My 13-year-old son and I try to attend a number of events throughout the year with our Jeep and/or BSA M20. He'd like his own exhibit and I wondered if a WW2 bicycle was a viable proposition? Para bikes are too expensive (for us) and I wondered if any other makes and models were used during the war? Any help will be gratefully received. Thanks, Lee.
The British Army used tens of thousands of bicycles...unfortunately they were heavy and ungainly single speeders, originally with a back-pedal brake and they were mostly scrapped in the 1950s...a time when the British industry was producing top quality three or four speed roadsters for less than £25....They seem to fetch up to £1000 these days, with varying degrees of authenticity...Mostly large frames too. 1940s Phillips Mk.V* Military Roadster – The Online Bicycle Museum
How about using these pictures of a RAF bike complete with white black out patches and push rod brakes as a basis of a recreation? Piccys taken at RAF Museum Reserve Store, RAF Stafford. Ross
Thanks Rich. I've had a quick Google and many do seem to feature the large frame. Thanks for the info - very helpful indeed
Thanks for the photos. With steep prices for original examples, recreating such a machine from a period bike is a good idea - and will give Charlie a project to get his teeth into.
If you ride a BSA M20 then a BSA Mk.V would be a good bike to replicate. Like Rich says they were heavily constructed to carry more weight than a lightweight could cope with. I recall seeing a replica BSA Mk. IV that was made for some sort of First World War re-enactment. The basis for that project was one of the old Indian made post-war Hero/Atlas brand bicycles that are very similar in construction and frame geometry. They even have the rod actuated brakes. Anyway some good images of a Mk.V here clearly showing how solidly built they were. New B.S.A Mk.V | Military Bicycles Sounds like a good project. Scott
