Bloomers, bloomers, bloomers … they were all the rage for the freedom-seeking wheelwomen pedaling the streets of a nation struggling to come to grips with change. And the growing suffrage movement. Bloomers were a hot-button topic in the 1890s, the stuff of controversy ... and cartoons. The Brooklyn Citizen newspaper “is in favor of modified bloomers … Continue reading Bicycle History: The Great Bloomer Controversy & the Anti-Bloomer Brigade and Anti-Dude League
Author: Steve Wartenberg
Bicycle History: More Dog vs. Bicycle Stories, including the Dog Brigade, A Meaty Tire & Anti-Canine Explosives!
There’s something Pavlovian deep within the DNA of dogs that gets their adrenaline pumping and saliva flowing whenever they hear the spinning wheels of a bicycle approach. Unfortunately for us cyclists, dogs have really good ears. Especially the bigger, faster, nastier ones. The annals (and animals) of cycling history are filled with stories of titanic … Continue reading Bicycle History: More Dog vs. Bicycle Stories, including the Dog Brigade, A Meaty Tire & Anti-Canine Explosives!
This One Photo Totally Sums Up France! … No, Not This Quadtrych, It’s The One at the End, Below the Near Misses
I thought it would be easy to look through my photos and find the one that screamed "France!" The quintessential photo of France. The one that would bring back a flood of memories. It turned out to be anything but easy. First of all, I have a lot of photos. Hundreds, more than a thousand. … Continue reading This One Photo Totally Sums Up France! … No, Not This Quadtrych, It’s The One at the End, Below the Near Misses
Bicycle History: The Velo-Douche, Lawn Mower Bicycle & Bicycle Sailboat
Hardly a day passes but somebody invents a new kind of bicycle. Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2, 1894 This was so very true, and here are three of my favorite new kinds of bicycle inventions: the Velo-Douche, Lawn Mower Bicycle and the Bicycle Sailboat. The Velo-Douche There’s nothing like a nice, refreshing shower after a long ride. … Continue reading Bicycle History: The Velo-Douche, Lawn Mower Bicycle & Bicycle Sailboat
Bicycle History: Valentine’s Day … A Crime of Passion, the Tandem’s Aphrodisiac Effect & A Barrier-Breaking Bike Marriage
Photo illustration by Susan Cunningham It's Valentine’s Day, so let’s wander through the pages of history and see how the wheeled Cupid has brought people together … and torn them apart. A skirt too short Let's begin with a cautionary tale, a lesson from yesteryear that holds true today: Never criticize the cycling attire of … Continue reading Bicycle History: Valentine’s Day … A Crime of Passion, the Tandem’s Aphrodisiac Effect & A Barrier-Breaking Bike Marriage
