The Incredible Bikes & Cycling Tech Of The First World War

Рет қаралды 80,018

4 жыл бұрын

The first ever Tour of Flanders, otherwise known as de Ronde van Vlaanderen, was held in 1913 but the first world war delayed the second edition of what was to become cycling's favourite monument. A generation of young men were called into service for their country during the Great War and bicycles played an important logistical role in the conflict. Ollie explores the bikes and stories of several young men from that era which are preserved in the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen in Belgium as part of their wider exhibit on the Tour of Flanders.
Thanks to Cycling In Flanders for helping us make this video: cyclinginflanders.cc
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Пікірлер: 353

@dansotelo228 3 жыл бұрын

Dear Ollie, since 1967 till today, my entire teen to adult working life has been devoted to the bicycle industry... The video you just made was simply academy award-winning material. You have all my respect. Sincerely, Dan Sotelo aka Mr onZa.

@stevecarpenter7462 4 жыл бұрын

Perfect video for Remembrance Day. And did you know that the first British soldier casualty was John Parr, a cyclist scout sent ahead to report back enemy movements. He and his fellow cycling scout encountered a similar German unit, and Parr stayed to cover the return of his colleague to report back to their unit. Parr died in an exchange of rifle fire.

@dejavery 4 жыл бұрын

This is one of the best GCN videos I’ve watched. Ollie did a great job presenting it.

@UR_HR 4 жыл бұрын

Yes fantastic, and your right, Ollie presented this really sympathetically. Great job

@placidesulfurik 4 жыл бұрын

Ollie has become my favourite GCN presenter. He's actually super witty and funny most of the time, but when he gets more serious and passionate like in this one, he's incredibly compelling.

@AlfieVLOG0 Жыл бұрын

100%, can't belive how unpopular it is compared to some others!

@alessandroscelso 4 жыл бұрын

The brakes he mentions at 11:25 are called "freni a bacchetta" in italian, which literally means stick operated brakes. They are quite common in italy even at this time, but you can only find them on old used bikes.

@Nubby007 4 жыл бұрын

2:16 Not paraffin, calcium carbide. I have a few of those lamps and they give excellent bright white light.

@TheSkullcleaver 4 жыл бұрын

Fascinating, more stuff like this.

@TheDave007007 4 жыл бұрын

try this link it's about an 1897 army bicycle expedition: www.pbs.org/video/montanapbs-presents-bicycle-corps-americas-black-army-on-wheels/

@guysmith3326 4 жыл бұрын

That might be an acetylene lamp, not paraffin. I used one for caving in the early seventies. The bottom half of the cylinder contains calcium carbide, and the upper half water. You control the rate at which the water drips onto the calcium carbide, producing an appropriate flow of acetylene. It is actually quite bright if you keep the metal reflector well polished, but also quite hot!

@IslaSprollie 4 жыл бұрын

One of the best videos I’ve ever watched. Yes make a film about the Italian guy!

@Bad_Science_Channel 4 жыл бұрын

CWRotherham incredible story isn’t it!

@C345OFR 4 жыл бұрын

Sadly, it looks like the best video on YT about Ottavio is an audiobook in Italian, no subtitles. That's bizarre for someone with such a fascinating record (and yes, I know there are probably _many_ interesting cycling stories lost to time, but this is _some_ oversight!). What a bloke!

@tommycooper308 4 жыл бұрын

Fascinating from start to finish. Humbling and poignant, too. Could've watched an hour of this; the glimpse we got of those magnificent men and their cycling machines has left me hungry for more, please. Great presenter btw; his enthusiasm shines out, he clearly loves his subject and knows his stuff too. Hope he does more of these historical videos soon. Well done to all involved.

@jendralhxr 4 жыл бұрын

14:12 it goes beyond "super nice", it is EPIC.

@apm9507 3 жыл бұрын

One of the very best GCN+ presentations yet for me! Oliver Bridgewell showed me how bicycles changed the face of the war. And the innovations shown in the documentary aren't much different than the cycles of today. Maybe more innovation is on the way in the 21st century but sometimes it feels like we ride mildly updated bikes from World War I.

@pascalbocherel7785 4 жыл бұрын

Ollie, one if not the best video ever presented on GCN, you did a magnificent job at presenting it.

