My Push Bike

[Mick Fagan]

It's been in a shed hanging upside down for the last couple of years, and as it is 50 years since I purchased it, I decided to pull it out, pump the tyres up and take it for a ride for a fiftieth birthday celebration.

I was slightly wobbly for the first few metres as I adjusted to riding with drop bars again, my regular ride has flat slightly elevated bars and really is more suited to my riding endeavours these days. The best thing is the skinny Italian sports tyres and tubes, super light which makes cycling a breeze, but do require 3.5 Bar pressure before the ride feels right. Nothing like having a compressor in the garage.

It's a Road Chief Cycle, steel framed and manufactured by Repco Cycles and Health Systems.

Shen Hao HZX45-IIA
Fujinon f/6.3 250mm
Ilford FP4+
f/14 at ¼ second. Or f/11 and two thirds...
D76 1:1

[Maris]

Aha, the fabulous Fujinon f6.3 250mm strikes again! It's the right lens for this subject. Photographing the Road Chief at the same image size with, say, a 135mm lens would render the front wheel much bigger than the rear wheel through forced perspective; an uncomplimentary distortion.

Mick, I'm glad you didn't swing the lens to put the focus plane along the bike. Keeping sharpness on the frontal aspect is where the bike looks best and most formidable.

Did you break out your riding Lycra for those slightly wobbly first few metres?

[Mick Fagan]

Maris, thank you for your kind words.

We must think alike, I first tried it with my 150mm, but it didn't quite jell. Then I thought the 150mm has huge coverage, and if I pulled out the Toyo 45G and dropped the front standard, twist the lens then raise the rear standard and rear focus.... but decided against it and glad that I did.

The 250mm went on, camera was zeroed and facing downwards, tripod just inside the garage, it looked perfect so I tripped the shutter.

Riding lycra, first I would have to find my single pair of riding shorts, secondly, its been that long since I wore them, I'm sure they would have shrunk ever so slightly, so nope.