Parabike?

[Gtpulse]

Not sure it is, looks like one? Did they make a civilian version? I had a quick search and could see a Danish version but don’t think this is one of those either.

https://www.easyliveauction.com/cat...ld-furniture-and-effects-wednesday-7-lot-968/

 

[focomat 1c]

Interesting find , this is certainly an original Parabike and is probably one of many that were sold off at the end of the war to businesses
like Gamages in London . They replaced the original sliding pedals with those you see here and fitted mudguards . Being government
surplus they were incredibly cheap , so much so that BSA ( who made the bikes ) found it virtually impossible to sell their own civilian ' version '
of the bike which even though it was was made without the folding hinge feature , was still more expensive than the surplus bikes . Consequently , the non folding model sometimes called the Paratroop is far rarer than the civilianised Parabike you see here

Just noticed that it has a three speed Sturmey Archer rear hub and a dynamo fitted to the front fork . Neither of these items were fitted
to the army issue bikes

 

[bikeworkshop]

In the 70s you could buy them from "exchange&mart" for £12 iirc.

I bought one of these gc and still in military guise in the 90s for £300, which seemed like a lot of money at the time. it was tidy and original but the grips and WD tyres had melted

When they reached over £1000 I sold it - ultimately there are 1000s out there so shouldn't really command such a high price.

They aren't very nice to ride, especially with the spindle "pedal pins", and famously the paras never used them (despite the number offered for sale "found in a barn in Arnhem)

One d-day veteran remarked that if you jumped off the landing craft with full pack and parabike, you sank.

Of course most of them have been kept unoiled in sheds and garages, so this one's condition is far from unusual.

Reaching both military and cycle collectors though helps hold up prices.
Perhaps militaria collectors are less tight