Francis Birtles' 1905 Australian tour account

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

In 1905 Francis Birtles cycled to Melbourne from Freemantle, in Western Australia. Four years later, he published his adventures in a book, titled Lonely Lands. It is a fascinating read, available free from the Open Library: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7196883M/Lonely_lands

Birtles' account even includes photos, and who doesn't like those?  

Best,

Dan.

[Barry Webber]

Hello Dan,
Thanks for the link, I will be very interested to read this story.
I have selected the epub file.
Recently I have been reading several books all about cycle touring.
One was all about a young american who vanished while attempting to cycle around the world in 1892:-
The Lost Cyclist: The Untold Story of Frank Lenz's Ill-Fated Around-the-World Journey.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Lost-Cyclist-Around---World/dp/1845964322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359236368&sr=8-1
As a fellow american perhaps you are familar with this story?
I found it fascinating and very interesting as it details the changeover from the "Ordinary" bicycle or Penny Farthing to the modern Safety bicycle.
Cyclists back then were called Wheelmen or Wheelers.
At the moment I am working through Alastair Humphreys Thunder & Sunshine book.

I would love to purchase a Thorn Nomad and happen to live only a few miles from Bridgwater where Thorn are based.
Last September I visted Thorn and test rode a Nomad.
It is my ambition to try and do some cycle Touring but I am a novice and will need to work up to it.
If I could eventually complete a LEJOG here in the UK I would be absolutely thrilled.

This Forum is very lucky to have you as it's Moderator and I am always impressed with your positive and upbeat posts.
You inspire me and I am sure many others here with your experience and helpful advice.

Best wishes,
Barry.

[jags]

Welcome Barry yeah join the Dan fan club he's one of a kind thats for sure.
hope you fulfill your ambition in buying the nomad great bikes these Thorns.
bit ambisious doing end to end why not join the fellclub .org.uk and go to some of there meets great bunch of guys and you would be made most welcome.
i'm as far as i know the only irish member  joined it 7 years ago .
anyway cheers and hope you stick around.

cheers
jags.

[Danneaux]

Hello, Barry, and a welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forum! Very nice to have you aboard.

I appreciate your mention of The Lost Cyclist; I haven't read it, and from the description on the Amazon link you supplied, it looks like a wonderful read. It goes right to the top of my list, and I will be getting a copy soon so I can take a look firsthand. I'm a romantic when it comes to travel and travel essays, and nothing captures my imagination like past accounts. I read and I ponder and I sit in wonder at how people made some of the trips they did and with what we now consider the most basic of means. It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Iron machines and iron men to run them.

Dervla Murphy is another cycling author whose books make a wonderful read. She has a site of her own here: http://www.dervlamurphy.com/ ...and my favorite cycling book of hers dates from 1965, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, available from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Full-Tilt-Dervla-Murphy/dp/1906011419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359260812&sr=1-1&keywords=dervla+murphy A favorite section of the book for me was when she was tracked by wolves through a forest and nearly fell prey to them. Adventure!

To be honest, "Wheelman" or "Wheeler" appeals to me, even though currently out of vogue. My great-grandfather rode his bicycle to carpentry jobs and used his beloved "Wheel" to carry his toolbox with him. Come to think of it, my grandparents used to use the term "wheeling along" to describe things going well, and I now wonder if there was a bicycling association.

Since you're interested in that transitional period from high-wheeler to ordinary, I'm guessing you might really enjoy The wonderful ride: Being the true journal of Mr George T. Loher who in 1895 cycled from coast to coast on his Yellow Fellow wheel , on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/wonderful-ride-journal-George-cycled/dp/0062505408/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359255606&sr=1-1 I live in Eugene, Oregon, and George's 1895 route carried him north from San Francisco to Portland before heading east to New York City. Many of the small towns he passed through on his way north are still there -- in name at least -- and I know firsthand some of the steep hills he traversed and wonder how he managed so well. He did ride the railroad ties as he could, but I can't imagine it was very comfortable. Still, he managed with few complaints and managed some pretty remarkable distances each day. He was resourceful, as well. To control downhill speeds he tied brush and branches to his bicycle to create a genuine "drag brake". The book includes a generous number of black and white photos from the era to depict how things would have looked at the time of his journey, a treat rare in many such accounts.

