Swiss Army bicycles

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ordnance wheels 05 of the Swiss Army. "The soldiers jump over the bicycle handlebars and tip their vehicle on its left side in flight because the ammunition pocket on the frame can only be opened on the right."
Armory number Ordonnanzrad 05

The Swiss Army has been using military bicycles since 1905 . Since the abolition of the cycling troops in 2003 as part of the Army XXI reform , they have only been used as a means of transport in the context of training services.

Ordinance wheel 05

The Ordonnanzrad 05 was a service bike specially designed for the Swiss Army cycling troops, which is also known colloquially as a military bike or army bike .

Between 1904 and 1988 the companies Condor , Cosmos, Schwalbe , Zesar and MaFaG built a total of over 68,000 of the 22.5 kg wheels. Every bike manufactured for the Swiss Army can be identified by a frame number engraved on the seat tube. According to this, there are currently 68,614 bikes.

The technical equipment of the bike includes a 1-speed hub, a stamp brake, a coaster brake and, in addition, a Böni drum brake installed from 1944 onwards . It was used in three cyclist regiments (Rdf Rgt). These were founded in 1891, but until 1904 every soldier had to bring his own bike.

There are certain differences in the correct designation of the wheel. In the context of the equipment of the Swiss Armed Forces, one can speak of orderly if the decision has been taken to introduce a precisely described item into the armed forces. In fact, in relation to the wheel, this is only the case with the introduction of the Böni drum brake in 1944, when that component received the official status of orderly.

Bike 93

The Ordonnanzrad 05 was replaced in 1993 by the much more modern bicycle 93 with 7-speed gears. Condor produced 5500 pieces at a price of CHF 2,200 each.

The technical data of the bike 93 are:

  • Gear shift: 7-speed Shimano XT gear shift on the rear wheel
  • Brakes: hydraulic rim brakes from Magura , ceramic-coated rims
  • Dynamo: spoke dynamo FER 2000
  • Accessories: frame bag, saddle bag
  • Weight: 21.5 kg

Bike 12

In 2012, the VBS procured a new model of army bicycles, as the company commissioned with the construction of the Bicycle 93 had not manufactured bicycles since 1995 and as no spare parts were available for the bicycle 93, which was specially manufactured for the Army. For this reason, the use of commercially available components from the civil bicycle market was prescribed for the new purchase.

The Swiss bicycle manufacturer Simpel was awarded the contract to supply and maintain 4,100 new bicycles at a price of CHF 10.2 million (approx. CHF 2,490 per bike, including maintenance costs over 10 years). The "Fahrrad 12" has the following technical data:

  • Frame: aluminum AN6, painted black
  • Gear ratio: 8-speed Shimano Alfine gear hub
  • Dynamo: hub dynamo Shimano Alfine DH-S501
  • Brakes: Magura MT4 disc brakes front and rear
  • Accessories: Abus frame bag Onyx ST 250 incl. Content
  • Weight: 16.8 kg

After defeated bicycle manufacturers criticized the procurement in the tender, National Councilor Éric Voruz ( SP ) demanded that the security policy commission of his council, of which he is a member, should deal with the business.

literature

  • Markus Hofmann: Vehicles of the Swiss Army. 2015, ISBN 978-3-033-05038-9 .
  • Robert Gubler: Swiss military cyclists. 1891-1993. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-85823-393-5 .
  • René Hauser, Stefan Mathis (ed.): The numbering of the orderly bicycle of the Swiss Army 1905–1988. Swiss archive for the orderly bicycle, Zurich 2010, ISBN 978-3-033-02479-3 .
  • Rolf Leiser u. a .: A hundred years of cycling troops, 1891–1991. Federal Office for Mechanized and Light Troops, Bern 1991.

Web links

Commons : Bicycles of the Swiss Army  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.NZZ.ch/schweiz/schweizer-armee-fahrrad-ende-einer-legende-ld.1490776 accessed September 21, 2019
  2. ↑ a b Fahrrad 12 - The military bike reloaded ( memento from August 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), DDPS press release from May 23, 2012
  3. ↑ René Hauser, Stefan Mathis (ed.): The numbering of the Ordonnanz bicycle of the Swiss Army 1905–1988. 2010, p. 89.
  4. ↑ René Hauser, Stefan Mathis (ed.): The numbering of the Ordonnanz bicycle of the Swiss Army 1905–1988. 2010, p. 5ff.
  5. ↑ The technical development of the military bike, www.ordonnanzrad.ch, accessed May 28, 2012.
  6. ^ The equipment bike 93 , www.radfahrer.ch, accessed May 28, 2012.
  7. ^ Military bike bike 12 - The official bike of the Swiss Army . Simpel.ch. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ After the fighter jet, the military bicycles get heated. , sda / Der Bund of May 27, 2012.