Bicycle Culture Quotes
Bicycles were just beginning to be popular. It was a very successful social activity. This poster advertised a large indoor bicycle arena with room for 1500 guest observers. There was a band playing and refreshments were served. Patrons paid by the hour. In addition, they could buy bicycles there. Note the special appeal to females. Women were a potential market that most businesses overlooked, The early bicycles were very difficult for a woman in a long skirt to maneuver. So special bicycles were designed and advertised for sale here. Check out the illustration in the poster of the woman’s bike. That is how they solved the long skirt problem—make a small front wheel. The cost was about 50 cents per hour to rent a bike and ride. A new fancy woman’s bike was $150—a huge sum in those days—the equivalent of thousands of dollars in our money. $50 bought a low end bike. Definitely a luxury item. However, as more and more people manufactured bikes, the price dropped rapidly.
