A classic short summer spin on a classic 1951 Hercules Kestral

 

Just click on any photo to enlarge it

Yesterday, an old school friend of mine and his new girlfriend came over to Cambridge, both to say hello, and to exchange bicycles. I had a lovely 1970s Colnago track bike with a fixed wheel that I no longer rode, and my friend had a 1951 Hercules Kestral 3-speed that was too big for him. The solution was obvious — an exchange! I had been hunting and yearning for just such a classic bike since my 1956 Viking Ian Steel had been pinched over a decade ago (here’s a link to the last photo I took of that) and so I was particularly thrilled with the deal. But, naturally, yesterday was about catching-up with each other and so the bicycle went straight in the shed. But, this morning, the sun was out and so a quick ride on the classic machine was definitely called for. I didn’t go far, only out to Fen Ditton via the cycle path through Ditton Meadows and thence round in a circle along Low Fen Drove Way, but it was a lovely ride nonetheless. And, on the way back, I came across some perfect blackberries, a bagful of which I collected for dessert this evening. Perfect.

So, here, for your pleasure, are a few photos from the ride. All were taken with my Fuji X-T2 with a Fujifilm XF 35mm F2 R WR lens and using either Fujifilm’s standard Classic Chrome simulation (what else should one use when riding a 1950s bike!) or the Ilford HP5 Plus 400 simulation by Anders Lindborg. Enjoy!