1936 bicycle restoration at the Perth Bike Station

Liz, one of the Bike Station's mechanics in Perth, spotted this frame in amongst a pile of bikes that had been deposited at the Friarton recyling centre. It was frame, forks and wheels. She knew it was something special and possibly rare.

The bike turned out to be a Granby "taper tube" bicycle, dating back to 1936.

She sat it to the side while she looked for parts to restore it and keep it as original as possible to the era.

Four months of patience and it was almost complete: original Lauterwasser bars, Williams steel 3 arm chainset, Brooks B17 saddle and vintage centre pull brake, Dunlop LA 26 x 1/4 rims and a fixed hub. The stem height and reach are fully adjustable and are in keeping with the time period. The only thing holding it back from completion was a broken spoke - very narrow gauge and double butted. But thankfully a discussion with a member of the veteran cycle club led Liz getting the required spoke from another member, Vic Polanski (who used to be a professional grass track racer and raced on a Granby Taper Tube!) and also regular visitor to the Bike Station in Perth. He confirmed the approximate age of the bike as between 1936-38. So with the spoke fitted the bike was complete. It rides super smooth and hopefully as good as it's first day on the road. It is sad to think that this piece of cycling history could have been sent to the scrap yard and have been lost for good!

This isn't the oldest bike we've restored - that one dated back to 1896. We have taken in some 30,000 discarded bikes, and this just goes to show what we can do with them.

Host a tree for Edinburgh's cycle paths

Along the Hawthornvale cycle path, the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop is in the middle of construction of a new Sculpture Centre (due to open in 2012), to be closely followed by construction of the Creative Laboratories which is due to open in the Autumn of 2013. 

Once construction is complete, ESW will be landscaping the cycle path and the areas which surround the two new buildings. The landscaping plan uses trees and shrubs native to Scotland and, to help the landscaping establish as quickly as possible, ESW is running a ‘Tree Hosting’ project - starting from now, volunteers will host a tree in their allotment or garden for up to 2 years, until 2013, when it will be replanted on the Hawthornvale path.

ESW will supply the trees in pots which will can be put straight into the ground, allowing them to be more easily replanted in two years time. The trees will take a little bit of care but as they are small should be easy to cope with - and no blame will be attached if your tree fails to thrive for whatever reason. 

Would you like to host a tree which will be used in ESW’s landscaping of the cycle path in 2013? If you would like to be a Tree-Hoster please get in touch as soon as you can so we can arrange a collection date for your tree.  Contacts: Irene Kernan (irene@edinburghsculpture.org) or Andrea Geile (ESWmembersrep@googlemail.com)

Daffodil planting for brighter cycle paths

This Saturday 19 November, join Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust to plant daffodil bulbs alongside the path between Stedfastgate and Gosford Place in Newhaven for something to look forward to in the Spring.

There is hot soup from Midday!

All welcome, under 16’s should be accompanied by an adult

For further information please contact Esperanza Martin on 0131 445 4025 esperanza@elgt.org.uk

The event is part of ELGT's and the Bike Station People's Postcode Lottery Dream Fund project to improve and promote Edinburgh's traffic-free path network.

Cycling up 26% on Edinburgh cycle path network.

This year the Edinburgh Bike Station has again taken part in an annual cycle survey, counting the number of cyclists at key locations in Edinburgh during the morning commute (7.30-9.15am).

At Fiveways Junction, on the Haymarket to Ocean Terminal/the Shore path, we recorded a 26% increase in the number of cyclists compared to November 2010. This section of Edinburgh's paths has been a key part of the Edinburgh Bike Station's and Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust Innertube project to promote and improve the paths, supported by the People's Postcode Lottery Dream Fund.

On Causewayside, we recorded a 15% increase compared to last November. Causewayside is the main corridor between Edinburgh University's two largest campuses and will soon see major improvements to become a cycling corridor.

The third location we surveyed was North Bridge, where the number of cyclists compared to last year has dropped by 1%.  With the increases seen elsewhere, the North Bridge result is probably more to do with increased car traffic and congestion on that route due to the closure of the Mound and Princes Street for the tramworks, so many cyclists have sought alternative routes.

Both counts were carried out on the third Tuesday of November, and the weather was almost identical on both days, allowing a meaningful comparison.

These results prove what is visible - ever more cyclists on Edinburgh's streets.

Update on November 15, 2011 by Mark

A further breakdown of the 2011 cycle count results show some even greater increases.

On Causewayside - cyclists heading South towards Edinburgh University's Kings Buildings went up by 23%. KB is a major destination for city centre based students and staff. Edinburgh University's transport team have done much to increase cycling amongst the university community, including regular Bike Station Dr Bikes at their various campuses.

At Fiveways Junction - cyclists heading South to the City Centre went up by 28%. Those heading East to Leith, Newhaven, Ocean Terminal and Victoria Quay went up by 36%. As well as the new Innertube map of this and all of Edinburgh's paths, Greener Leith ran a two year CCF-funded project aimed at those living and working in Leith.

Spokes carried out a cycle count on their regular locations of Lothian Road and Forrest Row (for the sixth year running) on the same day, showing very similar increases - 12% on November 2010, and even higher numbers than in May 2011. On Lothian Road, cycles made up 25% of all vehicles.

Christmas children's bikes at the Perth Bike Station

There are plenty of ways to get a child's bike from the Perth Bike Station in the run up to Christmas this year.

Saturday 26th Novermber the Perth Bike Station, in association with Perth and Kinross Council, will be at the skate park on Shore Road, South Inch from 11am to 2pm, with a selection of children's bikes.

On Saturday 3rd December, come to the Perth Farmers' Market from 8am to 2pm - King Edward Street, Perth.

And from Monday 5th December to Saturday 19th December, the Perth Bike Station will be open all week long - from 10.30am - 4.30pm.

Don't forget, all bicycles from the Bike Station come with a three-month warranty and are fully reconditioned.