The Incredible Bikes & Cycling Tech Of The First World War

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  • Опубликовано: 30 ноя 2024
  • 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.
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Комментарии • 356

  • @dansotelo228
    @dansotelo228 3 года назад +2

    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.

  • @david_drives_66
    @david_drives_66 5 лет назад +109

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

    • @UR_HR
      @UR_HR 5 лет назад +1

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

    • @placidesulfurik
      @placidesulfurik 5 лет назад +1

      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
      @AlfieVLOG0 2 года назад

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

  • @recstoppauseplay
    @recstoppauseplay 2 года назад +1

    Fascinating Ollie, and great presentation!

  • @stevecarpenter7462
    @stevecarpenter7462 5 лет назад +66

    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.

  • @TheSkullcleaver
    @TheSkullcleaver 5 лет назад +144

    Fascinating, more stuff like this.

    • @TheDave007007
      @TheDave007007 5 лет назад +2

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

  • @IslaSprollie
    @IslaSprollie 5 лет назад +85

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

    • @OllieBridgewood
      @OllieBridgewood 5 лет назад +2

      CWRotherham incredible story isn’t it!

    • @C345OFR
      @C345OFR 5 лет назад +1

      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!

  • @alessandroscelso
    @alessandroscelso 5 лет назад +19

    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.

  • @FatBlokeDoingStuff
    @FatBlokeDoingStuff 4 года назад +1

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

  • @pascalbocherel7785
    @pascalbocherel7785 5 лет назад +8

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

    • @GCNuser123
      @GCNuser123 5 лет назад +1

      thanks mate. glad you enjoyed it

  • @tommycooper308
    @tommycooper308 5 лет назад +11

    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.

  • @nealbeard1
    @nealbeard1 5 лет назад +2

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

  • @20oldfarm
    @20oldfarm 5 лет назад +4

    From a network that puts out great videos, this was one of the more fascinating. Maybe because it’s Veterans Day here in the US, but just a great walk through the museum. Ollie is a great addition to the cast.

  • @HPaulModels
    @HPaulModels 5 лет назад +4

    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

  • @ricky7396
    @ricky7396 5 лет назад +1

    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

  • @Lasermanprint
    @Lasermanprint 5 лет назад +1

    Fantastic video Ollie well done

  • @jameslee9017
    @jameslee9017 5 лет назад +32

    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
      @hutchmusician 5 лет назад

      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
      @jameslee9017 5 лет назад

      @@hutchmusician sorry no

  • @AnvilAirsoftTV
    @AnvilAirsoftTV 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @thomasoei7089
    @thomasoei7089 5 лет назад +2

    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.

  • @apm9507
    @apm9507 3 года назад

    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.

  • @guysmith3326
    @guysmith3326 5 лет назад +9

    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!

  • @aartman2
    @aartman2 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @jkmaseruman
    @jkmaseruman 5 лет назад +6

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

  • @tay-lore
    @tay-lore Год назад

    These bicycles are so beautiful. Such amazing machines.

  • @Nubby007
    @Nubby007 5 лет назад +7

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

  • @BFR1974
    @BFR1974 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @Servicevelo
    @Servicevelo 5 лет назад +1

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

    • @OllieBridgewood
      @OllieBridgewood 5 лет назад +1

      thanks mate. glad you appreciate it.

    • @Servicevelo
      @Servicevelo 5 лет назад

      @@OllieBridgewood No worries., Bretters.

  • @stephanjud4569
    @stephanjud4569 5 лет назад +2

    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!

  • @jen3800
    @jen3800 5 лет назад +5

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

  • @stuartmcgill5065
    @stuartmcgill5065 5 лет назад +1

    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! :-)

  • @jendralhxr
    @jendralhxr 5 лет назад +13

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

  • @nstrug
    @nstrug 5 лет назад

    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.

  • @countteddy
    @countteddy 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @hotrodjoey50jo
    @hotrodjoey50jo 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @Ryan_Rides
    @Ryan_Rides 5 лет назад

    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.