I so hope you will soon have a Nomad of your own, Barry; the "wanting/needing" must be especially keen after a test ride and visit to Thorn/SJS Cycles! I have a Nomad myself after owning a Sherpa, and if there's anything you'd like to know about either bicycle and how they ride or feel, please feel free to ask or PM me. Those are two of the nicest touring bikes on offer anywhere, and I'm sure your needs would be well-served if you're looking to do some touring in the future. As much fun as cycling unladen can be, touring and cycle-camping adds that little bit of extra fun to it. If nothing else, it is awfully nice to no longer worry about making it home at the end of a day, especially when you have "home" with you in the form of a warm sleeping bag, comfortable pad, snug tent, and a kettle on the boil for some hot tea. A good book to read before turning in for the night just about completes the picture, and you're in for a wonderful treat if you decide to give it a go. All things are possible with time and determination and after working up to it, there's nothing to stop you from completing LEJOG as you hope. Good on you; a wonderful goal! It's on my "someday" list of tours as well. I've read so many illustrated accounts online; it is one of the world's great tours everyone should take someday.

Thanks for your very kind words, Barry (and thank you jags, as well!). We're also fortunate to have a wonderful membership of pleasant, giving people here, and I don't think one could ask for a better atmosphere. A forum is only as good as its members, and ours are a collective resource second to none! Nice to have you with us!

Best,

Dan.

[Barry Webber]

Thanks jags and thank you Dan.
I have just purchased the George T. Lohar book and it looks as though it will make a good addition to my growing collection.
When I read The Lost Cyclist it seems like another era back when he set out in 1892 but actually very many of his friends and contemporaries, according to the book, lived until the 1950's which is the decade I was born so looking at it in that way it seems closer to the present time!

Another author I have read is Anne Mustoe who retired from being a UK Girl's School Headmistress at the age of 54 to cycle around the world twice in different directions and completed various other touring trips.
Sadly Anne Mustoe died in 2009 aged 76 while on another cycling trip.
Mysteriously I have been unable to Google the cause of her death finding only articles referring to a short illness.
At least she ended her life doing what she so obviously enjoyed and loved, which she passed on to countless others via her terrific books.

I am 54 at the moment - 55 next month - and so I definitely feel I have to do something to try and keep fit and hold back the advancing years.
I have had a Raleigh Touring 10 speed bicycle for 30 odd years without doing many miles with it.
Then in October 2010 I purchased an Electric bicycle through the UK "Cycle to work" scheme via my employers and since then have completed 11,500 miles of commuting mostly to work.
I really look forward to the journey to and from work on my powered Ebike and like the thought that I am not polluting the environment and am saving a lot of petrol money by not driving whilst improving my fitness at the same time.
Although it has a rear wheel Hub motor I always pedal with as much energy as I can - it is power assisted rather than being like a moped.

Having kept this up for over 2 years I stared thinking about purchasing a good quality Touring bike with appropriate gearing to cope with the worst part of cycling - the hilly parts.
My Raleigh is not really geared low enough for steep hills.
With being older the more upright style of the Ebike is more comfortable for my back than the more "racy" bent over position of the Raleigh.
When I first road the Ebike it seemed a very strange riding position now when I ride the Raleigh that seems very uncomfortable with too much weight on my hands and wrists and too much strain on my lower back with has given me problems over the years.

Then I found out about Thorn bicycles while researching about Touring bikes on the internet and was surprised as I had not heard about them despite living only 13 miles from Bridgwater.
Having gone through the various options the model I would like comes to about £3300 which is the same as we paid for our 2nd hand Fiat Panda car!
I try to justify the price saying that a car after 20-30 years will be in a scrapyard but the Thorn bike should be in my Will for one of my daughters.
Comparatively the Rohloff Thorn is like the "Rolls-Royce" of Touring bicycles.
Also what price can you put on keeping fit with the associated quality of life spread over many years?
Yes I would love a top spec Thorn Nomad.

My wife does not cycle and so far I have been unable to persuade her to cycle.
It would make me so happy if she would change her mind.
I would love to cycle Tour with her off to exotic places just like Andy Blance who is so fortunate to be able to do so with his partner.
By the way I was briefly introduced to Andy during my visit to Thorn last September but I was far too meek to say much at that time!

Well I am starting to ramble now so I had better stop.
Thanks again for your friendly replies.

