tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post2742776980863918252..comments2024-03-29T04:01:31.445-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: Hercules? I'd Say It's a Hercu-More!Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-15212331306034498952016-12-05T08:31:27.604-05:002016-12-05T08:31:27.604-05:00I had one of these. I got it on e-bay and while wh...I had one of these. I got it on e-bay and while wheeling it home in its very sorry looking condition, if I had of passed a tip, I would probably have considered leaving it there. Resisting the temptation to dump it, I cleaned it up and bought tyres etc and got it going. Just like you say in your blog, I was amazed at the ride too. While not recommended to stand up and pedal on it if the going ever got tough, it just flew along the flat. I took it along the local lycra speedway training run and wound up a few road bikes by leaving them for dead on it. <br />I'd just got newer more efficient brakes on it and all was travelling along nicely until one day, I went to pull away from the lights and the weld at the bottom of the U gave way and that was that for the Hercules. I'm of course happy this happened then and not at some speed in the 40-50km/h range!<br />I miss that crazy little bike. It didn't look much but I kept choosing to ride it over some of the other bikes in my stable. <br /> It was a very interesting and enjoyable read about your experience with the Hercules and nice to learn about the background info of the brand too. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-82666962669621584162016-07-19T12:45:17.020-04:002016-07-19T12:45:17.020-04:00I actually have the darker brown version of this b...I actually have the darker brown version of this bike (rode it to the shop today in fact!) that's in dire need of restoration like Raymond's has had. Interesting read, thanks for posting.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06737110685129030177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-44561434739739259722016-07-05T07:11:58.588-04:002016-07-05T07:11:58.588-04:00Just rebuilt a mid-1960s French folder marketed un...Just rebuilt a mid-1960s French folder marketed under Jacques Anquetil's name (and likeness) but likely manufactured by Gitane around 1966/67. It has a three-cog Atom freewheel with Huret Svelto derailleur and Mafac cantilevers. I too was very, very surprised at how well it rides. Downright zippy. I built it up mostly for pub crawls, but now find that I ride it a lot (and not always to pubs!).Bolshevikbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10124301107167412729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-12120567147980153042016-06-26T19:01:27.127-04:002016-06-26T19:01:27.127-04:00Whoa! No seat stays on the Lygie folder. Would lov...Whoa! No seat stays on the Lygie folder. Would love to try one of those! Thanks for sharing. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-65531693430989239482016-06-26T18:44:41.251-04:002016-06-26T18:44:41.251-04:00I have a similar Hercules U-frame folder:
https://...I have a similar Hercules U-frame folder:<br />https://flic.kr/p/6miSth<br />I had worked out that it was Italian in origin, but now I know the exact make.<br />Also have a 'genuine' Italian Lygie folder:<br />https://flic.kr/p/fmhnPb<br />Both are quite fun to ride!Phillip Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17330879160351344526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-35629605273238948122016-06-23T23:19:34.641-04:002016-06-23T23:19:34.641-04:00I'm curious how this compares to the Dudebike,...I'm curious how this compares to the Dudebike, since you tested that so recently. It seems that the Folda has a little extra magic for you that the Dudebike didn't quite capture.echo victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-42293943867578842152016-06-23T08:32:07.330-04:002016-06-23T08:32:07.330-04:00Nope. Must try!Nope. Must try!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-5012784525710199142016-06-23T08:19:31.326-04:002016-06-23T08:19:31.326-04:00Have you tried a Dawes Kingpin which IMHO is a lit...Have you tried a Dawes Kingpin which IMHO is a little more refined than the Twenty and great fun to ride?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-71388435163579691552016-06-23T07:47:09.692-04:002016-06-23T07:47:09.692-04:00Boys! Figures : )Boys! Figures : )Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-15765677516942693732016-06-23T07:45:37.568-04:002016-06-23T07:45:37.568-04:00I think it depends on whether you can get the reac...I think it depends on whether you can get the reach right. While both the seatpost and stem collapse quite dramatically, I am thinking the reach to the handlebars might still be too much for a 6-8yo. Swapping the handlebars for more swept-back ones would solve this problem, of course, if you do not mind it affecting the fold.<br /><br />And as far as aesthetics being an issue, you got that right. My stepson, at as early as age 10, rejected my Brompton outright for looking uncool (I was thinking he could borrow it when visiting us). He loves BMX bikes, but sees folding bikes as being of a completely different ilk. Kids! Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-13047081636917825332016-06-22T18:54:15.853-04:002016-06-22T18:54:15.853-04:00In my head it chimes with Hercule Poirot.In my head it chimes with Hercule Poirot.Francisco de Almeidahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14147944912098034703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-84658074849435190232016-06-22T18:31:13.485-04:002016-06-22T18:31:13.485-04:00At a friend's house for a sleepover many years...At a friend's house for a sleepover many years ago, I got a chance to ride his younger brother's cherry three-speed. Having so many gears at one's disposal, and hand brakes to boot, was quite a revelation. Besides, it had an awesome speedometer much like the one on this lovely Folda. It was great fun watching that red needle register faster and faster speeds. Suddenly, I heard an awful "clank" and the needle dropped to zero. I immediately leaned the bike up against the house and strolled away whistling softly as if nothing had happened. "Hey, let's go read Mad Magazine," I suggested to my friend.MT cyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17451590809473759574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-69405746345466745062016-06-22T17:33:13.599-04:002016-06-22T17:33:13.599-04:00What would you or your readers think of a folding ...What would you or your readers think of a folding bike as a children's bike? I had in mind something more like the Dudebike you posted about a couple of months ago. So many kids bikes are surprisingly heavy and pricey, and a folding bike would seem to have the dual advantage of being able to grow with the kid and being a little peppier than some of the kiddie clunkers. <br /><br />The particular kid I have in mind is my tall-for-her-age eight year-old niece. According to charts, it seems that 20" wheels are recommended for kids 6-8 years old, so theoretically, a folding bike with that wheel size could work. But I don't know how a bike like that would ride with the seat and handlebars slammed way down. And of course, there is the x factor of whether a bike that is aesthetically pleasing to an adult would be as exciting to an eight year-old. If what would really inspire her to ride would be something that would make me shudder, like a Ninja Turtles themed bike, maybe that is still unfortunately the way to go.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-9427403940051831752016-06-22T13:22:19.270-04:002016-06-22T13:22:19.270-04:00{rubs hands together}
My job here is done.{rubs hands together}<br /><br />My job here is done.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-19127203471763571112016-06-22T13:21:38.942-04:002016-06-22T13:21:38.942-04:00That Bruno bike - wow.
Jeez!That Bruno bike - wow. <br />Jeez!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-59702513287844876912016-06-22T12:27:52.629-04:002016-06-22T12:27:52.629-04:00Thank you for that ridiculous, and ridiculously ch...Thank you for that ridiculous, and ridiculously cheery, post title. All day I have been picturing two vintage folders canoodling in an alleyway...<br /><br />Oh how I herc you, my dearest!<br />No, I herc you more!<br />Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-29877453653051456512016-06-22T11:33:12.536-04:002016-06-22T11:33:12.536-04:00Interesting; I hadn't seen the Bobbin Metric. ...Interesting; I hadn't seen the Bobbin Metric. Minivelos are notably thin on the ground outside East Asia, I looked at a lot in Japan and was quite taken with them, and test rode the Tokyo Bike version in New York and in Melbourne; it was fun to ride - more rigid feeling than a Brompton, but fast to accelerate with fast/squirrelly handling. They seem like a good urban bicycles, but unfortunately they don't offer month-long test rides to really see what they are like. I would really like to try one of these <a href="http://brunobike.jp/b_ant_pruducts/406steel.html" rel="nofollow">Bruno bikes</a> Simon.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04604488469108285983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-90280324302331186552016-06-22T06:08:13.316-04:002016-06-22T06:08:13.316-04:00The urban shots were taken in Derry. It is a small...The urban shots were taken in Derry. It is a small, compact city with some very steep hills. And yup. I did climb the one pictured on the Hercules - though not straight up that grassy slope, of course! The gearing... forgive me, but I didn't count the teeth, so can't tell you the exact gear ratios. But it's reasonable, not overgeared like so many English 3-speeds tend to be.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-85543205359407175072016-06-22T05:57:09.082-04:002016-06-22T05:57:09.082-04:00I have never seen "in the flesh," let al...I have never seen "in the flesh," let alone tried a minivelo, though of course I'd love to. I suspect I would like the new <a href="http://bobbinbikes.com/product/metric/?variation=charcoal-matte" rel="nofollow">Bobbin Metric</a> quite a bit. But the diamond frame ones would not be of much use to me. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-15003492003587272812016-06-22T05:49:31.576-04:002016-06-22T05:49:31.576-04:00Thanks for that firsthand account, very interestin...Thanks for that firsthand account, very interesting.