Tractor

Just out of interest I was looking around to see what a BSA Paratrooper would cost and if they would be for sale anywhere - eBay seems the best bet and they have them listed quite often it seems. Given the age and use of the bikes they are all pretty battered BUT still have value. The one in the pics below is currently listed and the highest bid so far is GBP680 - and lets face it it seems pretty faarked and is going to need a lot of work to make it ride able. For the bike to be a collectors piece it needs to be unrestored and in as original condition as possible but obviously I would assume still ride able?

Check their website www.militarybikes.com for info and more pics

The US military still uses the Paratrooper made by a company called Montague. From their website: "Tough, rugged, and ready for anything, this mountain bike is dropped from the sky to land prepared for action. The speed of unfolding this bike for riding will blow you away. No tools required to fold and stash in your Humvee. The Paratrooper® comes equipped with front suspension, 24-speed Shimano shifters, and heavy duty double cage aluminum pedals to tackle the roughest terrain. The Paratrooper® Tactical Folding Mountain Bike uses all standard mountain bike wheels and components serviceable at any bike shop" Some more pics ...

Some more ...

Some photos of the BSA Paratrooper - have a look at the pedals in the first photo

The most common bikes in Vietnam at the time were French made Peugeot's and Czech built Favorit's.

Imagine landing on a pedal

Vietnam was a case in point where the use of bicycles literally changed the outcome of a war. The Vietnamese modified the bikes to carry heavy loads (think in the line of 270kg's as an average) and could still cover 40 km's a day - a porter on foot struggles with a 45kg load. One of the sources quotes the heaviest single load as being 328 kg!!

I remember reading somewhere that the British Ministry of Defence had a stipulation that the bikes had to be under 23 pounds (so less than say 10.5kg). Crazy!!

YOH!! Hectic, glad he's okay!

Another excerpt regarding World War 2: "As the Germans rapidly advanced across Europe they put their bicycles to good use. Behind the many tanks that spearheaded the invasion of Belgium and France came thousands of bikes. These were used by the German Army to transport infantry behind the thousands of tanks, lorries, and even horse drawn wagons."

In the Second World War bicycles also played a massive part. Probably the most famous of the bikes was the BSA Paratrooper - a folding bike used by the paratroopers.

Following on a current thread regarding the carrying of a gun while riding here's some interesting info from a book I'm currently reading - "The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes" by Tom Ambrose. I didn't know that bicycles were actively used in the Boer War! Here's an excerpt: "during the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 - 02, cyclists were used extensively both the Boers for scouting and by British and Empire forces as despatch riders and for patrolling exposed railway lines. There was even a documented incident, at Hammanskraal in the Transvaal, in which 11 new Zealand cyclists chased and arrested 10 Boer horsemen. the Boers had their successes as well. Commandant Danie Theron raised the bicycle mounted "Theron se Verkenningskorps, described by the British Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Lord Roberts as "the hardest thorn in the flesh of the British advance."

Whatever - huge difference between an R4/R5 slung over your shoulder than a pistol in a holster. You're also missing the point - the SANDF could let rip in a contact situation because they were at war; as a private citizen you are not afforded the same protection or rights as they are. Opening fire on someone who is running away in a war situation is totally acceptable, in real life in almost all cases it's a free "go to jail" card.

While working on a massive privately owned game farm in Zambia we used to patrol the fence lines by off road motorbike and carried Colt 45 pistols in belt holsters. It is not easy or quick to jump off a moving bike, draw a pistol and either initiate or return fire. Besides feeling like Rambo every time we went riding the fences they weren't really worth anything more than just looking pretty bad ass; afterwards we found out that the poachers were scared off more by the sound of the bikes than us and our 45's on the bikes. I can guarantee that by the time you have drawn a well concealed pistol the mugger will either be well on his way (in which case you will be up for murder should you shoot him) or they will stab / shoot you just to get your gun. The law is very clear in this regard ; you can only use necessary force in the moment when your life is in fact in danger - your life is not in danger when your now stolen bike is on it's way to it's new home, i.e. the mugger is running / cycling away. My 2 cents worth of advice - leave the gun at home, it's not worth the crap you're going to get yourself into.

High end helmets are the norm at Epic so if you want to be easily spotted how about one of these PS Sorry for the hi-jack

That's a lot of frames that they've replaced - big up to them, it speaks volumes about their customer service and warranty

Baastids!

YOH!! Brazen and actually freaking unbelievable!

That's way cool

If you managed to get any of his insurance details then lodge a third party claim with his insurance company.

Life won't be fun when he's the new guy who has to provide some loving for his cell mates - he deserves what he gets!

+ 1 Perhaps you should also stay away from weed eaters, lawn mowers, microwave ovens ...

Rock - you bling heathen Think bling bling disco king stuff not Mary Poppins falls off a ship