An Endless ‘Cycle’

In this blog I will talk about a major passion of mine which is road bikes, and the evolution of them and how infrastructure has changed to suit their reintroduction back into society. Bikes mean the world to me and a passion of mine is to collect them and restore them to there original state. Bikes were a layman’s car many years ago. However they went out of use to an extent however since the turn of the 70’s cycling has once again taken off drastically around Cork.

From WW1 up until the 1950’s bike’s were present continuously on the roads around cork and across the nation, however they were then superseded by motorised vehicles as they became more accessible worldwide. Previously the bicycle was seen as a mode of transport and for some it was a sport and a way of life, cycling saw a revival during the 1970’s as the health benefits were advertised. Also helped by the success of Irish cyclists like Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. cycling was a major industry as long ago bikes were made by hand from metal, often ‘fixies’ which are bikes with one fixed gear, or else had unsophisticated gear systems. As they were made by hand the materials had to be easily manipulated.

Figure 1- This is my very own Vintage bike, It is a Peugeot brand, the model is unknown. it has a gear system however it is not very complex. This bike has no major value today as there are many of them around Ireland

Nowadays since the making of modern racers has become more industrialized, the materials have changed and the prices have rocketed up. Top end road bikes are now selling for in excess of €20,000. I have one valued at €3,500 and straight away the differences are noticeable along with the weight and mechanical differences. Bike shops are huge in cork in recent times with many bike shops springing up over the past few years. As we reflect on the past we can see every time modernity influences are present money has being driving factor in it.

Figure 2 – This is my modern racer, I use this Bike when I am racing around the country. It is a full carbon racer which weighs only 7.2KG’s. It is equipped with some of the most modern equipment and it is clear the bike technologies have increased with the modern times.

Infrastructure for bikes has improved immensely alone since the beginning of the century across Cork, Ireland and Europe. The introduction of cycle lanes throughout the city of Cork has escalated in recent years, there are lanes available all across the city along with the access to Bike schemes. New lanes are being opened every year across Cork, along with greenways, where the past is brought into the present by modernising old railways into cycle and walk ways. It is amazing to think about how the city has done full rotation where it was bikes with the introduction of ‘Car lanes’ back into middle of the last century, and is now gone back to introduction ‘Bike lanes’. The popularity of Bike lanes is to allow people quicker safer access to different busy areas and also to try reduce congestion and pollution within the city. Alot of modernity in relation to city enhancements is done in an eco-friendly way to protect our fragile environment, cycle lanes are a prime example of this.

Figure 3 – This is a photo from Washington Street showing the cycle lane. It is a modern good condition cycle lane which we see all across town.

Refernece:

Harry Osterious, ‘Cycling, Modernity and National Culture’, 13th june 2016, vol 41, page 233

By Cathal Costello 115497962