<br /><br />I have tried a few Moulton F-frames over the years (the first encounter with one is <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2011/02/moultons-modern-and-vintage.html" rel="nofollow">documented here</a>, but there have since been others) and indeed have liked them very much. The Raleigh Twenty (again <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2010/01/little-green-bike-trying-raleigh-twenty.html" rel="nofollow">here is a very early post</a> that shows my first one)... I don't know. I've tried a good half dozen now, of various eras, and they just don't pull at my heartstrings. Others have included mainly the Puch Pic-Nic in various iterations (when I lived in Vienna, Austria, it was a very popular beater-bike among the young people), which for some reason is more up my alley. While I realise it is technically inferior in many ways, I prefer its handling to that of the English folders. And I have to say the (slightly, but noticeably) lower step-over of the U-frame is more convenient - which is also why, I should think, these bikes were popular with women. <br /><br />I don't know whether all the Hercules Foldas/ rebranded late Graziellas ride the way this one does, very possibly Raymond's bike is a lucky anomaly! But then, that is exactly what I mean by the wildcard factor of vintage bikes. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-67856356442244697102016-06-22T05:25:23.381-04:002016-06-22T05:25:23.381-04:00The bicycles pictured on that site are in fact qui...The bicycles pictured on that site are in fact quite different. But the design you see on the Hercules <i>is</i> being made today (again, rather than still) by Dudebike in Milan. See <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2016/04/dudebike-vintage-folder-resurrected.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />While the original Graziella has stopped production decades ago, the name has recently been acquired by Bottechia, and they have attempted to re-launch the brand. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-78527908488402110772016-06-22T04:50:18.722-04:002016-06-22T04:50:18.722-04:00Yes those look like MIG tacks holding on the rear ...Yes those look like MIG tacks holding on the rear stays - the little bobble where the wire has melted but not melted the parent metal is a giveaway. If I had made it I wouldn't be comfortable with that in the long run, but it seems to have held together till now. It's much easier to make holes in thin-wall tubes with the MIG. <br />I have been wondering, given your interest in various sorts of small wheeled bicycles, if you had had a chance to test-ride a minivelo at any point? Simon.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04604488469108285983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-75784210224049711442016-06-21T20:13:57.935-04:002016-06-21T20:13:57.935-04:00this design is still being made
http://www.lagraz...this design is still being made<br /><br />http://www.lagraziella.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-10734477071293892262016-06-21T16:02:49.693-04:002016-06-21T16:02:49.693-04:00I sold dozens of these, and their cousins, in the ...I sold dozens of these, and their cousins, in the early 80's. They were popular, but the small wheel craze was over, these sold well for two reasons. 1) They were at the cheap end of of Raleigh TI's range, and b) at a time when cycling was not cool unless you were into BMX bikes these sold well to girls from 11/12 up. It wasn't the girls, more the parents thinking last bike ever. <br />Raleigh sold the Hercules brand, along with Phillips, in the UK as an answer to the imports that were just beginning to take off, primarily from Europe. They tended to be sold in mail order catalogues, or through the Raleigh only dealer network.<br /><br />The same bike was also sold under the Raleigh name, but had a higher quality paint finish, colour co-ordinated bags/baskets etc. These did get some very female specific colour ways. <br /><br />The Raleigh 20 was still being sold, at a huge premium, but wasn't, from memory, sold as a folder. <br /><br />I can't agree with anything you state about the ride quality. Yes they were better than the horrible imports, for not a lot more money in the Hercules case, but the 20 was way ahead, but even that was not a patch on the original Moulton that started the revolution. <br /><br />Before my time, but Raleighs answer to the Moulton was the inferior RSW16, the Twenty replaced that, but, I believe Raleigh had acquired the original Moulton company, and effectively replaced the better design with its own. <br /><br />If you want an amazing small wheel ride in a vintage cycle, try to find the original Moulton. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10427936640643333512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-49560343226290373872016-06-21T09:41:37.732-04:002016-06-21T09:41:37.732-04:00Where is this, V? That looks like quite a hill in ...Where is this, V? That looks like quite a hill in the first photo. Did you climb it on the Hercules? What is the gearing like?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com