Lately I’ve been riding my 50 yr old British 3-speed “Emma Thompson Bike” around town. It’s been pretty hot and a slow upright bike keeps me from rushing and breaking a sweat.
But she is a bit… well… loud.
![]( "Clatter")
When riding a wheel on Sheffield steel folks definitely hear you coming. But the Boston area roads don’t help the situation. They are pretty rough. So I wondered if I could measure the state of the roads by the sounds that Emma Thompson Bike makes? 
Haha! Mine is a big old sit-up-and-beg too, and you’ve pretty much nailed the riding experience 🙂 Except for one thing. The strong, whooshing, beautiful sense of momentum when you do get on a good smooth bit of road. That’s worth all of the bumping and clattering in my opinion.
I’ll bet more people admire your classic bike than complain about the noise, but, then again, I’ve never been to Boston.
I also ride 50 year old British bike. Great looking and nice to ride!
I’m sure Emma Thompson appreciates the compliment of having a noisy bike named after her!
Huh. I may be in the minority, but my 1951 Raleigh 3-speed rode silently. If yer bike is makin’ noise something ain’t right.