How a Bicycle is Made
How a Bicycle is Made is a wonderfully old fashioned British short film from 1945 I found in the British Council Film Collection. It shows how a bicycle is made in a factory.
The process of manufacture is traced from the beginning; the design on paper and the raw materials. We see what goes to make the steel tubes of the frames, the handle bars, the gear wheels, the pedal cranks, the pedals, the spokes, the wheels and the hubs, until at last the complete bicycle is ready for testing.
I particularly like the dialogue towards the end of this film.
Designer: Careful designing, reliable materials and expert craftsmanship in every stage of manufacture turn out a British bicycle second to none.
Boy: What about the other models - boys racing cycles, ladies, the ones with the basket in front? Like Mother uses for shopping.
Designer: Well, those models are manufactured in the same way. There are bicycle for all purposes, suitable for men, women, boys and girls. Here some of them are being taken out for a test run by the firm's test riders.
A bicycle is a comfortable and cheap way of getting about. A great boom to man.
Ideal for shopping. Easy to park. Handy for work. A faithful friend ever ready to take a tired workers back home. And after wok, to bring relaxation, health and happiness.