Best wishes,
Barry.

[onmybike]

Nice find that Birtles' book Dan. Just downloaded the epub for a read. I've also added it to the list I maintain of bicycle travelogues in print at crazyguyonabike - https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=6668&v=Fc. 380 english language titles and growing! This list is pretty good from the 1980s on but I'd appreciate it anyone on the Thorn forum with books from the 70s and earlier could let me know the details if they're not already on the list.

Syd

[Danneaux]

I've also added it to the list I maintain of bicycle travelogues in print at crazyguyonabike...

Oh! That's simply wonderful Syd; what a terrific resource! I'll be happy to go through my collection and see what I can add for you. Our own JimK has a growing and extensive collection of cycling books as well, and may have some travelogues among them to suggest. One of mine that comes to mine is Eric Newby's Round Ireland in Low Gear, not just a travelogue, it is a guide in granular detail. It is packed away in the attic at the moment, but when I track it down, I'll pass along the full information for your terrific database.

Best,

Dan. (...who thinks your bicycle travelogue database is one of the best things ever!)

[onmybike]

Thanks Dan. Mr Newby is already on the list, although I've always thought it was his worst book - it gets very bogged down in dull historical fact and seems entirely lacking in the joy I associate with touring.

[Danneaux]

Barry,

You'll find yourself in wonderful company here -- especially if you decide an electrically-assisted Thorn is your dream ride. Several people here have found electrification helpful for extending their riding. Do a search (Tips for how are here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4390.0 ) and look for posts by Andre (Hobbes) and IanS; both have had very good outcomes with added motors coupled with Rohloff drivetrains.

One of the many points in Thorn's favor is the exceptionally large range of sizes and "seating options". If you haven't seen their excellent illustrated fitting guide, it is well worth a look here: http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/SetUpHiRes.pdf You can go as upright or as stretched out as you wish, and most of the line is optimized with top tubes appropriate for a choice or straight or drop handlebars, depending on preference.

Also what price can you put on keeping fit with the associated quality of life spread over many years?

Ah! The Golden Argument that cannot be countered...the perfect "tipping point" justification in favor of a quality bike that really will last a lifetime!

My wife does not cycle and so far I have been unable to persuade her to cycle.
It would make me so happy if she would change her mind.

Yes, this can be a sticking point for couples where one rides and the other does not. If there is a solution, it seems to lay in tailoring the trips and rides for the more novice member, making bikes the least part of the activity -- at least initially until cycling develops an appeal of its own. Things like biking short distances to a bistro or favorite nearby restaurant for a pleasant meal, or a close-in B&B if touring overnight and with very low daily distance (small end of the wedge, to be expanded in scope if successful). Or, perhaps it is worth considerig a tandem. All the fun of single riding but generally less effort ('cept for uphill!) and certainly less wind resistance and the chance to converse easily while riding. The stoker (back-seat rider) doesn't even need to now how to balance or ride a bike; I've had good luck taking people on my tandem who never learned to ride a bike on their own. If seat woes are an issue, perhaps a recumbent with a generously wide seat would allow her companionship as you ride your upright Thorn.

Pulling things a bit back on-topic...Anne Mustoe's actual cause of death remains unclear through the tributes and obituaries I've seen. The best I can find is she died of an unspecified illness while in a Syrian hospital. Given the common complaints of world tourists, it may be she was weakened by dysentery or perhaps contracted a virus or pneumonia and by the time she got to hospital, her condition was too far advanced to be reversed. In any case, it was a sad and terrible loss. At 76 and in what must have been general good condition, she should have had a number of years ahead of her. She was much beloved by those who knew her, and the stories she wrote are wonderful!

Mr Newby is already on the list, although I've always thought it was his worst book - it gets very bogged down in dull historical fact and seems entirely lacking in the joy I associate with touring.

Agreed on all points, Syd!

Best,

Dan.

