a lot of money. I just hope the buyer actually has a go on the thing and doesn't just hang it up on the wall.

 

... this stuff's passing into real museum piece territory by the looks of it.
Here's another museum piece, me in my 80s not quite up to military strength, preparing for the Olympics.

 

Here's another museum piece, me in my 80s not quite up to military strength, preparing for the Olympics.

Are you sure that the museum will display such like new looking items?

 

good blogger page here with excellent images
1939-1945 WW2 BSA ‘Airborne Bicycle’ Folding Paratroopers Para Bike « www.Oldbike.eu

the kids version of the bike is great!

 

Time to show this one again I think:

Danny MacAskill - "Way Back Home" - YouTube

Perhaps shows what a trained commando unit might achieve.

(First posted by Ron Goldstein in October 2011.)

 

Ski/Mountain biking Norway,


Webcam in Drammen, Norway

 

Blimey - that eBay one's sold:
US $3,250.00 [ 36 bids ]
Approximately £2,078.67

Well whoever bought it obviously had second thoughts. it's been relisted due to non-payment!

BSA PARATROOPERS PARATROOPER BRITISH FOLDING BICYCLE AIRBORNE PARABIKE WW2 BIKE | eBay

 

I have a book called 'Remembering D-day' by Martin Bowman. It's full of little stories and personal accounts from the soldiers on that famous day.

Part of one of the stories is by private Bill Bidmead reads:

" Later, an 80 strong detatchment of bicycle mounted reinforcments halted opposite our possition. they were exhausted, having cycled all the way from Paris. As they dismounted and threw their kit down, we opened fire. It took 30 minutes ti kill them all".

I've always thought about how knackered you'd be having cycled from Paris to Normandy only to be expected to get straight into battle once you reach your destination.

Also, the muddy roads and lanes must have been a nightmare for cycle mounted units.