  • @petersauer94
    @petersauer94 5 лет назад +22

    Brilliant absolutely brilliant, I actually learned something today. 👏

    • @tmbmtl
      @tmbmtl 5 лет назад

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

  • @grigorbrowning
    @grigorbrowning 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @cianoleary3311
    @cianoleary3311 5 лет назад +15

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

  • @markifi
    @markifi 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @stephenjeffreys4219
    @stephenjeffreys4219 5 лет назад +1

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

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  5 лет назад

      Thanks Stephen

  • @robertm1552
    @robertm1552 5 лет назад

    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
      @gcntech  5 лет назад

      Thanks Robert you're too kind

  • @buckroger6456
    @buckroger6456 5 лет назад

    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.

  • @keithmccallum1054
    @keithmccallum1054 5 лет назад +1

    One of your best videos ever!!

  • @janwillemkuilenburg7561
    @janwillemkuilenburg7561 5 лет назад +1

    Great narrative Ollie!

  • @petinka721
    @petinka721 5 лет назад +1

    Super Nice work Ollie!

  • @JosephCabalquinto
    @JosephCabalquinto 5 лет назад

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

  • @Citizenvelo
    @Citizenvelo 5 лет назад +1

    This is the content I crave. SO GOOD

  • @MrChristiangraham
    @MrChristiangraham 5 лет назад +1

    Good work, Ollie. Your passion is infectious.

  • @GargASBO
    @GargASBO 5 лет назад +1

    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...

  • @Kyujin666
    @Kyujin666 5 лет назад +1

    Super Nice! Thnx Ollie very interesting episode 👍

  • @markwatson8783
    @markwatson8783 5 лет назад

    Simply astonishing. Great reporting Ollie.

  • @javoughnplenty9298
    @javoughnplenty9298 5 лет назад +4

    Thanks GCN Tech for the great history lesson

  • @ojodecain7648
    @ojodecain7648 5 лет назад

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

  • @markvonwisco7369
    @markvonwisco7369 5 лет назад

    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.

  • @jeffjensen4532
    @jeffjensen4532 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @01FozzyS
    @01FozzyS 5 лет назад +5

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

    • @tmbmtl
      @tmbmtl 5 лет назад +1

      Indeed, rather splendid vid.

  • @olavh469
    @olavh469 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @aarong1012
    @aarong1012 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @jade4805
    @jade4805 5 лет назад

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

  • @richaw6689
    @richaw6689 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @davidblanton5146
    @davidblanton5146 5 лет назад

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

  • @joeottsoulbikes415
    @joeottsoulbikes415 5 лет назад

    Thank you for this look back at early bikes of the war.

  • @piobar19
    @piobar19 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @jmoore46jm
    @jmoore46jm 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @guysmith3326
    @guysmith3326 5 лет назад +1

    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.

  • @safehands8889
    @safehands8889 5 лет назад

    One of my favourite GCN videos

  • @doxasnob8137
    @doxasnob8137 5 лет назад +1

    Just...wow! More please!

  • @nickfry7705
    @nickfry7705 5 лет назад +1

    Brill vid, many thanks.

  • @ianstewart8301
    @ianstewart8301 5 лет назад +1

    This was just fascinating and enjoyable. Great job!

  • @LawrenceSeetoh
    @LawrenceSeetoh 5 лет назад

    What a brilliant tour of the Museum. Thank you !

  • @jasongirvan6729
    @jasongirvan6729 5 лет назад +3

    Ollie I love your vids, you make them interesting and your own expression of intrigue is genuine
    That blazer though you chuckled at not being like gore is a little off base as 100% wool was chosen specifically for its properties of insulation and natural water proof abilities but yes absolutely heavier and especially wet but always dry and warm

    • @brannmacfinnchad9056
      @brannmacfinnchad9056 5 лет назад +1

      Yeah...I was laughing at that a bit as well.
      I would also like to point out (to Ollie) that tailors knew how to adjust the standard pattern to accommodate the cycling position well before WWI--adjustments for suits to be worn while sporting weren't uncommon in drafting/cutting manuals. So while more confining than most modern folks are used to, I doubt it was as uncomfortable as you think.

  • @olivierwatteyn5104
    @olivierwatteyn5104 5 лет назад

    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.

  • @jeremyglenn3130
    @jeremyglenn3130 5 лет назад +11

    If only my history classes where like this in school

  • @electroookris6768
    @electroookris6768 5 лет назад

    One of the best videos, good job, Ollie

  • @stephenstevens6573
    @stephenstevens6573 5 лет назад

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

  • @misanthropickat6167
    @misanthropickat6167 5 лет назад

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

  • @chrislilley5320
    @chrislilley5320 5 лет назад +1

    Wow great story!!

