My skills at mending punctures were pretty good.

Image via Wikipedia

The pushbikes I mentioned in earlier blogs played a very important part in my life having been deprived of one for so long and the fact that they were second hand helped me to understand the workings of them and make me more efficient than most when it came to repairing them.
There was even a national cycling proficiency test that I passed during school hours when the police came and tested the pupils who traveled to school on bikes on their highway code and efficiency on the road. They made a makeshift road and added traffic lights and other obstacles to make it as realistic as possible and studied us as we maneuvered our way round the course giving us points for each correct maneuver or deducted points if we failed to negotiate the course correctly or lost our balance while using hand signals. After the road test we had to answer questions on the highway code and it was all treated seriously just like a driving test. This was in 1963 and I am quite sure that this was the first of its kind in Britain but it went on to become a regular feature in schools after that. I passed with high marks and me and the other pupils that sat the test were presented with a certificate at the prize giving ceremony when school broke up for the summer.
My skills at mending punctures were pretty good too but we were also given a rough lesson in bike repairs by an old teacher (Mr Campbell) during one period when things were winding down for the holidays and one thing that stuck in my mind was when he told us it would only take ten minutes to repair a puncture.
A few weeks after the school started up again I was cycling home for my dinner when suddenly my tyre went flat so not being far from the house I walked the rest of the way home and given that we only had an hours dinner break I thought I would catch a bus back and repair it when I came home in the evening. My dinner wasn't quite ready and while I was sitting waiting I remembered what Mr Campbell said about it only taking ten minutes to mend a puncture so I looked out the repair outfit and quickly went about the repair and once satisfied it was fixed hurriedly shoved the tube back into the tyre, ran the tools around the rim to fix the outer tyre on properly then inflated the tube just in time to sit down to my dinner. Half way through my meal I heard an almighty BANG! and thinking it was my tyre I went to investigate but on examination it appeared to be fine. It wasn't until my dinner was over and I returned to the bike, heading back to school that I noticed a piece of shredded tube sticking out of my tyre, THIS had been the bang but the tyre was still hard????????? As it turned out the tube was stuck fast between the wheel rim and the outer tyre keeping the air trapped inside and the tyre intact so I pondered over fixing it again or chancing that it would hold out until I got back home. I was already late for school by this time so rather that make things worse, knowing I already would have to face the headmaster I decided to chance it. All the hassle between having to walk home part of the way and fixing the puncture had made me about half an hour late, missing most of my first class so the inevitable reasons for my lateness had to be explained to the headmaster.
I stood in front of him with an apologetic look on my face as I explained my dilemma during my dinner break and when he asked me why I was stupid enough to attempt such a task in such a short time poor Mr Campbell took the blame relieving me from returning to class with a stinging hand as the excuse was enough to prevent me getting two of the strap.
Weeeell after all Mr Campbell couldn't deny he told us that it only took ten minutes to repair a puncture and the headmaster couldn't give me the belt on these grounds.........could he?
It should only have taken ten minutes and I have done it in that time (before and after that event) but as the saying goes "more haste less speed" which is very true as I found to my cost.
I still have my cycling proficiency certificate stashed away somewhere and someday it might be worth something it being one of the first.

I longed for a bicycle

Image via Wikipedia

With the better weather coming in it put me in mind of the times I longed for a bicycle when all the children in the street would take off with their bikes on an outing and I was left behind because my family could not afford to buy me one not even second hand.
It wasn't until I was thirteen and started secondary school that I inherited my aunt's "Raleigh" bike. It had no crossbar of course with it being a ladies cycle and was black in colour with a three speed gear and a hub on the front wheel to power the lights. Bikes were very heavy in these days with thick metal mudguards and a heavy rubber reflector at the back and of course the pedals were made of thick steel with thick rubber at the edges and a saddlebag fastened to the back of the horsehair seat covered in leather. All these things added up to a heavy weight to push along with just the three gears especially if it was windy but I was grateful to own my first bike and made full use of it by cycling the three miles to and from school come hell or high water. (how bikes have changed since then) I learned so much about bikes with all the repairs and maintenance I had to carry out on it that I eventually built a bike out of pieces of old bike frames and spare parts I found lying around in an uncles garage which when pieced together gave me a bike with a crossbar. I added accessories like butterfly handlebars,twin horns, mirrors, mudflaps, and transfers to give it the "hot rod" look that cars and motorbikes had in the American comics and even painted "hot rod" in white on the black mudflaps for more effect. This also had the three speed gears but me and a friend who I traveled with still used to race the school bus and beat the other children home. I was very happy with my home made bike until one day after Christmas my pal appeared on a five speed racing bike which drew envy from me right away as we still could not afford a new bike. For the last year of my school days I pedaled extra hard to keep up with my friend but on windy days his five speed used to leave me trailing and I vowed that someday I would have a five speed racing bike.
I started the fishing in the July of 1964 and the following summer I found myself ashore for the weekend on a beautiful sunny day wishing I had my bike to go a spin in the country with, when I remembered that I had left my bike in my granny's garage. When I went to get it, to my disappointment the tyres were flat and beginning to perish and rust was appearing on the wheels while the moving parts were stiff and needing oiled. I thought that was my spin in the country hit on the head but when my granny saw the look on my face she suggested that if she gave me the money for a bike I could pay her back as soon as we had a good trip at the fishing.
With thirty pounds in my pocket I went "Donald's" cycle shop (no connection)and purchased for twenty eight pounds a shiny new gold painted five speed racing bike that at last I could call my own. Mr Donald wanted to keep it for a day to give it a good check up and see that everything was tight and working O.K. but of course I could not wait that long and declined his offer telling him that I would see to these things myself. The bike paid I swiftly left the shop and cycled home to check it out and show it to my mother before I eventually set off on my journey. It was late afternoon by this time but the sun was still high in the sky as I cycled proudly out of our street and into the country, cycling for miles taking in the beautiful fresh air and enjoying the scenery that could only be appreciated while walking or cycling until it was time to turn back and head for home.
The loan was paid back on my return from my next trip but the bike was used very little after that, between me not being at home much and the summer drawing to a close. It was not long after, that I purchased my first car and the bike took second place but I gave it to a family of young boys who made the most of of so it didn't depreciate like my home made one.
So I did get my dream bike eventually and progressed to dream cars with hard work and determination but I never forgot the summer days when I was left behind in our street as the other children disappeared round the corner, off to the country on their shinny bikes leaving me behind with my dreams and wishes.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bicycle gift guide! DIY Bike projects, tools, gear and more! (makezine.com)
• A Cyclist's Christmas Story (kentsbike.blogspot.com)
• The bicycle diaries: From England to India on two wheels preparation begins (telegraph.co.uk)