And these were one-speed bikes -- fixies -- with heavy steel frames. You can imagine what the bike paths were like in those days! Plus, our Soldiers dressed in full military uniform, had no access to water bottles, spandex, cleats or puncture-proof tires.
Under the command of Lt. James Ross, and in an effort to prove the U.S. Army's theory that two-wheeled troopers could tale the place of mounted cavalry, these intrepid pedalers went 2,000 miles in 40 days, and lived to tell the tale.
Average weight of the Buffalo Soldiers was 148.5 lbs, and each man carried packs and provisions weighing in exces of 80-pounds!
The experiement to replace horses with bikes was a success -- but along came that danged internal combustion engine, and the military vehicle replaced not only the horse marines, but dreams of a bike brigade as well.
All this info, and so very much more about our American Peoples, can be found on display at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM. Check it out: you will be pleased and delighted.
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