@oliverbridgewood3929 4 жыл бұрын

thanks mate. glad you enjoyed it

@robertm1552 4 жыл бұрын

Incredible. You guys should be inducted into the cycling hall of fame for this piece of historical perspective. Seriously! If not that then a Nobel Prize comes in next.

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Robert you're too kind

@HPaulModels 4 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed Ollies enthusiasm for the museum and the bikes. Made the video really special and a fitting tribute on Armistice Sunday. Well done GCN

@buckroger6456 4 жыл бұрын

I wonder just how fast these legends would be on a modern bike. Keep putting out the cycling history videos on bikes and riders GCN.

@nealbeard1 4 жыл бұрын

Getting back into cycling after an absence. Just started watching this channel. This guy is a fantastic presenter. Thank you

@tay-lore Жыл бұрын

These bicycles are so beautiful. Such amazing machines.

@Ryan_Rides 4 жыл бұрын

Love this. I 100% agree that there should be a movie about these guys. A real accurate, action packed, old war movie with; of the time writing. It would be a beautiful sight to see as well considering the scenery. Imagine just being an extra in the movie and getting to ride an early 1900s war bicycle.

@jameslee9017 4 жыл бұрын

great video, especially on remembrance Sunday, thank you for this. Perhaps next time you could do one on the awesome British army 1940's BSA folding Airborne bike. Designed for paratroopers to jump with and taken in their thousands to Normandy by sea and air for D Day. I rode one last D Day all the way from Oxford to Normandy - surprisingly comfortable!

@hutchmusician 4 жыл бұрын

James Lee What a brilliant adventure that must have been. You didn’t happen to upload footage of it to any well-known video sharing platforms did you?

@jameslee9017 4 жыл бұрын

@@hutchmusician sorry no

@jkmaseruman 4 жыл бұрын

This is one of the best GCN videos I've seen. Amazing stories, real heroics on and off the bike. Thanks Ollie!

@markifi 4 жыл бұрын

The carbide variety of those lamps were quite bright. Cave explorers used to use them up until 2000!

@jeremyglenn3130 4 жыл бұрын

If only my history classes where like this in school

@thomasoei7089 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely brilliant video Ollie! Just in time for Veteran's Day here in the States. I enjoyed learning about the depth of purpose the bicycle fulfilled through this era in history - not just an implement of war and survival, but as a media for peace and recovery thereafter.

@ricky7396 4 жыл бұрын

Olly does it all history, science and comedy with bags of personality. He even sold me a cube nu road pro with a ad he done in a previous life haha

@Bad_Science_Channel 4 жыл бұрын

Ricky thanks man! Good to hear!

@cianoleary3311 4 жыл бұрын

What a beautiful video to upload today. Thank you so much #lestweforget

@jen3800 4 жыл бұрын

thank you for this. these men deserve to be venerated and their feats remembered and honored. more videos like this , please.

@AmiJurgl 4 жыл бұрын

Ollie, do a documentary feature film of this subject matter and sell it to the history channel.. it is that good!

@recstoppauseplay Жыл бұрын

Fascinating Ollie, and great presentation!

@petersauer94 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant absolutely brilliant, I actually learned something today. 👏

@tmbmtl 4 жыл бұрын

Those are the best days, cycling and knowledge. Cheers!

@FatBlokeDoingStuff 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, touching, factful and concise. More like this please.

@guysmith3326 4 жыл бұрын

Another link between bikes and the armed forces is airfields. Squadron buildings tended to be spread around the airfield, so bikes were a great way to get to the wardroom for lunch, or the admin building, tower etc. I used my 1978 Raleigh Gran Prix like this in the eighties.

@BFR1974 4 жыл бұрын

My profound respect for these athlete/warrior heroes and for the engineers that designed these bikes. Great video!

@AnvilAirsoftTV 4 жыл бұрын

Oli loved this presentation. More of this sort of thing please.

@grigorbrowning 4 жыл бұрын

Superb! The best GCN video to date - brilliantly presented by Dr Bridgewood.

@jimparry7197 4 жыл бұрын

The lamp looks more like a carbide lamp (used in caving until very recently ), it produces acetylene gas and burns very bright producing a pretty good warm light.

@MrShotlighter 4 жыл бұрын

I still use one........occasionally.

@herberar 4 жыл бұрын

You are right, I have one from a very old car.

