Roadster Bicycles
Roadster Bicycle
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. During the past few years, traditionally styled roadster bicycles have gained considerable popularity in the US. and troughout the western world particularly as a fashion statement.
Roadsters
A classic English roadster has a lugged brazed steel frame, rod-actuated brakes, upright handlebars, a single gear ratio or Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub gears, a chaincase, steel mudguards, cottered steel cranks, 28 inch (635 mm) Westwood style rims, and often a Sturmey-Archer Dynohub 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). 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 the Netherlands. 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. Another type of roadster bicycle is fitted with 26 inch (590 mm) traditional English size wheels, having a lower bottom bracket and correspondingly lower stand-over height and weighting around 35-40 pounds (16 - 18 kg).
Contemporary Use
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.
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.