The photo below shows Canadian troops landing at Juno Beach, June 6, 1944. I've been told the bicycles are CCM and have been asked to identify the model. Any thoughts?
Submitted by portdalhousie on Tue, 01/21/2014 - 14:17.
Hi,
These bikes are the BSA folding paratrooper type. If you look at the bike on the left, or port side of the craft, you can see the folded handlebars of the bicycle. One bike lying flat in the left foreground, shows the characteristic double tube curved frame. The chainring also looks like the forked BSA type. A rifle in it's waterproof cover is lying across this bike. The tool bag is right and there are no fenders or mudguards on these bikes. The caliper type rear brakes are visible on the left hand bikes standing in the forward part of the hold.
The bikes in the right, or starbord, foreground have the BSA flat handlebars, and handbrakes. I don't know of any other military bikes used with handbrakes at this time. The little stem bolt bars used to tighten and loosen the stems in order to turn the handlebars are visible on these bikes. This design allowed the bicycle to be prepared for parachuting by having the pedal bars turned inside, the handlebars folded, and the main bicycle frame folded as well.
There is at least one other photo in this sequence, taken from the stern, but lower down. I think that it identifies Canadian 3rd Division soldiers, from the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada. There is also a photo of a RHFC soldiers repairing a flat tire on one of these bikes in Normandy.
I looked carefully at some D Day footage showing troops landing with bicycles. I spotted a couple of the large Mk V roadsters in the mass of BSA folding bikes. I even saw a roadster with a clipped front fender, suggesting that it was an earlier Mk IV BSA bicycle.
Some CCM bicycles were definitely sent overseas during the war, including a few to the RCAF. It is certainly possible that CCMs were part of the Normandy landing, but I have never seen any single photo to document this. Does anyone know if CCM papers were archived and preserved anywhere, or if the VIM in-house magazine is in any university or library archive? It would be really helpful to locate some of this material.
One wartime bicycle related thing I learned at the Vintage Bicycle Show this past weekend--A number of us with War Grade CCM bicycles have bikes with what I thought were aluminum grid framework pedals. There were 3 pair for sale at the show, and all seem to have come from 1945 dated CCMs. Lorne Shields correctly pointed out that these pedals are zinc, not aluminum, which makes more sense given wartime shortages of metals. I had thought these were post war replacements, since I have also seen wooden pedals, and steel pedals with wood in place of rubber. On p. 200 of John's book, The CCM Story, there is a photo from a 1945 edition of Vim that shows bicycles with these zinc pedals.
This could suggest an evolution of wartime pedals used--wood instead of rubber, all wood, and then zinc. I am putting my zinc pedals back on my 1945 bicycle! --David Webb
David & Wayne: Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
Also, I've been ask to write short article on Canada's use of bicycles in the First World War. I've checked with the War Museum in Ottawa and although they have photos, they don't seem to have much information. Anyone got anything? Or know where I might find some info. Thanks.
Here's one possibility which makes sense http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3513
Hi,
These bikes are the BSA folding paratrooper type. If you look at the bike on the left, or port side of the craft, you can see the folded handlebars of the bicycle. One bike lying flat in the left foreground, shows the characteristic double tube curved frame. The chainring also looks like the forked BSA type. A rifle in it's waterproof cover is lying across this bike. The tool bag is right and there are no fenders or mudguards on these bikes. The caliper type rear brakes are visible on the left hand bikes standing in the forward part of the hold.
The bikes in the right, or starbord, foreground have the BSA flat handlebars, and handbrakes. I don't know of any other military bikes used with handbrakes at this time. The little stem bolt bars used to tighten and loosen the stems in order to turn the handlebars are visible on these bikes. This design allowed the bicycle to be prepared for parachuting by having the pedal bars turned inside, the handlebars folded, and the main bicycle frame folded as well.
There is at least one other photo in this sequence, taken from the stern, but lower down. I think that it identifies Canadian 3rd Division soldiers, from the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada. There is also a photo of a RHFC soldiers repairing a flat tire on one of these bikes in Normandy.
I looked carefully at some D Day footage showing troops landing with bicycles. I spotted a couple of the large Mk V roadsters in the mass of BSA folding bikes. I even saw a roadster with a clipped front fender, suggesting that it was an earlier Mk IV BSA bicycle.
Some CCM bicycles were definitely sent overseas during the war, including a few to the RCAF. It is certainly possible that CCMs were part of the Normandy landing, but I have never seen any single photo to document this. Does anyone know if CCM papers were archived and preserved anywhere, or if the VIM in-house magazine is in any university or library archive? It would be really helpful to locate some of this material.
One wartime bicycle related thing I learned at the Vintage Bicycle Show this past weekend--A number of us with War Grade CCM bicycles have bikes with what I thought were aluminum grid framework pedals. There were 3 pair for sale at the show, and all seem to have come from 1945 dated CCMs. Lorne Shields correctly pointed out that these pedals are zinc, not aluminum, which makes more sense given wartime shortages of metals. I had thought these were post war replacements, since I have also seen wooden pedals, and steel pedals with wood in place of rubber. On p. 200 of John's book, The CCM Story, there is a photo from a 1945 edition of Vim that shows bicycles with these zinc pedals.
This could suggest an evolution of wartime pedals used--wood instead of rubber, all wood, and then zinc. I am putting my zinc pedals back on my 1945 bicycle! --David Webb
David & Wayne: Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
Also, I've been ask to write short article on Canada's use of bicycles in the First World War. I've checked with the War Museum in Ottawa and although they have photos, they don't seem to have much information. Anyone got anything? Or know where I might find some info. Thanks.
John
John: Give Dennis Tomlinson (sp?), Fresh Air Experience, Ottawa a call. He has a collection of Military bicycle related items, photos, etc.
Cheers, Wayne
Thanks Wayne. I'd forgotten about that.