@misanthropickat6167 4 жыл бұрын

Those stories are all so unbelievable they could be major motion pictures!

@javoughnplenty9298 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks GCN Tech for the great history lesson

@stuartmcgill5065 4 жыл бұрын

Some amazing stories, Ollie. Tough blokes in the true sense of the word. Those old bikes make me appreciate our modern tech & clothing all the more. Thanks a lot! :-)

@markvonwisco7369 4 жыл бұрын

Great look at wartime bikes. I've wanted a vintage Austrian Steyr Waffenrad ever since seeing them back in the mid-90s while on a bike tour of Bavaria and Austria.

@Servicevelo 4 жыл бұрын

Ace. Another demonstration of Oliie showing his class as a presenter. Obviously well timed as well. Love it. GCN for mainstream TV.

@Bad_Science_Channel 4 жыл бұрын

thanks mate. glad you appreciate it.

@Servicevelo 4 жыл бұрын

@@Bad_Science_Channel No worries., Bretters.

@Lasermanprint 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video Ollie well done

@GargASBO 4 жыл бұрын

I can relate. My grandfather moved messages by bike for the Belgian "Armée secrete" during WWII. I really hope you can expand the subject to bikes being used during that time...

@petinka721 4 жыл бұрын

Super Nice work Ollie!

@stephanjud4569 4 жыл бұрын

Great Video (and a great Place, too!), Thank you very much! For your interest, Switzerland had Cycling Infantry Troops in regular Service until 2005; with the first ordnance bike introduced in 1905 which was then replaced with a more modern bike in..1993! Due to its bullet-proof design you can see quite some of the 1905 Bikes still being ridden as citybikes, and there are even some crazy guys riding them on the Concrete Tracks in Zurich!

@hotrodjoey50jo 4 жыл бұрын

Bravo! awesome video. Love, Love, Love historical videos, especially the great world wars

@wiwiwiii Жыл бұрын

The italian folding bike is also in the cycling museum located onto the Ghisallo pass, simply incredible for that time. A similar folding bike is the BSA airborne used by paratroopers in second world war: folding and weighing only 8 kgs...

@markwatson8783 4 жыл бұрын

Simply astonishing. Great reporting Ollie.

@Citizenvelo 4 жыл бұрын

This is the content I crave. SO GOOD

@MrChristiangraham 4 жыл бұрын

Good work, Ollie. Your passion is infectious.

@PrzemyslawSliwinski 4 жыл бұрын

In the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ there is a special exhibit: a bike used at the 390th Bomb Group airfield during the WW II. The description says: "The airmen's primary mode of transportation was not an airplane or a car: It was a bicycle. Hundreds if not thousands of bicycles were seen around base and in town."

@janwillemkuilenburg7561 4 жыл бұрын

Great narrative Ollie!

@sureshchinnappa2290 4 жыл бұрын

Well done Ollie. Have a look at Gino Bartali. A wonderful human being!

@nstrug 4 жыл бұрын

Such a great little museum - and the Peleton bar is great too! For anyone thinking of taking a cycling trip to Flanders - just do it, you won't be disappointed - so much history - and so much great beer and food!. The waymarked routes are brilliant and you get a fantastic reception in every cafe or bar you go into.

@ojodecain7648 4 жыл бұрын

Folding bikes, adjustable seats, wider tires, seems that truly there is nothing new under the sun. Great video thnx

@arnspyarchi6040 4 жыл бұрын

I truly want to watch a movie about this guy's life !

@aarong1012 4 жыл бұрын

What a brilliant video, thanks so much for doing this... More along these lines please!!

@jeffjensen4532 4 жыл бұрын

I absolutely love these videos of yesterday!!!!! Just amazing stuff. It makes me enjoy cycling all the more!

@aartman2 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent & very informative video... Loved...thankyou...👍😀❤

@stephenjeffreys4219 4 жыл бұрын

Super-nice video. Thanks for bringing together such amazing stories. Definitely a video to save and watch again!

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Stephen

@countteddy 4 жыл бұрын

great video.....great bikes and a classic Volvo 244....thankyou.

@keithmccallum1054 4 жыл бұрын

One of your best videos ever!!

@ianstewart8301 4 жыл бұрын

This was just fascinating and enjoyable. Great job!

