For 75 of his 95 years, William Wagstaff rode the same bicycle — until a brush with a car finally made him decide to stop pedalling and donate the bike to a transport museum.
Wagstaff, from Croydon in southern England, bought the bicycle for £14 in 1929, the Daily Mirror newspaper said on Wednesday.
Over the years he pedalled more than 80 000km on the bike, which he named ”Evans” after its manufacturer.
He replaced the saddle twice, used up 15 sets of tyres — but kept the original saddlebag and tool-kit, plus a World War II oil lamp masked with blackout paper.
”Even into his nineties, he used it two or three times a week. But a car knocked him off and upset his confidence,” Wagstaff’s daughter told the newspaper.
Robert Excell, curator at London’s Transport Museum to which Wagstaff donated the cycle, said: ”It’s remarkably well preserved, partly because they were made out of stronger steel in those days and partly because Mr. Wagstaff soaked everything in oil to preserve it. It’s a real gem.” — Sapa-DPA