Collectors Discover Historic Bicycles

Germans cherish bicycles as an economic and eco-friendly way to get around town. But, despite their high-tech reputation, they do not always insist on having the latest light-weight bikes - many Germans now seem to prefer the old solid and reliable models of yesteryear.

Just take the following example: The pedals are unwieldy, the headlamp is as big as a coconut half. An ingenious cable leads to a traditional bell, and the black frame bears the name "Alemannia". The gentlemen's bicycle, dating from 1953, is just one of around 80 bikes on sale in Axel Brune's shop "Klassische Fahrräder" (Classic Bicycles) in the Eppendorf district of Hamburg.

Vintage bicycles are becoming increasingly popular throughout Germany.

"The technology is simply fascinating," enthuses Kurt Niemeyer, president of the "Historische Fahrräder" club. "The things that are now praised as innovations in connection with mountain bikes often already existed 80 years ago. Take suspension seatposts, for example."

However, he adds, many inventions subsequently faded into oblivion. That was also the fate of almost the entire bicycle industry that thrived in Germany before the Second World War. Experts know of around 5,000 different brands. Niemeyer lists Anker, Rixe, Dürkopp and Wanderer as big names of the day. Yet Miele, Mercedes and Opel also designed and built bicycles at that time.

The industry slackened sharply in the 1950s and 60s as a result of the economic miracle and motorization. Hundreds of factories and manufacturers had to close. Bicycles were usurped by the car as the day-to-day mode of transport.

Cyclists on a marked bicycle path in Münster, known as Germany's "bicycle city". photos: Wikimedia Commons

Now many bicycle owners are having their old treasures restored. "Most people want to be able to ride them, but with the patina still showing through," says one of Brune's staff.

Most fans are eager to "stay as close to the original as possible". Yet replacement parts are often thin on the ground, so close contact with other collectors is vital. Bottom bracket bearings, carbide lamps and bicycle chains in their original packaging can be found on the Internet or through the collectors' magazine Der Knochenschüttler (the boneshaker).

Some companies now even produce small numbers of vintage replacement parts. Others specialize in reconstructing entire oldies.

Since 2004, for example, the "Weltrad-Manufactur" in Schönebeck (Saxony-Anhalt) has been manufacturing the bicycles of the same name which reached the height of popularity during the days of the Weimar Republic. The hand-soldered steel frames, leather saddles and chrome-plated mudguard figure are based on the 1930 designs but are combined with modern cycle technology. The legendary "Wanderer" brand from Chemnitz was also revived several years ago, while "Diamant" supplies the classic bicycles common in the former East Germany under the motto "flair and style from the good old days". (TWIG/dpa)

Cyclists on a frozen lake near Münster (the Aalsee).