Ancient History

My early days of cycling were 1961 when my parents got me a used 20" JC Higgins bicycle. I learned to ride a two-wheeler on that bike. The odyssey began. What I want to talk about today is some of the changes that occurred that modern riders may not be aware of. We wore leather and wool shorts for one thing. The crotch material we're all familiar with nowadays was not synthetic back in the day. The jerseys that are now spandex or some other synthetic were also wool. It was possibly even more expensive to ride in kit then than it is now. I can find a jersey and shorts in the thrift store today. In those days it was impossible. Of course when I was first riding long distances outside my neighborhood I didn't own a helmet either. I didn't have an odometer much less a speedometer. I was a poor rider who got parts from neighbors junk heaps. There was no GPS. I usually rode where I had previously ridden in a car. I might bring a paper map if I had one, otherwise I just asked directions. All the bikes were steel frame and the shoes went into toe clips. A toe clip pedal was basically a strap around your foot allowing you to pull as well as push to propel the bicycle. My first shoes were BATA canvas shoes with a thick sole that was supposed to prevent numbness in the feet. Then I had a pair of Italian shoes with a name like Setto. They were leather and had a ridge where the pedal rib would help hold it in place. I borrowed a helmet to participate in a race. It was a soft padded helmet. There was no hard skeleton. That's the kind of helmets they had in 1974. It was a different world.