FIVE GO RIDING
The London bicycle craze of the 1890s was a rakish affair. Practical alternatives to the unwieldy Penny Farthing having recently been invented, and automobiles remaining, for now, a novelty, aristocrats and high-society types in their hoards would glide the pathways of Battersea and Hyde parks on their two-wheeled steeds, relishing an active pastime that was endorsed by Europe-wide royalty and allowed for the commissioning of tailored tweed knickerbocker suits with knee-length breeches, bloomers and all. There was even a hint of decadence to it, especially once the church began to disapprove, partly due to the fun-on-a-Sunday factor and partly because it facilitated unchaperoned dates and perhaps even elopements.
As with air travel, universal uptake pinpricked its novelty appeal, and the magic dissipated. Cycling’s resurgence as
