HISTORY: The first effective hub gear was patented by Seward Thomas Johnson of Indiana, USA, in 1895. It housed the epicyclic mechanism in a drum adjacent to the drive sprocket; engagement of either gear gave a fixed wheel condition. William Reilly was the inventor of this two-speed hub. It was similar to Johnson’s, but had …
According to Michelin’s website, “Back in the late 19th century, in the early days of the company, the Michelin brothers were exhibiting their products at a fair in Lyon when one of them noticed that if you added arms and legs to the pile of tyres they were showcasing, it would look like a …
1891 was an interesting year in bicycle evolution. Penny farthings were now ‘old hat’ and the days of the tricycle (in the centre of the illustration below) were also numbered. The design of the new safety bicycle had improved in leaps and bounds, and in just five years the crossframe on the left had already …
While it’s not surprising that a few of the bicycles built by one of the world’s top cycle manufacturers such as Coventry Machinists Co have survived for 133 years, there are some delicate parts on a bicycle that nearly always succumb to the ravages of time. Worn leather saddles and handlebar grips are damaged easily …
Until 1910, BSA sold only components and bicycles in ‘knock-down’ form. These were known as BSA FITTINGS MACHINES. HISTORY: BSA made Otto bicycles in 1880, followed by a variety of other bicycles and tricycles, until October 1885, when they decided to give up making complete cycles and parts to focus on Government orders for …
1890s CHARRETTE PEUGEOT Most of the images I share are from digital sources. But when I spotted these old photos of a Peugeot children’s wagon similar to mine I obviously had to buy them. They are dated 1896 and 1897 on the back. This type of small wagon was usually pulled by hand. But carts …
It took me over a year to get this 1897 Triumph from the previous owner, but I eventually managed, in 2013, However, I was faced with a dilemma. It was in wonderful preserved original condition but its front tyre was perished which made the bicycle unrideable. It’s a 30″ size and tyres in that size …
Frame No 12873 is the oldest known surviving Triumph safety bicycle. The chaincase is leather. At the time, this was one of the most expensive ladies’ bicycles in the world. The first photo is from 2012 at Brighton Pier, a few months after getting the Triumph from a friend in France. The other photos are …
The Silverlight is one of the most iconic bicycles of its era due to its unorthodox frame design. It was also the first bicycle manufactured with silver brazing. Frame no SL1326 was sold on 25/6/48 to a Mr West of Worthing. The overwhelming majority of postwar lightweight bicycles have been restored. This example is not …
The photo above shows an old velocipede at the junction of Parnell and Sackville Streets in Dublin around 1911. Though many bicycles were imported from Britain, Ireland did have its own cycle industry from the time of the very first bicycles. As you can see below in this extract from ‘English Mechanic’ of May 28, …
