Bicycle infantry

[tryandgetme]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry

you can find some pretty interesting stuff there, like bicycle infantry, the anti-tank dog, and the 3rd dental battalion.

[rockhound]

Eh, seen it...Bianchi is always touting their "elite Italian Army Alpine Corps...".

There's three words you don't usually see together...elite...Itailian...army.

You have to give them credit though. My grandpa said that the Italian POWs were very friendly and didn't hold much of a grudge. The G.I.'s and Italian POWs would have big feasts of spaghetti and meatballs at his C-47 base, while the Germans just sneered and bitched.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_mountain.html

The conventional wisdom about the first production Mountain Bike is wrong.
The first one was not the product of one of the big guys with big marketing budgets, or any of the more modest "grandfathers of the sport" enshrined in the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame.

It was Edoardo. Yes, Edoardo Bianchi.

In 1915, Edoardo designed and manufactured a mountain bike for the elite Italian Army Alpine Corps, the Bersagliere. It had full suspension, Zerk fittings to lubricate important moving parts, could be folded for easy portaging through the Dolomites, and was available with a broad range of braze-on fittings for carrying the combat gear of a mounted infantry unit, including an optional machine gun mount.

[Spalls]

Did it have a foot-cranked pasta extruder? That would be quite useful out in the field...

[Ripp]

RH it seems you may have an unhealthy Bianchi fetish. I was considering inviting you to stop by if you happened to be going to the MMBF this year, you'll drive within about 2 miles of my house if you do. But now I fear you may try to steal my beloved Volpe! :D

[rockhound]

RH it seems you may have an unhealthy Bianchi fetish. I was considering inviting you to stop by if you happened to be going to the MMBF this year, you'll drive within about 2 miles of my house if you do. But now I fear you may try to steal my beloved Volpe! :D

Not really, just an uncanny ability to soak up useless trivia...(you have no idea).

I saw this story in a Bianchi catalog a few years ago.

[tryandgetme]

best army vehicle ever http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/M1126A_Fryker

[hophead]

best army vehicle ever http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/M1126A_Fryker

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahaha!
That's freakin' hilarious.