Who wants abike

[happy daze john in oz]

We had a big pile up on the Freeway a couple of weeks ago.
It involved a number of motor bikes changing lanes and hitting a car, caused soi many problems.

the bike riders were a group of females out for the day.
They all wore Tee shirts on which was written,

'Dykes on bikes"!!!!!!!

[Gerald Farr]

Hi John, Well there's a blast from the past, The Cycling Proficiency Test. The Essex Education Department introduced that in 1946 for the very first time, I had just turned seven and was the youngest kid to take part in it and the only one to get 100% pass mark, the instructor was a local Bobby and extremely strict. The presentations were made at the Walthamstow Arts?Hall alongside the Town Hall. Unfortunately I was unable to attend as my sister had to see a Medical Specialist down in Exeter the same day so my Certificate and badge were presented to me at Assembly by the Headmaster of Selwyn Avenue Boys School, Highams Park, on the next school day. A younger friend of mine achieved 100% pass about two years later. Our school did enforce the no pass no ride rule as most of us lived within a half hours walk anyway.

[Johnny Kieran]

Talking about bikes, I had a great story when I was a kid.
One day, while over the Chase (a big fishing lake/country park in Dagenham), we spotted the fins of a bomb sticking out of the water. In we went, pushing it back and forth to loosen it, up to our necks in water. Backwards and forwards we worked it, until a bloke shouted at us to leave it alone as he was calling the police. Anyway, not long after, the bomb disposal truck arrived and we were shunted off to play elsewhere.
Next to the lake, was the local council dump, so we ended up searching for bit's of bike. We found lots of things, but I found a nice looking innertube. Trouble was, it was part buried in all the rubbish. I started pulling, and pulling, to get it out, but all of a sudden "pop" out it came at full stretch, with the valve hitting me in the right eyebrow, causing a nasty gash.
When I was getting seen to by the medical people, with my mates around the table, I was asked where and how I had got this cut. I started to explain that we were trying to get this bomb out of the lake, when ..................... "Oh my God was the response from the nurse before I got to the dump bit, get the police in here now.
The other kids jumped in to explain things and calm her down, and everyone fell about laughing, including a couple of doctors that heard the commotion.
Just a story about bikes and being kids.

[happy daze john in oz]

Down in Woolwich in South London there was the local tip where all rubbish went.
The Magnetron pulled all the metal items from the rubbish and story was that went to Ford close by to be 'recycled' into the cars.

But within the tip there were hundreds if not thousands of bike frames, wheels etc.
From this lot we were able to make a bike, not the very best but very serviceable none the less.
I used that for a number of years until i got a better one.

[James Domleo]

Blimey Rodney! reminds me of doing similar. Old bit's of bike put together was the norm, I don't remember anyone having a "new bike". As kids, we'd ride from Dagenham to Southend, or anywhere else we wanted to be. The roads here are just too busy and dangerous for biking these days.

My dad promised me a new bike if I passed the 11plus which I did and he eventually got me a Daws which served me well as the school was a long way and involved two bus rides.

[Tony Taylor]

My dad promised me a new bike if I passed the 11plus which I did and he eventually got me a Daws which served me well as the school was a long way and involved two bus rides.

I was given one of those bikes when I was 13, it was a hand me down, They were considered as a v good brand in those days.

[Johnny Kieran]

Mine was a Bitza, best bike I ever had.

[James Curry]

Bitza not heard that for a while.

[Brett Hayes]

Dear Des, I would have thought the dumped bikes you mention would have been recycled as scrap metal, not just sent to landfill. How disappointing an attitude! I thought “Australia” was green-minded.
Brett R863743

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Brett
I would have copied the picture from the paper showing hosands of bike at the tip but I no longer hve a printer, it would have broken the heart of any boy from Garden Village from those duys.
Cheers Des