[Barry Webber]

Well I have just finished reading "Lonely Lands" on my birthday Kindle Paperwhite.
Overall an interesting account of Francis Birtles trip as Dan said complete with quite a few black & white photos.
He seems to have been an interesting and decent fellow and a bit of an adventurer.
There was just one aspect which I did not like or enjoy and that was the outdated, although probably normal for the time, way in which he referred to the Aborigine people he encountered.
By todays standards most of the references are exremely "non PC" and overall seem offensive.
Birtles did spend time in South Africa so may have picked up bad habits and outlook from there.
Comparing his descriptions of the indiginous natives compared to Thomas Stevens account in his around the world trip by "Ordinary" bicycle Birtles seems much worse and unkind to his fellow humans.
As I said we have to make allowances for the prevailing attitudes of the time which does not however make it any more palatable to a modern reader.
With most of these older comtemporary accounts much of the interest is getting the perspective from the individual of the period and comparing it with our own modern outlooks.
I find the stories fascinating and captivating and a real "eye opener" on human existance and experiences.
Generally I cannot find enough of these accounts.
Although not connected with cycling I enjoyed very much Captain Cooks Journals of his three Circumnavigations around the world.
Another story I have yet to read is the account of Shackleton's 1914-1917 expedition accross the Antarctic - this also available as a free kindle ebook.
Learning of past experiences of people now long dead hopefully helps us to make the most of our time left in enjoying this wonderful world around us.

Best wishes to all,
Barry.

[il padrone]

Thanks Dan. Mr Newby is already on the list, although I've always thought it was his worst book - it gets very bogged down in dull historical fact and seems entirely lacking in the joy I associate with touring.

Yes, I only began reading that one - never finished it. Nothing to do with cycling but I much preferred his "Love and War in the Apennines", and the quixotic "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush"

[Andre Jute]

Although not connected with cycling I enjoyed very much Captain Cooks Journals of his three Circumnavigations around the world.
Another story I have yet to read is the account of Shackleton's 1914-1917 expedition accross the Antarctic - this also available as a free kindle ebook.

You're an ambitious reader, Barry!

About Birtles' attitudes, they were commonplaces, and had nothing to do with spending time in South Africa. Mahatma Gandhi also spent time in South Africa... In fact, until the 1950s, Australian law still regarded Aborigines as pests and a farmer could apply to the magistrates for a license to shoot an Aborigine on his land.

Andre Jute

[il padrone]

In fact, until the 1950s, Australian law still regarded Aborigines as pests and a farmer could apply to the magistrates for a license to shoot an Aborigine on his land.

While I would agree that Birtles was substantially a creature of his era, and at the turn of the 1900s general societal atitudes to aborigines were appalling, I would not agree with this interpretation of 1950s Australia.

Do you have any reference for this? I would believe it of WA or NT in the 1920s when the last massacres ocurred, but not in the 50s.

[Andre Jute]

While I would agree that Birtles was substantially a creature of his era, and at the turn of the 1900s general societal atitudes to aborigines were appalling, I would not agree with this interpretation of 1950s Australia.

Do you have any reference for this? I would believe it of WA or NT in the 1920s when the last massacres ocurred, but not in the 50s.

I was told so c1975 by an old farmer at a country race meeting. Several other old farmers in the group did not contradict him. I haven't actually found an academic reference in a couple of hours of looking, and now I'm out of time.

[John Saxby]

Wonderful arcane stuff!  Welcome, Syd.  Nice to see fans of Eric Newby in the e-neighbourhood, too. "Apennines" and "The Hindu Kush" were both wonderful books; I found the former especially touching. "The Last Grain Race" and "Slowly Down the Ganges" are well worth reading too.

Oh, and books on boikes.  Syd, you might wish to read & add to your list Tim Hilton's "One More Kilometre and We're in the Showers", his account of club competition in the UK in the 50's and 60's, and reflections on the Tour de France in those years.  Some evocative old fotos, and the book has some insightful sociology too, with a class profile of cyclists & cycling (this is England, remember).  But maybe he inherited that perspective from his parents, who were members of the CP in Birmingham, where he grew up.  With a bike given to him by a maverick uncle, he took refuge in 2-wheelers at age 9, bored to tears by what he saw as the drab conformism of their conversations. Then again, maybe it was his way of getting back at them for being named not Tim-as-short-for-Timothy, but instead Tim-as-short-for-of-all-things-Timoshenko, the Ukrainian Red Army general. He was the Observer's art critic at one point--must surely have known Newby--and, he's never owned a car. (Tim H., that is -- I dunno about the old general.)

An old friend in Pretoria lent the book to me just a few years ago, so I'm pretty sure it's still in print.

J.