Beg bicycles are not only gorgeous to look at, pure joy to ride and the ultimate in quality, safety and durability, but they are manufactured using the very latest in bicycle technology. There are reams of features that we could wax lyrical about in terms of their components and build quality.

Like other bike shops and bicycle manufacturers, we could have loaded this website up with masses of technical information, specification tables and general bicycle geek-speak.

We’re quite into all of that but we’re guessing that you probably just want to buy a great quality vintage bicycle and get on with lovely bike ride. So with that in mind, we’ve put together this section for you to browse if you want to know more about Beg bicycles and how they tick. Oh - and the obligatory Specification Table makes a special appearance here - and a jolly-good read it is too!

SIT UP AND BEG

A LUGGED AND BRAZED FRAME

Lugged steel frame construction is a method of building bicycle frames using steel tubing and sockets, called lugs. For most of bicycle's history steel has been the primary material for bicycle frames, with lugged construction the primary assembling method. Steel continues in use by builders of high-quality steel frames, though its dominance as a frame material has waned since the mid 1990s.

Brazing is a metal-joining process whereby a filler metal is heated above and distributed between two or more close-fitting parts by capillary action.

Lugged steel construction uses standard cylindrical steel tubes which are connected with lugs, external fittings made of pieces of steel (sometimes which fit over the ends of the tubing. Before assembly, the builder cuts the tubes to the desired length and precisely mitres their ends, providing a tight fit. The end of the tubes are inserted into the lugs and subsequently brazed with a silver or brass filler metal. The lug greatly increases the strength of the joint by distributing the molten filler metal over a larger surface area via capillary action.

HUB GEARS

When you’ve hopped on a bike in the past, whether as a young wee thing or more recently (you are naturally still a young wee thing, right?), you’ve probably experienced that rather unsettling experience of trying to change gear mid-ride. A nasty grinding and clunking of the gears, a panicky period of not knowing what gear you are in, that terrifying feeling of losing control...? Not to mention the sheer horror of getting your best bootlegs caught in the chain. Bike oil is not a good look. This type of gear is known as a deraillleur gear, and whilst found on most bikes as a cheaper type of gear, it has all these problems.

Enclosing the gears inside a metal drum in the centre of the wheel eliminates all these problems. The gears are safely housed away from the elements, and thus require far less maintenance than the derailleur system. You can simply change gear by twisting a collar on your handlegrip (a twist shift mechanism) and the gears will faultlessly switch whether you are riding along or at a standstill. Our bicycles use the world-leading Shimano Nexus system for this. What’s more, all mens and ladies Beg bicycles come with fully-enclosed chain guards, so bye bye oil marks and hello ‘anything goes’ stylish cycling wardobe. A good excuse, surely, to buy more clothes?

HUB DYNAMO

Our Shimano Nexus Hub Dynamo provide the power for our gleaming Lumotech headlamps without the need for batteries. The days of bemoaning a flat battery and having to take the car are OVER! Just get peddling and you'll immediately be lighting the way ahead. Dynamo hubs reach maximum output at a low RPM so you get plenty of illumination even when riding slow or just taking off, and you'll be ultra-safe on dark night rides home.

ROLLER BRAKES

You’re also most probably used to rim or pad brakes... the brakes that squeeze the tyre (or don't as the case may be), causing you to come to squealing halt. We use roller brakes which are ideal for low-maintenance, trouble-free cycling.

SELF-STABILISING BALANCER

Now, this IS a clever bit of kit. Mounted just underneath the frame near where the frame meets the forks of the bicycle, this small but oh-so-effective little device ensures that if you have a heavy load on the front of your bicycle, the front wheel is always pulled back to its proper position in line with the bicycle frame and therefore doesn’t swing round, toppling the bike and resulting in a wipe out of the bike and your pride!

INTEGRATED AXA LOCK

Our AXA Defender bicycle lock is a robust, sturdy key-operated rear wheel lock that locks both the rear wheel and the bicycle frame very securely. Standard kit on many european city bicycles, our locks provide a great deal of additional security for your bicycle when parked in an urban environment. By itself, it can lock the rear wheel fairly well by inserting a metal bar in-between the spokes of the wheel when engaged, which means that the bicycle can’t be wheeled off. Because one can never be too careful, we strongly recommend the use as well of the AXA Defender chain lock, available also from Beg, which fits into the wheel/frame lock, and which in turn can then be used to securely lock your bicycle to a railing, bike park or whatever.

BROOKS SADDLES

The Brooks saddle we use is designed especially for a leisurely and dignified type of cycling. The shape of the saddle gives you a comfortable upright position, with the majority of your weight being supported by the rear quarter of the saddle. This allows you to sit right up and take in all your surroundings as you ride on by!

The softness of the vegetable tanned leather on this saddle is created by the special blend of oils and waxes massaged into the hide before the saddle is made. This not only protects the saddle and makes it supple, but also gives it it’s stunning, rich honey hue.

BI-POD STAND

Why would you want one foot, when two are far more stable? Our bipod, two footed stands made by Hebie xxxx. Ideal when you locking your bike up, putting your child in a child seat or taking out your shopping. Stand and deliver indeed!

FRONT RACK AND RUBBER STRAPS

Our front racks are brilliant if you regularly need to lug a lot of stuff around - or if you just love that vintage delivery bicycle style. They are indisputably very lovely and also incredibly sturdy, as they are welded directly to the front forks of the wheels. The front racks come with an integrated (and removable) wide rubber, split-style strap, which you can feed through our crates and baskets to ensure a really robust and secure fit to the rack.