CHENNAI: As R John Way, the author of The Bicycle: A Guide & Manual says, “The real joys of the bicycle are its ability to satisfy youthful enthusiasm for competitive sport, and after these have dissipated, it is still there to help you find new pleasures.” This was precisely the emotion at the vintage cycle exhibition on Sunday at TTDC Hotel Tamil Nadu by Cycling Yogis. Organised in categories, the bicycles with headlights of various colours glittered on stage in the morning light, as patrons took every opportunity to pose with these showstoppers.
Varieties at display
The annual exhibition which occurs during Madras Week is updated every year by welcoming new collections. The highlight of the third edition was the bicycle licence displayed by Prabhakar V. “Earlier we needed to pay road tax for riding bicycles; this was the licence during that time,” he said, pointing to a framed document from 1969. His puncture repair kit from Philips Cycle Limited, dynamos, tool kits, manuals, bells, and tricycles also attracted curious enthusiasts’ attention. Fifty per cent of the collection displayed was owned by Prabhakar who has been collecting for 25 years from all over India and some parts of the world.
From brands like Humber, Raleigh, Rudge, Phillips, and Robinhood to BSA, and Hercules, there were more than 45 cycles at the exhibition. John Moses, an artefact collector and cycle enthusiast flaunted his collection of pedal-powered bike lights. “Most of these cycles here are bought by parts and later assembled. A few of them are before Independence. For instance, the unicycles are from 1917. Some of the cycles were undersold to me and for the others, I had to pay huge sums. The Hercules cycle from 1961 was bought from a scrap shop for Rs 250 and the Raleigh Chopper I own now costs 3,000 pounds in England,” he shared. Pointing to images of different cycles from his collection of books on history of cycles, he added, “From the draisine, velocipede, penny-farthing, high wheel tricycle, safety bicycle, cycles with cable-calliper brakes, mountain bike and an electric bike, the varieties of cycles have evolved over time.”
Mapping the trails
The event concluded with the release of Global Heritage of Madras curated by Ramanujar Maulana, founder of Cycling Yogis, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation and Firebrand labs. It includes the details of 11 cycling trails conducted by Cycling Yogis from 2012. It also explores the global connections between various countries and Chennai.The book also has QR codes for easy Internet searches to enable readers to investigate the historic buildings.
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