So now what is this? We were driving along a country road and we saw a new building at the side of the road.
When he was a youngster in the 1930s, the old guy started collecting bikes that he stashed in a warehouse on their farm. He diligently kept this up over the years, growing his collection of bikes, and then finally he decided to open a Vintage Bike Cafe. So, he bought a property next to the main road, and a proper warehouse was built, including a restaurant section.
Slowly his dream materialized, as he transported all of the bikes in his little van 2 at a time to the new place. I was told that it took him 100 trips to get all of the bikes in here.
So, come and feast your eyes.
Now who would ignore a sign like this?
There were tables on the front verandah, and we sat down to have some drinks.
Sadly the admission prices were a bit steep, so I scored a pensioner discount and my wife waited on the verandah. This was my first sight upon entering the building.
So, I decided to show you the bikes down the left hand side of the ground floor in this post.
Then I will do a post about my favorite right hand side, and another post to show you the contents of the upstairs mezzanine floor.
The building was stashed with bikes of all kinds and a real pleasure to imagine the story of each bike.
Imagine going around on one of these scooters below.
Finally, a bit of a wet scenario in the distant past.
Once upon a time each of the bikes played an active role in someone's life. It is sheer evidence of change and improvements over time, and it was so nice to take a stroll in times gone past. The old bikes were made tougher than the bikes of today. They were heavy and cumbersome, but also very effective in their performances. Those were the days that no bikers helmets were required, and it was up to the riders what they wore on their heads.
In the next post I will show you some bikes that made it into the movies and in a third post I will show you some that you might also have never seen before.
So, for now, this is it.
Note: If you visit, or are in Somerset West, Western Cape Province, you will find the Vintage Bike Cafe on the main road between the towns of Somerset West and Sir Lowry's Pass Village.
Pay them a visit as it is fabulous must see.
I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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