2012 Tweed riding -Toronto Style!

          My daughter and I recently participated in the 2012 Toronto Tweed Ride. Clad in garments which reflected at least in part the material implicit in the title and riding 1970’s “Raleigh Sports” 3-speed bicycles, with some trepidation and in the company of 300 others,we launched ourselves into the maelstrom of Saturday afternoon urban Toronto. Here we negotiated high density motorized traffic, pedestrians and above all the street cars of Queen Steet, their deadly tracks ready to trap the unwary. Presumably aided by our strength in numbers there were no problems. Indeed my most enduring memory is of the extraordinary good nature of everyone -including motorists who were often held up at intersections, traffic lights etc. Many pedestrians expressed themselves in a very vocal and positive manner throughout. At the group photo on the steps of Old City Hall our arrival coincided with the exit of a newly married couple to find that they had 300 more well wishers than they expected!

          Later in the ride afternoon tea was served in one of the local parks which in addition to freshly brewed tea included an unusually fine selection of cakes and assorted baked goods. It was a most enjoyable event which raised a substantial sum for “Bikes without Borders”, a charity which specializes in providing life-transforming bicycles to rural Africa and other needy regions across the globe.

          In general the theme of these burgeoning worldwide Tweed Rides is (very) broadly to emulate the era of the twentieth century when the bicycle was ubiquitous among the British working class. I am old enough to remember the latter part of those days and indeed was part of it. Tweed rides display a curious disconnect between then and now. The heights of sartorial elegance on global display are a very far cry from the workingman's modest and often threadbare wardrobe. In my youth those able to afford such tweedy excesses would have been more likely to drive a Bentley or maybe “-ride to hounds” and most unlikely to be seen on any bicycle. “Heaven forefend old boy. What a frightful thought!” The class system was alive and well!

          The preeminent bicycling guru, the late-lamented Sheldon Brown, summed it up as follows:-

"For many years, in many parts of the world, the Raleigh "Sports" three-speed bicycle was considered the ultimate in human-powered transportation. These bicycles were not toys, and, despite the model name, they were not sporting equipment...they were serious vehicles. The men and women who built them, by and large, also rode them, as their primary means of transportation...  ...these were designed to provide solid, dependable transportation for the British public, at a time when only the upper classes had motorcars. These bikes were built to last 100 years, with reasonable care."

 Our two Raleigh "Sports"

   

     Despite the cultural anomaly, Tweed rides, in addition to providing healthy recreation to the participants, have become a new expression of charitable activity. They are environmentally benign and by virtue of their high visibility, extremely effective in raising public awareness. Finally, from our experience, the non-competitive social aspect of these gatherings would seem to generate an infectious atmosphere of camaraderie and good nature, which is not confined to the actual participants.   

     Here are a couple of videos of the event. Sadly, but perhaps appropriately in the light of my comments above they concentrate more on the fashions than the bicycles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRX7o1tJD30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQWGL-6nkgU