One
of the major attractions in Beverley is its Georgian market place.
The main street running through the square is made of cobbles, or
more accurately, stone setts. This has been the subject of much
public debate recently as the local county council are going to
replace this with tarmac or tiles, or whatever, to give the market
place a “makeover” to give it a more modern character. The
opponents of this (myself included) feel this will rob Beverley of
both an old structure, which would have been listed if it had been a
building, and also remove some of its character. “Modernising” the
road will leave Beverley just like many other towns in the country,
bland, and a counterfeit of so many others, with the same shops.
Ironically some of the local shopkeepers, who are apparently in
favour of the “modernisation” of the street as they seem to
believe this “progress” will be good for trade. As Beverley's
blandness increases and they're replaced with another chain store, I
wonder if they'll be so keen then. Or perhaps they will. I like the
setts, even as a cyclist, and I'm not going to repeat the old joke
allegedly told recently by an English Transport Minister about two
nuns on bicycles riding over cobbles (oh! I just have done).
Anyway,
I went today with camera in hand to record the setts before they pass
into history, and to take a few photos of local bicycles and
bicyclists. The weathermen here having been promising us an Arctic
blast that was going to come in December, but has maybe just arrived.
Despite the deteriorating weather conditions, there was a surprising
number of “sturdy steeds” around as people went shopping in local
shops. Like the Dutch, they just “dressed for the weather", no
lycra in sight. I saw quite a few roadsters as well as the ubiquitous
mountain bike. Many of the latter were equipped ( I can't bring
myself to say “accessorised”) with mudguards, baskets, rear racks
and panniers showing their utility rather than sporting credentials.
There aren't too many mountains for down hill racing in this part of
Yorkshire anyway. Adding these, what are accessories for mountain and
racing bikes must add quite a bit to the cost the owners paid for the
bike in the first place. If I was a cynic I might say that this ,
together with the price of servicing and oft-needed spares, is why
mountain and racing bikes are popular with the cycle trade. Ok, I am
a cynic, so I will.
These “accessories”,
which have always been essential components of English roadsters and
Dutch-bikes, are added to “modern” bikes to make them more
practical for everyday use. Also, roadsters and Dutch-bikes are often
found by their owners to be much more comfortable due to their frame
geometry and riding position. Having grew up on roadsters, I couldn't
get on with mountain bikes and racers for riding any distance, or
even short distances in traffic. I'm also one of the lucky number of
cyclists who discover the comfort of a leather saddle at an early
age, and bypassed the years some riders spend on a seemingly
perpetual quest to find a comfortable seat. Plus one of the heavenly
creations by Brooks might be more expensive to purchase initially,
but owners change their bike several times and keep the same leather
saddle that has moulded to their shape. Roadster saddles tend to be
wider and better sprung than their plastic, razor-like equivalents as
well, which suits me and many other roadster riders as well.
