What a great way for the post to be delivered!
Advertisements
-
Recent posts
Archives
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- October 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
Advertisements
Hi Vicki,
Do you remember the delivery bicycles used by the Auto part shops such as Smiths Sons and Repco, also by Robersons Bros engine reconditioning, they had two wheels up front and one at the rear with an unbelievable size wooden box over the two small front wheels, the apprentices would deliver parts with these bicycles all over the Newcastle area, including heavy reconditioned cylinder heads, OH&S would be on to it today, Wayne..
Hi Wayne, no I don’t remember them, but an interesting observation and part of our history. They sound as if they would be quite unstable to me. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Vicki,
Exactly the opposite, with two wheels at the front the bicycle is far more stable than the postie bike, it has smaller wheels but wider with a greater contact patch than the normal single front wheel, the steering is heavier though with the greater contact patch and the extra weight that is carried in the box. Many famous cars were built using this principle and one of these has since began production of a three wheeler based on the same lines as it built 80 years ago, best wishes, Wayne.
Hey, that’s cool! If we used more of those in the U.S. our service might not be in such a crisis.
That is the only one i have seen here Annie. Usually the posties use small motorbikes, though occasionally I have seen them using bikes or ebikes.
Wayne, I remember seeing three wheeled cars when I was in Italy a few years ago, I think the single wheel was at the front and they were tiny cars, like small utes, are these the ones you are talking of? I can’t comment under your comment so have replied down here.
Hi Vicki, the three wheeler cars with a single wheel at the front were very scary things to drive and steer, I rebuilt one on a Greek island called Telendos, it was the only vehicle on the island and was used to pick up goods from the jetty and deliver them to the tavernas, they all treated me like a magician when it was up and running again, it kept trying to tip over. The one that I am thinking of is the Morgan and is back in production again with an American engine fitted between the two front wheels.
Some of the delivery bicycles only had one small front wheel in order to allow the fitting of the large box and were accidents waiting to happen especially when the parts in the box moved from side to side, best wishes, Wayne.
Ha, these vehicles seem to cross over between being a bike and a car, it’s difficult to know what to call them in some cases!
Hi Vicki,
Yes you are right, but we are getting away from the idea of the blog and that is concerning bicycles in Newcastle. But it is interesting to see that at the beginning of the evolution of the automobile, motorcycle and even the aircraft was ” the bicycle”, they all used it as a base for their designs, best wishes, Wayne.
It is still interesting to know that all those machines relate back to the bicycle though!