Historical Poem
A SONG OF THE WHEEL
By Charles E. Pratt, Outing and the Wheelman, October, 1883, p. 2.
Come with me out into the road, my wheel,--
Out into the road, ere the sun goes down!
Thy hoofs of round rubber and ribs of true steel
Shall bear me away from this tiresome town.
Aloft on thy saddle, set safe from all harm,--
The saddle ne'er mounted by trouble or care,--
I'll hie me away where the woodlands yet charm,
where valleys are smiling and fields are yet fair.
With feet on they quick-moving pedals impressed,--
The pedals that speed from the hurrying street,--
I'll seek the calm hills and the landscapes at rest,
Where green leaves are fresh and the breezes are sweet.
Out over the road while the sun is yet high,
While sunlight and shadows are nimbly at play,--
O Bicycle! free as the swallows that fly,
We'll hover, we'll hasten, as joyful as they.
By Charles E. Pratt, Outing and the Wheelman, October, 1883, p. 2.
Come with me out into the road, my wheel,--
Out into the road, ere the sun goes down!
Thy hoofs of round rubber and ribs of true steel
Shall bear me away from this tiresome town.
Aloft on thy saddle, set safe from all harm,--
The saddle ne'er mounted by trouble or care,--
I'll hie me away where the woodlands yet charm,
where valleys are smiling and fields are yet fair.
With feet on they quick-moving pedals impressed,--
The pedals that speed from the hurrying street,--
I'll seek the calm hills and the landscapes at rest,
Where green leaves are fresh and the breezes are sweet.
Out over the road while the sun is yet high,
While sunlight and shadows are nimbly at play,--
O Bicycle! free as the swallows that fly,
We'll hover, we'll hasten, as joyful as they.
Victorian Cycles
Hand-built 1890's-style bicycles
Interested in a real time machine? Commission one of our 1890s-style custom bicycles! Custom, hand-made steel frames with wooden fenders and chainguards, leather saddles and cork grips. Whether you are interested in a roadster or a racer, we can build you the period bicycle of your dreams.
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If you liked this piece, be sure to check out:
Cycling
An article on us in Bicycling magazine:
http://www.bicycling.com/culture/people/old-doesn-t-mean-bad-modern-conversation-victorian-era-cyclists
Sarah's trip to the flower fields of the Skagit Valley:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/my-recent-trip-to-the-skagit-valley
The Chilly Hilly ride: Bainbridge Island, WA
Sarah's participation in an organized ride:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/chilly-hilly
Port Townsend to Port Gamble
A short trip from one Victorian town to another:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/port-gamble-wa
Cycling in a corset—an excerpt from Victorian Secrets:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/cycling-in-a-corset-a-short-excerpt-from-victorian-secrets
The Tricycle's Maiden Voyage:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/the-tricycles-maiden-voyage
A rebuttal of an erroneous article:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/a-rebuttal-to-a-recent-article
A few words on the 19th-century cyclists' drink of choice: milk & soda:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/milk-and-soda
Gabriel on his Victory at the 2015 Viking Tour On Sunday, May 17th, 2015 Gabriel rode his Victory Ordinary in the Poulsbo-Port Gamble Viking Tour, an organized cycling event. Around five hundred riders participated in this 35-mile event, but Gabriel was the only one on an Ordinary!
Photos courtesy http://www.poulsbovikingtour.com/photos/index.html
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Historic cycling articles by title:
A Burglar, A Bicycle, and A Storm (Fiction—1897)
A Cycle of the Seasons: A Bicycle Romance in Four Meets (Fiction—1883)
A Cycle Show in Little (1897)
A Modern Love Sung in Ancient Fashion (Poem—1884)
Bicycling and Tricycling (1884)
Cycling for Women (1888)
Is Bicycling Harmful? (1897)
The Evolution of a Sport (1897)
Foreign [Bicycling News] (1884)
A Midwinter-Night's Dream (An homage to Dickens' A Christmas Carol, cycling style —1883)
On Wings of Love (Poem—1884)
Rosalind A Wheel (Fiction—1897)
Snakes in his Wheel (1895)
Wheelman's Song (Poem—1883)
The Work of Wheelmen for Better Roads (1897)
Woman's Cycle (1897)
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In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
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