  • @skulengu6854
    @skulengu6854 5 лет назад

    For those of us in the U.S. that distance translates to just over 205 miles. That is a long distance in general, but to do it with the single gear bikes of the day and riding with the cycling gear (kit to the Brits), that is especially impressive. What a fantastic museum. Thank you for all of the amazing videos, but this one is arguably a stand out. Of course, as I say that, I am thinking of so many others that impressed me.

  • @prestachuck2867
    @prestachuck2867 5 лет назад

    Awesome video! Superb narrative by Waffles!

  • @johnnydoe66
    @johnnydoe66 5 лет назад +1

    Definitely a better breed of rider or even just a human back then, Super tough. What amazes me is the old tech becoming new again, with better technology and materials.

  • @owenchuarbx
    @owenchuarbx 5 лет назад

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

  • @2wheelsrbest327
    @2wheelsrbest327 5 лет назад

    Well done Ollie great presentation and some interesting information. Can you imagine racing in that era ! .

  • @markmyers8775
    @markmyers8775 5 лет назад

    Amazing video! So much great history!

  • @ryanmattson6241
    @ryanmattson6241 5 лет назад +1

    Loved this video! Those bikes are so awesome 😍👌

  • @oscarcaruso204
    @oscarcaruso204 5 лет назад

    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

  • @TheCatwhisper
    @TheCatwhisper 5 лет назад +1

    Ollie, if there is more to see, please do more videos on what there is at Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen..

  • @AmiJurgl
    @AmiJurgl 5 лет назад +2

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

  • @andysrvlife
    @andysrvlife 5 лет назад +1

    Great video and outstanding presentation.

  • @tonytheantony
    @tonytheantony 5 лет назад +3

    Great video for Rememberance Sunday. Loving cycling, aviation and having a Great Uncle in the RAF who F.T.R in WW2, always fancied an RAF issue push bike🚴#LestWeForget

    • @660einzylinder
      @660einzylinder 5 лет назад +1

      My Grandfather was 'allowed' to buy a new bicycle under special permit in 1942. He was a civilian contractor engaged on building and maintaining an aerodrome for the USAAF. In 1947 he passed the bicycle on to my Father, who was 15 at the time. He lashed out and had it fitted with a 3 speed hub, it remained his only transport until 1989 when he bought his first car, a rather secondhand 1300 Triumph Dolomite. The bicycle is still in his shed, waiting for me to have the time to restore it.

    • @tonytheantony
      @tonytheantony 5 лет назад

      @@660einzylinderWow! Such a cool story.👍 😊 Good luck with the resto when you find the time! What a ride that'll be!👍🚴😊

  • @evandarling699
    @evandarling699 5 лет назад

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

  • @richardstoffel6585
    @richardstoffel6585 5 лет назад

    Love hearing the tech. Very interesting to see that wide / tub tires was a thing, and yet here we are again. I do like the suspension on that bike, it is very well integrated i almost couldn’t tell until you pointed it out.

  • @shtthemnky
    @shtthemnky 5 лет назад +1

    Great video. Keep the good work.

  • @_SpaceDad
    @_SpaceDad 5 лет назад +1

    Super Nice!!

  • @sdkid6059
    @sdkid6059 5 лет назад

    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 !!

  • @jonglass
    @jonglass 5 лет назад +1

    Super Nice for the whole video!

  • @soloflyingmonkey
    @soloflyingmonkey 5 лет назад

    What an amazing video! Loved it!

    • @gcntech
      @gcntech  5 лет назад

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

  • @jimparry7197
    @jimparry7197 5 лет назад +3

    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
      @MrShotlighter 5 лет назад

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

    • @herberar
      @herberar 5 лет назад

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

  • @sureshchinnappa2290
    @sureshchinnappa2290 5 лет назад +4

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

  • @suggyltd9577
    @suggyltd9577 5 лет назад

    Terrific. Thanks for this essay.

  • @CristoffelBonorand
    @CristoffelBonorand 5 лет назад +1

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

  • @NickelPlateRoad57
    @NickelPlateRoad57 5 лет назад

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