A roadster, aka English roadster, is a type of utility bicycle once common in Britain and still very common in Asia, Africa, Denmark and the Netherlands, however, during the past several years, traditionally styled roadster bicycles have gained considerable popularity in the United States and throughout the western world, particularly, as a fashion statement.[1]
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There were three basic variants of the roadster.
A classic English roadster has a lugged brazed steel frame, rod-actuated brakes, upright North Road handlebars, a single gear ratio or Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub gears, a chaincase, steel mudguards, cottered steel cranks, 28 x 1½ inch (ISO 635) wheels, Westwood rims, and often a Sturmey-Archer hub dynamo. Roadsters were built for durability above all else and no serious attempt was made to save weight in their design or construction, roadsters weighed upwards of 45-50 pounds (20–23 kg). They were often the mounts of policemen and rural letter carriers[2]. Interestingly, a derivative of the roadster, the ladies' model, is seldom called a roadster.
The roadster, also called an "English roadster", is very similar in design and intended use as the European city bike, a model still used in Germany, Denmark and most notably in the Netherlands (see Omafiets). The primary differences are that the continental bicycles tend to have a higher handlebar position for a more upright riding posture, and are more likely to have rod-actuated drum brakes.
A variation on this type of bicycle is the sports roadster (also known as the "light roadster"), which typically has a lighter frame, and a slightly steeper seat-tube and head-tube angle of about 70° to 72° degrees, fitted with cable brakes, comfortable "flat" North Road handlebars, mudguards and, as often as not, three, four or five-speed derailleur gearing. Another type of roadster bicycle is fitted with 26 x 1⅜ inch (ISO 590) traditional English size wheels, having a lower bottom bracket and correspondingly lower stand-over height and weighting around 35-40 pounds (16 – 18 kg).[3]. It was these bikes that were wrongly called "English racer" in the United States[4][5].
Club sports or semi-racer bicycles were the high-performance machines of their time and place named as they were the style of bicycle popular with members of the many active cycling clubs. A club bicycle would typically have Reynolds 531 frame tubing, a narrow, unsprung leather saddle, reversed North Road handlebars (or drop bars), steel "rat trap" pedals with toe clips, 5-15 speed derailleur gearing, alloy rims and light high-preassure 26 x 1¼ (ISO 597) or 27 x 1¼ (ISO 630) tires. Some club bicycles would be likely to have a more exotic Sturmey-Archer hub, perhaps a medium- or close-ratio model, 3 or 4 speed with a very few even were equipped with the rare ASC 3-speed fixed-gear hub. Many club bicycles were single-speed machines, usually with a reversible hub: single-speed freewheel on one side, fixed-gear on the other. Derailers began to be used on this type of bicycle starting in the late '50's. Although primarily intended for fast group rides, club bicycles were also commonly used for touring and also for time-trialing[5][6].
From the early 20th century until after World War II, the roadster constituted most adult bicycles sold in the United Kingdom and in many parts of the British Empire. For many years after the advent of the motorcycle and automobile, they remained a primary means of adult transport. Major manufacturers in England were Raleigh and BSA, though Carlton, Phillips, Triumph, Rudge-Whitworth, Hercules, and Elswick Hopper also made them.
In the United States, the sports roadster was imported after World War II, and was known as the English racer. It quickly became popular with adult cyclists seeking an alternative to the traditional youth-oriented cruiser bicycle.[7][8] While the English racer was no racing bike, it was faster and better for climbing hills than the cruiser, thanks to its lighter weight, tall wheels, narrow tires, and derailleur gearing.[9] In the late 1950s, U.S. manufacturers began producing their own "middleweight" version of the English racer.[10]
In Britain, the utility roadster declined noticeably in popularity during the early 1970s, as a boom in recreational cycling caused manufacturers to concentrate on lightweight (23-30 lb.), affordable derailleur sport bikes, actually slightly-modified versions of the racing bicycle of the era.[11]
In the 1980s, U.K. cyclists began to shift from road-only bicycles to all-terrain models such as the mountain bike.[12] The mountain bike's sturdy frame and load-carrying ability gave it additional versatility as a utility bike, usurping the role previously filled by the roadster. By 1990, the roadster was almost dead; while annual U.K. bicycle sales reached an all-time record of 2.8 million, almost all of them were mountain and road/sport models.[13]
In many parts of the world, the roadster bicycle is still the standard bicycle used for daily transportation. Mass-produced in Asia (especially India, China, and Taiwan), it has also been exported in huge numbers to African and several Latin American countries. Because of its relative affordability, ability to carry heavy payloads, and durability in harsh climates, it is generally the most common bicycle in use in those countries, particularly in rural areas. In East Africa, the roadster is called the Black Mamba, where it is used as a taxi by enterprising cyclist/drivers, called boda-boda. A Chinese version, the single-speed Flying Pigeon, was reportedly the single most popular mechanized vehicle in worldwide use.[14]
Large frame traditional Roadster models became almost obsolete in the West, but are now becoming fashionable once again, perhaps due to its very comfortable and upright riding position. In Britain, a few German and Dutch utility bikes are still imported, where they are most popular as student transport at university, especially at Cambridge and Oxford. Today, the closest modern equivalent is probably the hybrid bicycle and its subvariants, the cross bike and city bike. In the United Kingdom, Pashley Cycles still manufactures significant numbers of roadster and roadster-type bicycles and Royal Dutch Gazelle, the largest and most famous bicycle manufacturer in the Netherlands, produces 300,000 bicycles a year. In Australia, there has been an increase roadster use [15] alongside the growth of local bicycle companies such as Papillionaire.[16]