@Kyujin666 4 жыл бұрын

Super Nice! Thnx Ollie very interesting episode 👍

@olavh469 4 жыл бұрын

Ollie, Thank you for a brilliant piece of historical info!

@jade4805 4 жыл бұрын

Ollie!, well done warrior, thank you and GCN for continuing to strive, love it.

@jozefsk7456 4 жыл бұрын

Full suspension bike. I had no idea these existed back then. Incredible

@LawrenceSeetoh 4 жыл бұрын

What a brilliant tour of the Museum. Thank you !

@nickfry7705 4 жыл бұрын

Brill vid, many thanks.

@JosephCabalquinto 4 жыл бұрын

So amazing! Completely mesmerized through the whole video learning about the early bicycles of WWI! The Bianchi especially was fantastic! Thanks Olie!

@dilmurodavalbaev1392 4 жыл бұрын

this goes on to show that, despite all this progress in bikes and cyciling in general, practically nothing is new. For over a century we've only been refining things.

@olivierwatteyn5104 4 жыл бұрын

Check out the Biking Bar in Ypres, Belgium. It got a 1914 bike, a Freddy Maertens bike and much more of that old school stuff. Great bar near the Menin Gate too.

@doxasnob8137 4 жыл бұрын

Just...wow! More please!

@electroookris6768 4 жыл бұрын

One of the best videos, good job, Ollie

@markmyers8775 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing video! So much great history!

@davidblanton5146 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic viewing. Such a great video. Perfect for Sunday morning. Thank you so much for this. Awesome.

@660einzylinder 4 жыл бұрын

I'm still using a 1908 Raleigh All Weather Roadster as a regular bicycle, single speed and oil lamps front and rear, one of the most comfortable and easy riding bicycles I own.

@01FozzyS 4 жыл бұрын

Definitely ringing the bell for that one! Love the history on the man who's name is on one of my rides.

@tmbmtl 4 жыл бұрын

Indeed, rather splendid vid.

@ryanmattson6241 4 жыл бұрын

Loved this video! Those bikes are so awesome 😍👌

@oscarcaruso204 4 жыл бұрын

Unreal! I don’t know what I love ❤️ more, the amazing history behind all these bikes and the riders or the bikes themselves! Thanks for sharing

@jmoore46jm 4 жыл бұрын

Exceptional video, very well done Oille definitely look into going there

@tedallenwolff 4 жыл бұрын

amazing information. Great job Ollie. GCN rules!

@piobar19 4 жыл бұрын

Perfect video for anniversary of ending WW1 . Would be superb to see more topics like that . Amazing !

@sdkid6059 4 жыл бұрын

Great video; much appreciated, as I may never have a chance to visit, being half way 'round the world. Awesome choice for a topic GCN, well done !!

@spokesmann 4 жыл бұрын

GCN should be doing more real, well researched retro stuff like this. Top marks people...

@safehands8889 4 жыл бұрын

One of my favourite GCN videos

@davidscottblacksmith 4 жыл бұрын

Superb! Thank you.

@shtthemnky 4 жыл бұрын

Great video. Keep the good work.

@CristoffelBonorand 4 жыл бұрын

Cool! I was there a few weeks ago. Really enjoyed it!

@suggyltd9577 4 жыл бұрын

Terrific. Thanks for this essay.

@RodPriester 4 жыл бұрын

Extremely interesting.....thanks for sharing this

@prestachuck2867 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome video! Superb narrative by Waffles!

@stephenstevens6573 4 жыл бұрын

Great job!! Our history is showing!! More of this type of thing!!

@owenchuarbx 4 жыл бұрын

This is perhaps why I loved ancient bike tech and history lessons too.

@andythousand345 4 жыл бұрын

Truly incredible video!

@reafdfsagassg 4 жыл бұрын

thanks for the vid!

@evandarling699 4 жыл бұрын

Bravo! Amazing story and history lesson! Old bike tech!! Thank you

@richaw6689 4 жыл бұрын

Wicked Vid Ollie.. love the old Bianchi.. 👍

@soloflyingmonkey 4 жыл бұрын

What an amazing video! Loved it!

@gcntech 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your encouragement, glad you liked it so much!

@NickelPlateRoad57 4 жыл бұрын

Great content, well organized and edited, and great presentation.

@gordonliverpool 4 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed that