WHEELS AND WHEELING 

Wheels 

und 

Wheeling 

THE SMITHSONIAN 

CYCLE COLLECTION 

Smith Hempstone Oliver 

and Donald H. Berkebile 

SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY • NUMBER 24 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS 

City of Washington 

1974 
COVER: Smith Star bicycle of 1884, as restored by Henry W. Mathis of the 

Southeast Cycle Shop in 1960. Rider is Smithsonian magazine staff member 

Meredith White Riegle. Photo appeared on the cover of the February 1972 

issue of the magazine. 

FRONTISPIECE: This photo, from about 1888, shows the Copeland steampropelled tricycle in front of the Smithsonian building on the Mall. Driver 

of the tricycle is its inventor, Lucius D. Copeland; the passenger is Frances 

Benjamin Johnston, who later became a noted Washington photographer. 

Standing to the left are patent attorney B. C. Poole and an associate, and 

the builder and promoter of the tricycle, Sandford Northrop. To the right 

are E. H. Hawley of the Smithsonian staff, W. H. Travis, and J. Elfreth 

Watkins, curator of the section of transportation in the Smithsonian's U.S. 

National Museum, 1885-1903. 

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial 

copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. 

SI PRESS NUMBER 4793. 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Oliver, Smith Hempstone. 

Wheels and wheeling: The Smithsonian Cycle Collection 

(Smithsonian studies in history and technology, no. 24) 

First published in 1953 under title: Catalog of the cycle collection of the 

Division of Engineering, United States National Museum. 

Bibliography: p. 

1. Bicycles and tricycles—Catalogs. 2. Motorcycles—Catalogs. 3. National 

Museum of History and Technology. I. Berkebile, Donald H., joint author. 

II. Title. III. Series: Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian studies in 

history and technology, no. 24. 

TL410.043 1974 388.34'7'09034 73-16103 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402 — Price $1.90 Stock Number 470-00268 
CONTENTS 

Development of the Bicycle 

The Smithsonian Cycle Collection 

PAGE 

1 

25 

30 HOBBY HORSE, ABOUT 1818 

31 HOBBY HORSE OF 1818 (REPRODUCTION) 

32 VELOCIPEDE, ABOUT 1868 

33 VELOCIPEDE, ABOUT 1868 

34 VELOCIPEDE, ABOUT 1869 

35 VAN ANDEN DEXTER VELOCIPEDE, 1869 

36 LAUBACH VELOCIPEDE, 1869 

38 ROPER STEAM VELOCIPEDE, ABOUT 1869 

40 GREENE AND DYER MONOCYCLE, 1869 

42 ADULT'S TRICYCLE, ABOUT 1875 

43 CHILD'S TRICYCLE, 1876 

44 UNZICKER TRICYCLE (MODEL), 1878 

45 SHIRE VELOCIPEDE, 1879 

46 VELOCIPEDE, ABOUT 1879 

47 HAMMELMANN TRICYCLE (MODEL), 1880 

48 FOWLER TRICYCLE (MODEL), 1880 

49 LONG STEAM TRICYCLE, ABOUT 1880 

52 STANDARD COLUMBIA ORDINARY, 1881 

53 KLAHR BICYCLE (MODEL), 1883 

54 SMITH STAR BICYCLE, 1884 

55 BOY'S ORDINARY, 1885 

56 COLUMBIA LIGHT ROADSTER ORDINARY, 1886 

57 OVERMAN VICTOR ORDINARY, ABOUT 1886 

58 HUMBER "GENUINE BEESTON" RACING 

ORDINARY, 1886 

59 STARLEY PSYCHO SAFETY BICYCLE, 

ABOUT 1887 

60 RUDGE RACING ORDINARY, ABOUT 1887 

61 TWO-TRACK TRICYCLE, ABOUT 1887 

63 COLUMBIA LIGHT ROADSTER ORDINARY, 1888 

64 SMITH TRICYCLE, 1888 

65 ST. GEORGE'S NEW RAPID BICYCLE, 1889 

66 OVERMAN VICTORIA BICYCLE, 1889 

68 SMITH PONY STAR BICYCLE, 1891 

69 COLUMBIA MODEL 41 BICYCLE, 1896 

71 COLUMBIA MODEL 43 TANDEM BICYCLE, 1896 

73 CHILD'S SAFETY BICYCLE, ABOUT 1897 

74 CLARKE GASOLINE TRICYCLE, 1897 

76 REX CYCLE, 1898 

78 PIERCE BICYCLE, ABOUT 1900 

80 ANDERSON "MILITARY BICYCLE," ABOUT 1900 

82 WABASH CHILD'S IRISH MAIL QUADRICYCLE, 

ABOUT 1900 

83 INDIAN MOTORCYCLE, 1902 

85 HARLEY-DAVIDSON MODEL 9-B 

MOTORCYCLE, 1913 

87 POPE MODEL L MOTORCYCLE, 1913 

89 CLEVELAND MOTORCYCLE, 1918 

91 AUTOPED MOTOR SCOOTER. 1918 

93 IVER JOHNSON BICYCLE, 1925 

94 SNYDER BICYCLE, 1927 

95 REINHARDT BICYCLE, 1935 

97 SIMPLEX SERVI-CYCLE, 1935 

98 WHALEN AND JANSSEN LAMINATED-WOODFRAME BICYCLE, 1942 

99 RALEIGH BICYCLE, ABOUT 1949 

101 SCHWINN VARSITY TOURIST BICYCLE, 1965 

102 SCHWINN SUPER DELUXE STING-RAY 

BICYCLE, 1965 

Bibliography 103 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE BICYCLE 

The bicycle, with a history that spans nearly two centuries, has 

frequently been looked upon in the United States as a child's plaything. Recent trends seem to indicate that Americans may come to 

follow the example of those other nations where the bicycle is an 

important means of transportation, extensively used by businessmen 

and workers traveling to and from their jobs. In the United States, 

during the late 19th century, the cycle's greatest use was likewise 

among adults, and this use sparked the early good-roads movement. 

Of equal importance was the role of the bicycle in demonstrating 

the possibilities of independent personal transportation, thus creating a demand that facilitated the introduction of the automobile. 

The first known bicycle was shown by the Comte de Sivrac, who 

in 1791 was seen riding a two-wheel "wooden horse" in the gardens 

of the Palais Royal in Paris. Called a celerifere, the machine had two 

rigidly mounted wheels, so that it was incapable of being steered. To 

change direction, it was necessary to lift, drag, or jump the front 

wheel to one side. In 1793 the name was changed to velocifere, and, 

as these machines became increasingly popular among the sporting 

set of Paris, clubs were formed and races were run along the Champs 

Elysees. 

At some time during the first decade of the 19th century the velocifere lost favor temporarily until, in 1816, Nioephore Niepce of 

Chalons, better known as the "Father of Photography," demonstrated an improved type in the Luxembourg Gardens. Niepce's 

machine, still not steerable, was considerably lighter, and the larger 

wheels helped smooth the ride and permitted greater speed. 

A revolutionary improvement in the velocifere occurred in 1817, 

when Charles, Baron von Drais, of Sauerbrun, devised a front wheel 

capable of being steered. As chief forester for the Grand Duke of 

Baden, von Drais found the machine useful in traversing the forest 

land under his supervision. He also gave it a padded saddle, and an 

armrest in front of his body, which assisted him in exerting force 

against the ground. Granted a patent in 1818, he took his Draisienne 

to Paris, where it was again patented and acquired the name velocipede, a term that was to continue in use until about 1869 when the 

word "bicycle" came into use. 

The velocipede gained rapid popularity in France, and almost immediately migrated to England, where it was known variously as a 

1 
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"Johnson's Pedestrian Hobby 

Horse Riding School in London," an 1819 aquatint by H. 

Aiken. 

"The Ladies' Hobby, 1819," 

contemporary aquatint showing 

a hand-and-foot-operated tricycle. 
Draisine, Swiftwalker, Hobby Horse, Dandy Horse, or Pedestrian 

Curricle. In England one of its chief exponents was the London 

coachmaker, Denis Johnson, who not only added improvements, but 

even designed a woman's drop-frame model. Riding academies were 

established to teach the fine points of balance and management, and 

soon many riders were seen in the streets and parks about London; 

yet the pastime declined almost as rapidly as it had risen, and after 

the early 1820s velocipedes were rarely seen. 

In the United States, W. K. Clarkson, Jr., of New York, was 

granted a patent for a velocipede on 26 June 1819, but it is no longer 

known what this patent covered, for the records were destroyed in 

the Patent Office fire of 1836. There is no evidence that the sport 

gained much popularity here, yet it is known that Charles Willson 

Peale, the noted American portrait painter, was an enthusiastic rider 

of one in 1819, at the age of 78. 

As early as 1819 attempts were made to have mechanical devices 

assist the rider in propelling the velocipede, but these efforts failed 

due to over-complication. Lewis Gompertz, of Surrey, England, in 

1821 developed a workable device whereby the steering handle was 

pulled backwards to work a toothed quadrant against a pinion on 

the front hub, the pinion containing a free-wheeling device that permitted the handle to return to its forward position. 

Then followed a lengthy period of inactivity in velocipede development and use, punctuated by only one significant improvement. 

Hand-operated velocipede designed in 1821 by 

Gompertz in England. From J. T. Goddard, The 

Velocipede: Its History, Varieties, and Practice 

(Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1869), page 11. 
This flier of 1869, advertising the Lallement 

velocipede, is from the scrapbook, now in the 

Museum's collection, of Charles E. Pratt, first 

president of the League of American Wheelmen. 

An 1869 Pickering velocipede in a rare contemporary photo that shows the rear saddle brace 

supported by a spring, so that a backward 

movement of the rider's body brings a brakeshoe down against the rear wheel. 

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This was the treadle-operated machine of the Scottish blacksmith, 

Kirkpatrick Macmillan, who in 1839 attached cranks to the rear 

axle of a velocipede, and turned them by means of treadles hung 

from the front of the frame. Macmillan's velocipede performed well, 

operating at between ten and fourteen miles an hour, yet he is not 

known to have sold any, and his work was copied to only a limited 

extent. One of the copiers was another Scot, Gavin Dalzell, who 

moved the treadles slightly to the rear in 1845, so that they were more 

nearly under the operator. 

An important milepost in velocipede development was the addition of pedals to the front axle. This occurred in Paris about 1863 in 

the workshop of Pierre Michaux, but to this day it cannot certainly 
A velocipede riding school as depicted in the 

frontispiece to volume 10 (1869) of The New 

York Coach-Maker's Magazine. 

be said whether he or his employee Pierre Lallement is entitled to 

the credit. The use of the velocipede increased modestly but steadily 

in Paris during the mid-1860s, but the disgruntled Lallement left 

Michaux and took up residence in New Haven, Connecticut. Here, 

on 20 November 1866, he was granted U.S. Patent 59,915, covering 

an "improvement in velocipedes." The patent drawing reveals a saddle attached to a spring mounted above the frame of the machine, 

as well as weighted, pivoting pedals. 

The Hanlon brothers of New York City, a popular team of traveling acrobats, on 7 July 1868 were granted Patent 79,654 for an 

improved version of the Lallement vehicle, their patent covering adjustable pedals and seat. In addition, they suggested that rubber 
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A number of poems and songs such as this 

were published during the brief reign of the 

velocipede in the late 1860s. 

rings could be used on the wheels to make them noiseless and to prevent their slipping. Here was an early use, suggested at least, of the 

rubber tire. Another Hanlon patent (No. 86,834, granted 9 February 

1869) covered a mudguard over the front wheel, and a brakeshoe 

operating against a wheel and controlled by twisting the handlebars. 

The Hanlon machine helped promote the velocipede in America, 

and, oddly, in Great Britain, where an illustration was shown in the 

English Mechanic in 1868, though the French machines were known 

there slightly earlier. 

Americans paid little attention to the velocipede for several years 

after Lallement's patent, but in December of 1868 began to show 

an immense enthusiasm for it. By early 1869 a number of carriage 

builders were making cycles, since the services of the blacksmith and 

wheelwright were essentially those required. Likewise, numerous riding schools were established in many of the eastern cities, and the 

sport of riding became suddenly popular, especially among the students of Harvard and Yale Universities. "Boneshakers," as velocipedes came to be known, were at first priced around 125 dollars, 

though before long cheaper models were available for as little as 75 

dollars, still a rather costly novelty for 1869. They were usually 

brighdy finished in red, blue, white, etc., frequently with heavy striping that was similar to that of horse-drawn commercial vehicles. Iron 

parts of the better machines were not plated, but were sometimes 

highly burnished, and polished bronze castings were also evident. 

Early in 1869 J. T. Goddard published his manual The Velocipede, 

and in the same year W. C. King edited a journal entitled The 

Velocipedist. 

The craze ended as suddenly as it had begun. By the end of May 

in 1869 the sport was dying, and by August the Coach-Makers' International Journal was advising its readers diat the bicycle was a 

drug on the market in New York, where machines that would normally be selling for 75 dollars were bringing no more than 12. The 

reasons for the decline were that the cycles were heavy and cumbersome, and the rider's position far behind the pedals created an awkward angle of thrust for the legs, which tended to push him back and 

away from the pedals when the going became heavy. The final blow 

came when cities began to pass ordinances against cycle riding on 

pedestrian walks, and the roads of the period did not encourage riders to prove the reason why their machines were called boneshakers. 

Further use and development in the United States remained nearly 

at a standstill during the 1870s. 

At least one early inventor, S. H. Roper, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, constructed a steam-powered velocipede, and his machine (now 

in the collections of the National Museum of History and Technology) appeared about 1869 at fairs and circuses in New England. 

Resembling a Hanlon-type velocipede, with wooden wheels and iron 

tires, the machine is described and illustrated on pages 38-39. 
Alfred D. Chandler of Boston, an early American rider of an Ordinary, shown on the DuplexExcelsior he purchased from Timms & Lawford, 

of Baltimore, at the close of the Philadelphia 

Centennial Exposition. Photo was made in 1877. 

Participants in one of America's first organized bicycle tours lined up with their Ordinaries 

on the road outside Readville, Massachusetts, 

11 September 1879. The first rider is Charles 

E. Pratt, noted bicycle author, coorganizer, and 

first president of the League of American 

Wheelmen, and later attorney for the Pope 

Manufacturing Co. The second man is Col. 

Albert A. Pope, president of the famed company bearing his name, manufacturer of the 

Columbia bicycle. 
i 

- * 

George M. Hendee, American amateur 

champion racer, 1883-1885, with his 55-inch 

Rudge. In 1901 his Hendee Manufacturing 

Co. began the manufacture of a motorcycle 

designed by another noted bicycle racer, Oscar Hedstrom. The firm was later renamed 

the Indian Motocycle Co. Photo is from the 

scrapbook, now in the Museum's collection, 

of Abbot Bassett, secretary, 1887-192U, of 

the League of American Wheelmen. 

The man astride the 1882 Columbia Expert 

in this posed studio portrait is believed to be 

W. H. Miller, of Columbus, Ohio, second 

president of the League of American Wheelmen. The young boy, possibly his son, is on a 

child's Ordinary of unknown manufacture. 

Uniforms such as they are wearing were 

commonly used by bicycle club members. 
Few ladies rode Ordinaries, but some of the 

more competitive types excelled as riders. Annie 

Sylvester (left) was a noted trick and fancy 

rider in 1885. Louise Armaindo, shown here 

(right) with her full-nickeled Royal Mail, was 

famed as a racing and long-distance rider who 

defeated men and women alike. From The 

Springfield Wheelmen's Gazette of, respectively, April and February 1885. 

The English also began to use the velocipede in the late 1860s, u 

unlike the Americans, they did not develop an initial wild enthusiasm, nor did the sport there die a sudden death. Instead, a rapid development of the bicycle began, and England soon took the lead away 

from France, where unfortunately the Franco-Prussian War arrested cycle development in 1870, though French innovations of 

1869 showed them to have been clearly in the lead. At a Paris bicycle show in November of 1869, for example, were seen such radical 

features as wire wheels, solid rubber tires, tubular frames, frontwheel brakes, mudguards, and primitive types of change-gears. The 

French are also credited with having in 1869 a chain-driven bicycle, 

and one of the high-wheel variety. 

By the early 1870s, bicycles and tricycles using wire-spoke wheels 

were commonly seen, notably in England. James Starley of Coventry 

was one of the pioneers in this field, and, until his death in 1881, fathered many new and ingenious features pertaining to cycling, earning for himself the title "Father of Cycle Industry." His famous Ariel, 

introduced in 1871, a high-wheel bicycle with wire spokes, was to be 

10 
A tricycling family (top) from Lowell, Massachusetts, on wheels in 1885. Junior will learn 

how later. The 1887 Boston-area tour (center) 

shows a variety of cycles, single and tandem 

tricycles, an Ordinary, and a Sociable (see 

eleventh and twelfth persons from left). In another 1887 tour (bottom), this one from Swampscott, Massachusetts, all are riding tandem tricycles. Seen in the wagonette is the style-setting 

1886 Rover Safety Dwarf Roadster, manufactured by the English firm, Starley & Sutton, of 

Coventry. All photos from the Abbot Bassett 

scrapbook. 

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ii 
GORMULLY & JEFFER Y MFG. CO., CHICAGO, ILL. 41 

AMERICAN BICYCLE LAMPS, 

Manufactured Expressly for us. 

These lamps are unquestionably 

the best in the market. They are. 

strongly made, riveted or locked 

(instead of soldered), and they are a 

thorough piece of workmanship. 

Being of large size they throw a very 

powerful light, and they are provided with red side lights. The improvements are: Wind up burner by 

which the light may be regulated from the outside, to avoid the annoyance of 

opening the lamp. Adjustable axle bearings or attachments, adjustable for 

length and diameter of axle without difficulty on the part of the purchaser. 

THE IDEAL LAMP 

Will fit all sizes from 3ft inch 

upwards, or any other 

makeof boy's oryouth's 

bicycle. See cut. 

Price, japanned $2.'25 

" nickeled 3 00 

The Challenge Lamp g 

Fits any size except smaller 

sizes of " Ideal." See cut. 

Price, japanned S3.00 

" nickeled 8 76 

The Champion Lamp 

Fits any size over 50 inch. 

See cut. 

Price, japanned $6.00 

" nickeled 6.00 

Ideal Tricycle Lamp. 

Useful also as a bicycle head 

lamp. 

Price, japanned $2.'25 

" nickeled 3 00 

In 1887, an oil lamp of this type could be suspended from the hub, inside the front wheel, 

of an Ordinary for night tours, as shown on the Columbia advertising card (right). 

12 
Important cycling accessories of the 1880s, 

from the Museum's collection, were this warning whistle and the telescoping tool case, the 

latter being suspended under the saddle. 

M. W. Wright, famous English bicycle racer of 

the 1870s, with his Arab Ordinary. Note the 

rear-wheel brake. 

b *>^1»-- 8**\ * >£*» * . ~ w £ 

A group of professional racing cyclists at Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1886. From Abbot Bassett scrapbook. 

13 
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r/iis silver-and-velvet 6-day bicycle championship belt of Scotland now in the Museum's 

collection was won at Glasgow on 19 June 1880 by H. W. Higham of Nottingham. 

A pair wearing the uniforms of Washington's Capitol Bicycle 

Club (left), pedal along on a Sociable, or side-by-side tricycle, 

in the 1880s. The fashionable couple (right), photographed 

behind the White House in Washington, D.C, ride what 

appears to be a Club (Coventry Machinists' Co., Ltd.) tandem 

convertible quadricycle roadster of about 1885. It could be 

converted into a single tricycle by separating it in the center, 

and detaching either the front or the rear portion. 

14 
copied for two decades. Its design offered higher speed through the 

greater circumference of the large front wheel, while putting die 

rider more directly over the pedals. This type, rapidly improved by 

Starley and others until it became, in comparison to the old boneshaker, a comfortable, lightweight machine, gained quick popularity 

and eventually became known as an "Ordinary." 

At the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876, several 

English firms exhibited diese Ordinaries. At the close of the Exposition the unsold Ordinaries were taken by die Baltimore firm of 

Timms and Lawford, and most of them were soon sold to the newly 

organized Cunningham Co., of Boston, Massachusetts, which, in 

Though a Columbia sign appears in the background and the man in this picture also appears 

on the back of an 1883 Columbia catalog (riding 

a different tricycle), the machine shown here 

does not appear to have been a regular Columbia model. It is probably an experimental Columbia, an English tricycle, or half of an 

English convertible quadricycle. 

15 
A Georgetown, D.C, tricycling tradesman, believed to have been photographed about 1941. 

The machine is an 1884 Victor Rotary, made by 

the Overman Wheel Co., Chicopee, Massachusetts. 

"Wheeling on Riverside Drive," a wood engraving appearing in Harper's Weekly, 17 July 1886. 

The machine in the foreground is a Sociable. 

16 
Lucius D. Copeland with his steam-driven Star 

bicycle, which he operated successfully in the 

mid-1880s. The engine and boiler of this vehicle 

are in the Arizona Museum at Phoenix. 

1877, was the first bicycle-importing firm in America. In the same 

year Albert A. Pope also began importing English bicycles, and in 

1878 his company, as the Pope Manufacturing Co., of Boston, became 

the first manufacturer of bicycles in America. In that year Pope 

began building bicycles under the trade name "Columbia" in the 

factory of the Weed Sewing Machine Co. at Hartford, Connecticut, 

and by 1895 all of his interests were concentrated in that city, including the offices formerly located in Boston. 

In Boston during 1877, Frank W. Weston began publication of 

The American Bicycling Journal, which two years later was merged 

with The Bicycling World, also of Boston. As many of the early bicycle riders in America were Bostonians, and since the first bicycle club 

in America was the Boston Bicycle Club, jointly founded by Charles 

E. Pratt and Frank W. Weston on 11 February 1878, Boston soon 

became the center of bicycling in this country. 

The Ordinary, or high-wheel bicycle, was especially hazardous, 

since the rider's center of gravity was only slightly behind the large 

front wheel and the rider was in danger of taking what came to be 

called a "header." This common accident occurred when the front 

wheel struck an obstruction in the road, or when the brake was applied too quickly, causing the rider to be thrown head-first onto the 

road, as his cycle tipped over forward. Serious injury, and occasionally even death, resulted. Partially because of the Ordinary's height, 

few women were attracted to riding, yet there were some who not 

only rode, but even became known as racers. Soon, the costume of 

both men and women was modified to suit the sport. 

Because of the Ordinary's inherent danger, early efforts were made 

to design a safer bicycle. Many of these efforts were modifications of 

the high-wheeler, with the large wheel slightly reduced in size, and 

the speed thus lost being compensated for by die use of such indirectdrive methods as chains, levers, or other mechanical devices. The 

rider's center of gravity was also shifted slightly backward. 

In the United States, one of these early efforts produced die wellknown Star bicycle, which had the large wheel in the rear, driven by 

treadles instead of pedals. This design eliminated the danger of taking headers, and became relatively popular, though it never approached the popularity of the Ordinary. 

Lucius D. Copeland, in 1884 or 1885, equipped one of these Stars 

with a small steam engine and a boiler, and successfully operated the 

machine. Two or three years later a tricycle was similarly equipped 

for Copeland by the Nordirop Manufacturing Co., of Camden, New 

Jersey. Articles on these machines appeared in many engineering 

magazines of that time, and Sandford Northrop issued advertising 

brochures publicizing the formation of his Moto-Cycle Manufacturing Co. (of which J. Elfreth Watkins, then curator of the Smidisonian's section of transportation, was president), but the venture 

proceeded no further. It was, nevertheless, another one of die many 

17 
On the Copeland steam tricycle, shown also in 

the frontispiece, the passenger sat directly in 

front of the operator, over the tank holding fuel 

and water (see photo, right). A headlamp was 

mounted on the passenger's footrest. The operator sat with his back against the boiler (left 

photo), steering by means of the single rear 

wheel, over which a jingling warning bell was 

mounted. 

18 
pioneer attempts in America to produce a commercially successful 

self-propelled vehicle. 

While on the subject of self-propelled vehicles, it would be appropriate to mention that the early efforts of the German inventors, 

Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, are in reality a part of cycle history. 

In 1885 Daimler produced a two-wheel, gasoline-powered velocipede, while Benz produced in 1886 a large gasoline-powered tricycle 

with wire-spoke wheels, the single front one being the steerable wheel. 

The back of this photo of an unidentified quadricycle carries the name of the Moto-Cycle 

Manufacturing Co. Possibly it was a vehicle 

which the firm had hoped to motorize with one 

of Copeland's steam engines. 

A group of early Safeties and a Star (far left) 

on an 1889 Boston area tour. Those with wood 

wheels are believed to have been made by The 

Sterling Cycle Co., Newton, Massachusetts. 

From Abbot Bassett scrapbook. 

19 
Arthur A. Zimmerman, noted American bicycle 

racer of the early 1890s, with his trainer. From 

Abbot Bassett scrapbook. 

Simultaneously with efforts to make the high-wheeler safer by 

means of modifications came other efforts to completely redesign 

the bicycle into what became known as the "Safety." In England, 

H. J. Lawson produced his Bicyclette in 1879, this being a comparatively low-profile safety design, with a chain-driven rear wheel and 

indirect steering. Unattractive, and apparently too far advanced for 

its time, the Bicyclette was a commercial failure. 

By the mid-1880s, a number of British manufacturers were producing various types of Safety bicycles, die object of which was to 

bring die rider closer to the ground. The most successful were the 

several machines of John Kemp Starley (nephew of James Starley), 

whose third model Rover of 1885, with chain drive, diamond frame, 

and low wheels, influenced bicycle design to the present day. Curiously, diis was a return, after many years of evolution, to the proportions of the old Hobby Horse, which also had two wheels of equal or 

nearly equal size. 

Soon after the advent of the Safety bicycle, another important development assured the success and popularity of the bicycle. In 1888 

and 1889, John Boyd Dunlop, a veterinary surgeon of Belfast, Ireland, obtained English patents on a pneumatic tire, and in 1890, a 

United States patent. Despite criticism and ridicule, the increase in 

"Have Dinner at One, Dear." Stereoscopic view, 

from 1897, of women's lib on a bicycle—which 

happens to be a man's Safety. 

Have Dinner at One. Dear/' 

Copyrighted 1897, by WUlmm H.R*vA '.-;< 

20 
An early group of Safety cyclists using rail 

attachments to enjoy a smooth ride on a spur 

line of the Pittsburgh and Wectern Railroad, 

between Cluffs Mills and McCrays, Pennsylvania, in the 1890s. 

speed and comfort quickly established die value of Dunlop's invention, and die pneumatic tire rapidly gained acceptance in the United 

States during 1891 and 1892. 

Another important improvement was die development of die 

coaster brake. By 1898, bicycles were occasionally being equipped 

with braking mechanisms that were associated widi the driving systems, whereby die brake was operated by a backward pressure on die 

pedals. In most instances, however, these devices did not include 

coasting or free-wheeling features. During 1898, free-wheeling brakes 

began to appear, and the added safety and convenience provided by 

this innovation caused it to gain quickly in popularity. 

The closing years of the century offered one final mechanical advancement, this being a multiple-speed driving system. The idea was 

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W^j^t^ 

Medals, in the Museum's collection, awarded to 

Frederick L. Oliver, father of coauthor Smith 

Hempstone Oliver, for racing events in 1897. 

not new, it having been applied years earlier in more unsophisticated 

forms, such as the device that changed the operative length of the 

Star bicycle's treadle-levers. Effective though they were, these devices did not receive immediate acceptance in the United States, possibly because of the cost. While they were more widely accepted in 

England, many years were to pass before multiple-speed devices became common on American bicycles. 

During the 1890s, interest in bicycling reached boom proportions. 

Production rose from an estimated 200,000 bicycles in 1889 to 

1,000,000 in 1899, and the machine attained an importance in America that it is only now regaining. By 1899, only a few score automobiles had been built, horses and carriages were expensive to maintain 

in crowded cities, and urban public transportation was, with few exceptions, slow and frequently inadequate. The bicycle met the need 

for inexpensive individual transportation—much as the automobile 

has in recent times—for going to and from business, for business deliveries, for recreational riding, and for sport. 

What to us seems a simple device of modest and limited performance was, in the relatively unmechanized 1890s, a swift vehicle and 

a fine machine. Owners were drawn together by their interest in it 

as a mechanism, as well as in its use for riding or racing, and bicycle 

clubs were a part of the social and sporting scene. A nationwide bicycle club, the League of American Wheelmen, was formed on 30 May 

1880 at Newport, Rhode Island, through the joint efforts of Kirk 

Munroe, of New York, and Charles Pratt. Membership reached 

150,000 in 1900, and the influence of its numbers was an effective 

promoter of the good-roads movement that was to be so important 

an element in the acceptance of the early automobiles. 

Bicycle racing as an international sport had a large and enthusiastic following in the United States 70 years ago, and the demand for 

lighter and faster bicycles accelerated many of the improvements 

made by the manufacturers. The successful racers were the sports 

heroes of the day. Charles M. Murphy was one who attained lasting 

fame by an amazing performance on 30 June 1899. On a board surface laid between the rails of the Long Island Rail Road, Murphy, 

riding within a hood built at the rear of a car, kept up with the car 

as it was pulled by a locomotive going just over 60 miles an hour. For 

this feat he became known as "Mile-a-minute Murphy." His record 

was surpassed on 17 May 1941, when Alfred Letourner pedaled a 

mile in 33.05 seconds on a highway in California, traveling at die 

rate of 108.92 miles an hour in the wake of a shield attached to the 

rear of a midget racing automobile. Many well-known bicycle racers 

of the early days ultimately became famous in the automobile racing 

field, Ralph DePalma and Barney Oldfield probably being the best 

known of the converts. 

Directly and indirectly the bicycle had a decided influence on the 

introduction and ready acceptance of the automobile. In addition to 

22 
A selection of oil lamps and self-generating 

acetylene lamps on a page from the 1916 cycle 

catalog of J. W. Grady & Co., Worcester, 

Massachusetts. 

Illl 11 l.l> . Mil loH i \t l.l > \M > -I MIKIi : 

NO. 2 :>IITH CKXTI IM «.\ * LAMP 

Mad e "i brass nil I,. 1 plati .1 heigh t 

", in-iKh s 22 oz . ha - ...i t capacit : 

f I oz.. fitted wit h .i (4" liurnv i Burn s 

ram I to 6 hours Pric e complet e *:t.<»" 

T b e JiMh Centur y oi l lum p ha s I" en 

a Krta i selle i in th e past ; mail, of 

ii.i- - im ki I..] ami polished ; measure s 

;'.. x2%"; burn s 12 hours on oni tilling . Pric e *2.00 eac h 

M l . Ij 2IITH I K\T I III I. IS LAMP 

A self-containe d lamp , but especiall) 

mi orce d for moto n j i li an d ca n la c e 

frvice . Ha s extensio n reflectoi G" in 

iami-ti r am i KIV.-S almiil IJ a " nul l 

Offer ligh t Equippe d wit h sarin- imi ..\ . in.ni s a-- X.. J Pric e *r..iio 

C OM Mill V (i \S I. \ >llIs made- of brass, nicke l plated , r i 

doubl e conve x len s ami a ga s valv i 

ulatin g flam.-. Pric e c 

'SEARCHLIGHT 

Till : «•!: Ill l III.11.Ill' 1. \ s Mi l l> 

•liii- lamp h.i- I,. . , i hi m,11 k.-i i. 

... - .,ml ha s ,ilwa> s mail. goo d »ta m 

" In I, ivll h 2 '••" ilnubl c coi n ex lei 

llick l I. 'I Tric e *2.r.ll rm 

introducing thousands of persons to individual and independent mechanical transportation, die bicycle proved the value of many materials and parts diat were subsequently taken over by die automobile 

designers. Ball bearings found one of dieir earliest uses in die bicycles of 1880 or earlier. The differential unit was employed in tricycles, and various forms of free-wheeling and gear-shifting devices 

were in use. Steel tubing, developed largely for cycle frame construc23 
tion, was adopted by some early automobile builders. Pneumatic tires, 

previously mentioned, and wire wheels were also in use on bicycles 

prior to the introduction of the gasoline automobile in America. 

Many pioneer automobile builders were at first bicycle manufacturers. Among these were Charles E. Duryea, Alexander Winton, 

Colonel Albert A. Pope, H. A. Lozier, and George N. Pierce, all of 

whom manufactured automobiles bearing their names. Furthermore, 

Wilbur and Orville Wright were bicycle manufacturers in Dayton, 

Ohio, before they turned their attention to the aeronautical field, 

and Glenn H. Curtiss, another aviation pioneer, started out as a bicycle manufacturer. 

As the 19th century closed, the bicycle industry began a rapid decline. Between 1900 and 1905 the number of bicycle manufacturers 

in the United States shrank from 312 to 101. Interest in the automobile was only partly responsible for this. Additional factors were a 

switch to other forms of recreation, and the fact that a considerable 

number of electric railways took over the sidepaths originally constructed for bicycle use. Thereafter, for over half a century, the bicycle was used largely by children, although tire and gasoline rationing 

brought it into temporary use as adult transportation during World 

War II. 

Recent cycle development has not involved significant changes in 

construction, but rather a refinement of earlier features, resulting in 

today's durable, lightweight, comfortable and easy riding machine. 

During the late 1960s there began a reawakening of adult interest in 

cycling as a non-polluting, non-congesting means of transportation 

and recreation. Increasingly, too, members of the medical profession 

have pointed to the bicycle as one of the best means of obtaining 

physical exercise for sedentary, coronary-prone Americans. A century 

earlier an 1869 velocipedist's manual, in a chapter entitled "Velocipathy," had pointed the way with the statement that die bicycle 

gave "a natural exercise and general development to every muscle 

of the body." 

In 1970 nearly 5 million bicycles were manufactured in the United 

States, and an estimated 75 million riders shared 50 million bicycles, 

making cycling the nation's leading outdoor recreation. Growing 

numbers of commuters ride bicycles today, and bikeways continue to 

spread in both rural and urban areas. Widi some dealers barely able 

to meet customer demands, one wonders whether the present boom 

will suddenly slacken or cease entirely—as has happened before in 

cycle history—or whether, one hopes, it will become a permanent 

and important factor in American transportation. 

24 
THE SMITHSONIAN 

CYCLE COLLECTION 

The Smithsonian's cycle collection began in 1889 when a velocipede was presented by Joseph Z. Collings. Received when it was 

about 10 years old by J. Elfreth Watkins, curator, from 1885 to 1903, 

of the section of transportation, in the division of technology, this 

was the third wheeled vehicle to be accessioned, having been preceded by a steam locomotive and a horse-drawn carriage. Though 

not the donor, the man who was instrumental in bringing the velocipede to the collection was Lucius D. Copeland, inventor and builder 

of experimental steam-propelled road vehicles. Copeland also was an 

associate of Watkins', who, in addition to his museum curatorial duties, was president of the Moto-Cycle Manufacturing Co., of Philadelphia, a firm organized to manufacture steam vehicles following 

Copeland's designs. Several other velocipedes and early-type Safety 

bicycles also were taken into the collection during the years of Watkins' curatorship. 

From 1893 to 1897 two bicycles were loaned to the museum by 

Herbert S. Owen, a Washington, D.C, bicycle dealer and manufacturer who had employed the automotive pioneering Duryea brothers, Charles E. and J. Frank, as mechanics in his bicycle shop in 

Washington, during the late 1880s. Owen claimed that one of the 

cycles, built by him in October 1887, was the first woman's Safety 

bicycle to be made in the United States. Regretfully, he witiidrew it 

from the collection in February 1897 when it was needed as evidence 

in New York in the legal proceedings of Owen vs. die Pope Manufacturing Co. His other loan, an 1885 Starley and Sutton Safety, was 

withdrawn at the same time. 

Following Watkins' death in 1903, George C. Maynard's responsibilities in the museum's division of technology included that of curator of the transportation collection until his own death in 1918. 

During these 15 years the cycle collection grew by only two velocipedes and two H. B. Smith bicycles. 

Subsequent responsibility for the transportation collection was 

borne by the late Carl W. Mitman, Paul E. Garber, and Frank A. 

Taylor. The position of curator of land transportation was created 

in 1946 and was filled by Smith Hempstone Oliver during a 10-year 

tenure. John H. White assumed this position in 1958. 

25 
HrjTVfO^Y' 0 F j^ E Ric/CLE. 

The following caption accompanied this illustration, which appeared 

in a newspaper some time after the introduction of the modern Safety. 

This description applies to an ordinary diamond frame wheel. There are many extra attachments, and different makers have different ways of putting 

a wheel together, so that they may differ in one or two minor details. The description given, however, is in the main correct. It includes mud-guards and 

their fittings, which are used but little here, but are on all wheels made in England. They are used generally on drop-frame wheels in this country. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

IS. 

16. 

17. 

18. 

19. 

20. 

21. 

22. 

23. 

Upper main tube. 

Lower main tube. 

Front frame tube. 

Back stays. 

Back forks. 

Centre stay. 

Crank bracket. Contains cones at outer 

ends, crank axle, with ball-bearings 

and adjustment clip bolt. 

Upper ball head race, or cup. 

Lower ball head race, or cup. 

Saddle post adjustment clip. 

Back fork end. 

Handle-bar. 

Handle-bar stem. 

Handle. 

Ferrule, or nickel tip. 

Brake lever. 

Brake lever crank. 

Brake lever handle. 

Brake plunger connecting bolt. 

Brake plunger. 

Brake plunger adjustment nut. 

Brake shoe. 

Brake shackle?, bolts and nuts. 

24. 

25. 

26. 

27. 

28. 

29. 

30. 

31. 

32. 

33. 

34. 

35. 

36. 

37. 

38. 

39. 

40. 

41. 

42. 

43. 

44. 

45. 

46. 

Brake spring. 

Handle-bar clip and ball h 

Lamp bracket. 

Lock nut for handle-bar cl 

Ball head adjusting nut. 

Front fork crown, with 

front. 

Fork sides, right and left. 

Coasters. 

Fork ends. 

Step. 

Saddle. 

Saddle post. 

Saddle clip. 

Set screw. 

Chain adjustment bolt. 

Crank axle. 

Detachable sprocket whee 

Sprocket bolts. 

Chain. 

Detachable link in chain. 

Crank. 

Cotter pin nut and wash 

able crank on other side 

Pedal. 

ea 

ip 

b 

er 

of 

d cone. 

ake 

for 

lug in 

detachmachine. 

48 

49 

51 

52 

53 

54 

55 

56 

57 

58 

59 

60 

61 

62 

63-

65 

66 

67 

69. 

70. 

71. 

72. 

73. 

, Pedal pin. 

. Nut and washer. 

. Steering wheel. 

. Tire. 

. Rim. 

, Air valve. 

, Valve cap. 

. Spokes. 

. Hub, which comprises outside shell with 

bushes, axle, and ball bearings. 

. Washers for fixing to forks. 

. Driving wheel. 

. Driving wheel hub. 

, Front mud-guard stays. 

Front mud-guard. 

-4. Front mud-guard screws. 

Back mud-guard stays. 

Back mud-guard. 

Back mud-guard screws. 

Back mud-guard screws. 

Saddle frame. 

Front saddle spring. 

Rear saddle spring. 

Leather top, with tension adjustment 

screw in front, underneath. 

26 
For purposes of comparison with the early diamond-frame Safety, the 

nomenclature of the 1971 Schwinn 10-speed Continental is shown. Photo 

from Schwinn Bicycle Co. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 

Chainwheel (or front sprocket) 

Pedal 

Chain 

Chainstay 

Rear derailleur 

Derailleur tension roller 

Freewheel gear cluster 

Spoke 

Rim 

Seat stay 

Seat post 

Saddle (or seat) 

Top tube 

Handlebar stem 

Seat mast (or tube) 

Front derailleur 

17. 

18. 

19. 

20. 

21. 

22. 

23. 

24. 

25. 

26. 

27. 

28. 

29. 

30. 

31. 

Headset (top and bottom) 

Bottom tube (or down tube) 

Gearshift lever 

Brake cable 

Brake lever 

Steering head 

Handlebars 

Caliper brake 

Fork 

Hub (high-flange type) 

Tire 

Valve 

Quick-release lever 

Crank 

Bottom bracket, or crank 

hanger (behind sprocket) 

27 
This photo of an unidentified early bicycle, 

apparently taken in the Museum, is believed to 

be of the 1887 woman's bicycle built by Herbert 

S. Owen (see page 25). 

xtvjjn "' •:* j ] 
Prominent among donors during the years of these last-mentioned 

curators is the late Albert E. Schaaf, of Cleveland, Ohio, who not 

only restored and presented two high-wheelers to the collection, but 

also collected and presented a valuable library of early bicycle literature that includes rare historic scrapbooks and unbroken runs of 

trade magazines. 

Not on public exhibit is an important adjunct of the collection in 

the form of an interesting assortment of reference material composed 

of early manufacturer's catalogs, trade journals, and photographs, 

as well as the aforementioned Schaaf library collection. 

Significant examples from die museum's comprehensive collection 

of cycles, most of them restored, are exhibited in the Vehicle Hall in 

the east end of the first floor of the National Museum of History and 

Technology. 

The Vehicle Hall in the National Museum of 

History and Technology, showing part of the 

cycle collection on exhibition. 

29 
Hobby Horse, about 1818 

Gift of Preston R. Bassett in 1964 

One of only a few original Hobby Horses to be found in the United 

States, this machine is unidentified, but is believed by die donor to 

be possibly of French origin. 

The frame, or backbone, is a 47-inch wooden bar, curving upward 

at the rear. This bar was probably originally made of one piece, but 

now has a splice near the front, and is reinforced at diis point widi 

iron plates. The saddle is mounted on a separate bar which is elevated 

above the main bar by three adjusting screws, the two forward 

screws being fixed between two short crossbars situated near the front 

of the saddle. On the saddle bar is a firmly padded seat, covered with 

maroon mohair that is believed to be either original, or an early replacement that is contemporary widi the machine's use. An upright 

post at the front of the saddle supports the rest for the rider's forearms. Three curving iron rods brace this rest. The saddle assembly 

can be elevated from 30 to 33 inches above the ground. 

A two-arm iron fitting is bolted to each side of the frame in the 

rear, thus forming the fork in which die rear wheel is mounted. The 

front wheel is held by an iron fork that terminates above in a long, 

backward-curving stem on which the curved wooden handlebar is 

mounted. A coil spring around the stem bears upward against a pin 

through the stem, to take up any vertical play in die steering head. 

Both of the 10-spoke wooden wheels are 24 inches in diameter, and 

carry a 1-inch iron tire. Wheelbase is 38 inches. 

Traces of the original light green finish are visible, bearing both 

yellow and black striping. 

This Hobby Horse was probably made about 1818. 

30 
Reproduction (1924) of an 1818 Hobby Horse. 

Hobby Horse of 1818 (reproduction) 

Gift of Buster Keaton in 1924 

This reproduction of die Pedestrian Curricle, or Hobby Horse, 

popularized in England in 1818 by Denis Johnson, was used about 

1924 in the motion picture Our Hospitality. 

A wooden bar, 55 inches long, and curved downwards slightiy in 

the center, supports by means of iron braces a wheel in die rear. A 

vertical iron fork, supporting anotiier wheel, is pivoted at the front 

of the bar. The fork is steered by means of a curved tongue attached 

to die bottom of die fork. A wooden armrest for die rider is mounted 

upon iron braces at die front of die bar. A felt saddle is carried on 

the center of die bar. 

Each wheel is 30 inches in diameter and contains eight spokes. The 

spokes, hubs, and felloes are of wood, with the spokes staggered in 

the hubs. Narrow iron tires are fitted to the felloes. 

31 
Velocipede, about 1868 

Gift of William R. Beisel in 1894 

This velocipede, made about 1868, originally 

had a white frame and red wheels. 

This velocipede, which is of the Hanlon type noted on page 5, 

is believed to have been manufactured by J. N. Hazelip, otherwise 

unidentified, for his name is uniformly stamped into it in two places. 

On the left front fork the name is accompanied by the number "43" 

which possibly could be a size, for the distance from die ground, underneath the front wheel, to the centerline of the frame, is 43 inches. 

No date appears on the machine. 

A forged-iron frame, terminating in a polished bronze casting at 

the front, supports a forged-iron front fork. The top of the fork is 

fitted with curved iron handlebars that undoubtedly were originally 

fitted with wooden grips, now missing. 

The wheels of the vehicle are of wood, each with 12 spokes slightly 

staggered in the hub. The 41J4-inch front wheel and the 36-inch 

rear wheel carry iron tires. On the front axle, wooden, spool-shaped 

pedals are fitted to nonadjustable cranks having a throw of 6^2 

inches. 

A thin metal saddle, probably originally covered with leather, is 

suspended on a broad, curved, single-leaf steel spring directly over 

the center of the frame. Originally this machine, now under a coarse, 

later finish, had a white frame striped widi red, and red wheels, die 

striping of which cannot now be discerned. 

32 
Velocipede, about 1868 

Gift of William Sturgis Bigelow in 1907 

Velocipede believed to have been made in Boston, Massachusetts, about 1868. It was restored 

in 1972. 

The donor of diis machine, which is of the French pattern, stated 

diat it was made by either Sargent or French, carriage builders of 

Boston, Massachusetts, about 1868, and that it sold for 160 dollars. 

An illustration of an almost identical machine is captioned "American velocipede of 1869" on page 22 of Charles Pratt's The American 

Bicycler (1880). Another similar machine, illustrated on page 28 of 

Harry Griffin's Cycles and Cycling (1890), is described as an "Improved Boneshaker of 1870," made by Charles Pomeroy Button, of 

142 Cheapside, London. 

A heavy forged bar, terminating in a fork at its lower end, serves 

as a frame. A vertical iron fork, topped by a horizontal handlebar 

mounted in brackets, swivels in die front of die frame. A forward 

projection of the frame carries a pair of footrests for use while coasting, and ends in an ornamental scroll. Wood-spoke wheels with

 1 % g -

inch-wide iron tires have, respectively, diameters of 37 inches in front 

and 31J4 inches in the rear, and 16 and 14 staggered spokes. Weighted 

bronze pedals hang from the cranks, adjustable from 4J^ to 7 inches, 

that are secured to the live front axle. 

Twisting the handlebars in the mounting brackets winds up a 

cord which presses a brake shoe against the tire of die rear wheel. A 

padded, pigskin-covered metal saddle is mounted on a flat steel 

spring, on which it can be adjusted forward or backward to suit die 

length of the rider's legs. 

This velocipede was restored in 1972 by Dale C. Price, of Cambridge, Maryland, who duplicated the original finish, which was 

typical of the better machines of the period. The frame and wheels 

are a rich, medium blue, heavily striped widi gold leaf. The long 

spring supporting the seat, die front fork, handlebars, and pedal 

cranks are highly burnished. The wooden grips of die handlebars are 

fitted widi brass ferrules and brass tips, and die counterbalanced pedals are of polished bronze. There is little doubt diat diis is die finest 

velocipede in die Museum's collection. 

33 
Velocipede, about 1869 

Gift of S. R. Sturdevant in 1889 

As with several of die odier velocipedes, no identifying marks can 

be found on this machine, but the donor apparently believed it was 

made in Dayton, Ohio. His personal knowledge of die machine may 

be correct, for die velocipede was one of the first vehicles to come to 

the Museum's transportation collection, being only 20 years old 

when he presented it. 

The mechanical description of the 1868 velocipede made in Boston will suffice for diis cycle, for die two are nearly identical. This 

one is slightly larger; its 14-spoke wheels have diameters of 38 and 

32^4 inches and ^-inch tires. The adjustable pedal cranks are also 

longer, giving a throw of from 6 to 9 inches. The absence of two features, foot rests and a brake mechanism, distinguish diis velocipede 

from die 1868 model. Oddly, die handlebars turn and have an eye, 

as if for a brake, yet there is no evidence that this accessory was ever 

added, nor is there a passageway through which a brake cord could 

pass. 

The finish, now almost gone, was originally red, with a %6-inch 

black stripe split with a fine gold line, reminiscent of die decoration 

applied to commercial horse-drawn vehicles. 

Velocipede of about 1869, believed to have been 

made in Dayton, Ohio. 

34 
Van Anden Dexter Velocipede, 1869 

Gift of Mrs. William M. Van Anden in 1930 

<S? 

William Van Anden, of Poughkeepsie, New York, was granted 

Patent 88,238 on 23 March 1869, covering an "improvement in velocipedes." This improvement, well ahead of its time, consisted of a 

"ratchet device," or free-wheeling unit, in the hub of the front wheel, 

that enables the rider's feet to remain motionless while the velocipede continues to move by momentum, as will a bicycle equipped 

with a coaster brake. Use of the device is optional, however, for the 

movement of a small plunger in the hub joins the pedal cranks fast 

to the axle, as in the conventional velocipede. 

This velocipede, built by Van Anden, contains the above feature. 

A notice in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of 20 February 1869 describes 

the velocipede and mentions diat it had been on exhibition the previous week at Burnham's velocipede school. 

The frame and fork are of iron, and are supported by wooden 

wheels with staggered spokes and the usual iron tires. Diameter of 

the front wheel is 36% inches and of die rear, 32^4 inches. Attached 

to the 4^2 -inch cranks are spool-shaped cast-iron pedals of peculiar 

design. Weight is 55 pounds. 

The handlebars twist to actuate a linkage connected to a friction 

brake operating against the rear tire. A pierced cast-iron saddle is 

mounted on leather straps attached to curved iron supports in die 

center of the frame. 

Finished in red with cream striping, this velocipede was restored in 

1973 by Dale C. Price, of Cambridge, Maryland, who duplicated die 

original finish. The several cast bronze fittings are highly polished. 

The Van Anden velocipede of 1869 has a freewheeling device in the front hub that permits 

the rider to coast, as with a coaster brake. 

35 
Laubach Velocipede, 1869 

Gift of Mrs. William J. J. Manning in 1971 

One of the few departures from conventional velocipede construction that achieved any appreciable popularity was this machine invented by Dr. William H. Laubach, of Philadelphia. Assigned U.S. 

Patent 86,235 on 26 January 1869, Laubach's velocipede also came 

to be known as the Pearsall velocipede after Laubach sold his patent 

to the Pearsall brothers, who operated New York City's first and 

most successful velocipede school. The New York Coach-Maker's 

Magazine, the Coach-Makers' International Journal, and the Eclectic Medical Journal all were profuse in their praise of the "most scientific velocipede." Among the claims made for it were the statements that both wheels were always in the same arc when turning 

and that, due to its peculiar construction, the rider's weight kept it 

running in a naturally straight line. The many favorable comments 

made of it seem unwarranted, however, for it proved to be far less 

manageable than velocipedes of the usual design. Dr. Laubach is said 

to have traveled one hundred miles in five hours on one of these velocipedes, seemingly a rather unlikely feat. The Pearsalls were so impressed with the design that they reportedly formd a stock company 

with a capital of 300,000 dollars to manufacture Laubach patent velocipedes, but it is not known to what extent they produced them, or 

used them in their riding school. Laubach velocipedes cost 125 

dollars. 

The value of the velocipede for purposes of physical exercise was 

early discovered, as evidenced by this comment concerning Laubach's cycle in the January 1869 Eclectic Medical Journal: "We look 

upon this mode of exercise with this physiologically constructed machine as one of the most brilliant discoveries of the nineteenth century; the grand desideratum that will emancipate our youth from 

muscular lethargy and atrophy that is so common." 

The construction of this velocipede differs from the more common 

variety in diat this one is articulated, being constructed of two separate frames, one for each wheel, pivoted together in die center. 

Each frame consists of four iron rods, secured together by cast bronze 

fittings. The fittings securing the axles are split, and are held together 

by two bolts. The central fittings of the two frames pivot on a verti36 
The 1869 Laubach velocipede is turned by pivoting the wheels upon a vertical pin under the 

rider's seat. 

cal iron pin. A gear segment, integral with the upper pivot joint of 

the rear section, engages a gear segment on the steering column, the 

latter being mounted in the forward frame section. Turning die 

wood-grip handlebars causes both wheels to swing, so that both assist in steering, yet the rear wheel appears to be doing the greater 

portion of the work since the seat remains in the same plane widi 

the front wheel. 

The 12-spoke wheels are both 36/ 2 inches in diameter, and carry 

a %-inch iron tire. The pedal cranks are in the conventional position 

on the front wheel, and carry 3-sided bronze pedals that can be fitted 

in either of two holes in the cranks, giving a throw of either 5^2 or 

6 Yi inches. 

The wooden seat is old, but may not be original, for it does not 

agree with three contemporary illustrations of the cycle. Tack holes 

on the underside indicate that the seat was once covered. The seat 

support rests on a coil spring around the central pivot pin, allowing 

the seat to move freely up and down. 

Two of the three existing drawings of this velocipede show some 

type of footrest beneath the rider, just in front of the pivot joint, but 

there is no evidence that this machine was ever fitted with such rests. 

Neither is there evidence of any finish on this velocipede, yet in view 

of the existing finishes on other velocipedes, it does not seem unlikely 

that this one, too, was once brightly painted and striped. 

37 
Roper Steam Velocipede, about 186 9 

Gift of John H. Bacon in 1956 

The oldest self-propelled road vehicle in the Museum's collection 

is the steam-powered velocipede built in the late 1860s by Sylvester 

H. Roper, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and demonstrated by him at 

fairs and circuses. 

At first glance the machine appears to be a converted velocipede, 

but examination reveals that its frame was forged expressly for this 

self-powered vehicle. 

The two 34-inch-diameter wooden-spoke wheels have wooden felloes and iron-band tires. The front wheel is supported in a forged 

wrought-iron fork having a straight handlebar with wooden grips. 

Footrests are provided at the bottom of the fork. The wheelbase is 

49 inches. 

A vertical, fire-tube boiler is suspended between the wheels, and a 

chimney angles back from the top of the boiler housing. The lower 

half of the housing served as the firebox (the grate of which is missing) . Charcoal was fed through a small circular door on the left side 

of the firebox. The housing is suspended from the center of the frame 

by means of a spring-loaded hanger (intended to absorb some of the 

road shock) and is braced at the bottom by two stay rods connected 

to the rear of the frame. 

A hand-operated water pump is mounted vertically on the left 

forward side of the boiler housing. Three water-level cocks are located nearby, and there is a drain valve at the left rear of the boiler's 

base. 

Oscillating steam cylinders are pivoted on each side of die frame, 

next to the chimney. From outside measurements, it is estimated 

that the bore of the cylinders is about two and one-quarter inches. 

The piston rods worked on 2 J/2 -inch cranks on the ends of the rear 

axle. Piston valves for the cylinders were operated by eccentrics adjacent to their cranks, and a feed-water pump was operated by die 

left-cylinder crank. The exhaust steam, carried by tubing into the 

base of the chimney, provided forced draft. Apparently, while die 

machine was at rest a forced draft was provided by a tiny steam pipe 

that leads from the safety valve at the top rear of the boiler to die 

base of the chimney. There is a damper valve within die chimney. 

38 
The throttle, located at the top front of the boiler housing, was 

actuated by forward twisting of the handlebar. A friction brake was 

applied against die rim of the front wheel when the handlebar was 

twisted toward the driver. Heavy tubing leads from the tiirottle to 

the steam chests of the cylinders, and other tubing leads from die 

boiler to a steam gauge at the front of the frame. 

The water supply for the boiler was contained in tank diat also 

served as the saddle. The filler opening is at the front of die tank. 

Water was supplied to the hand pump and the feedwater pump by 

means of tubing mat leads from the bottom of die tank. 

It is clear that the builder of this early self-propelled vehicle was 

an ingenious as well as an accomplished machinist. 

Steam velocipede built by Sylvester H. Roper 

about 1869. Below, arrangement of cylinders, 

valve chests, and the feed-water pump on the 

left cylinder. 
Greene and Dyer Monocycle, 186 9 

Gift of W. Easton Louttit, Jr., in 1944 

During 1869 a number of patents were granted covering various 

types of monocycles or unicycles. One of these, Patent 91,535, was 

granted on 22 June 1869 to Allen Greene and Elisha Dyer, of Providence, Rhode Island, for an "improvement in velocipede." This incomplete monocycle, built by them, represents their invention. The 

donor stated that it was reported that the vehicle had crashed badly 

on its first trial run, and proved to be unsatisfactory. 

The 24 spokes and the felloe are of wood, and a thin metal band 

attached to the felloe serves as a tire. The diameter of the wheel is 

8 feet, and its thickness at the center, 4 feet. The bowed spokes radiating in from the rim connect alternately to hubs on each side, composed of two metal discs bolted togeher, so that 12 of the spokes are 

clamped between each pair of discs. 

Within the center of the cage thus formed a framework is suspended from short shafts extending inwards from die two hubs, and 

to the framework is attached a swinging seat for the operator. Small 

hand-cranks are also attached to the framework near the short shaft 

extensions, but it is not clear how they worked, for the cranks are 

now inoperative. The patent specifications refer to hand-cranks and 

foot-treadles jointly providing the motive power, but no treadles now 

exist, nor is there evidence of how they might have functioned. No 

other parts of the mechanism remain, and it is uncertain whether 

the vehicle was ever completed. 

Outer extensions of the hub shafts carry an iron fitting from which 

two trailing legs hung on either side. These were intended to support 

the monocycle when it was at rest and to assist the operator in starting from a standstill. As do several other unicycle patents, this patent 

specification shows a sunshade fitted over the operator's seat. It is 

doubtful that the improvement was ever added. 

Greene and Dyer monocycle of 1869, shown 

alongside the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries building, where the collection was displayed until 1965. Holding the cycle is Smith 

Hempstone Oliver, curator, 1946-56. 

40 

Adults Tricycle, about 187 5 

Acquired in 1972 

This adult's tricycle probably dates from 

around 1875. 

This unusual, unidentified tricycle is one of die few adult machines 

of the velocipede era to be found in United States collections. It has 

tentatively been dated at about 1875 because its general construction 

agrees with that of early velocipedes and with patent drawings of the 

early and middle 1870s. It has not been possible, however, to identify it with any specific patent. 

It is a simple, yet well-constructed machine. The wheels, front 

fork, handlebars, and twin backbones are of wood. The backbones 

join together at the front ends with an iron steering pin that engages 

a pair of iron fittings on the forks. The lower ends of die forks have 

split bronze bearings, with oil holes diat are neatly inletted in the 

wood. Wooden spool-pedals are attached to die 5-inch iron cranks, 

as on a common velocipede. In die rear, the lower ends of the backbones are attached to die iron axle with a pair of ordinary axle clips 

of the type employed in the carriage-building trade. A leathercovered saddle stuffed widi horsehair is mounted on the backbones, 

these being of bent wood to provide the only spring action for die 

rider's comfort. 

The diameter of the front wheel, 38 ]/2 inches, is comparable widi 

that of a velocipede; that of the rear wheels is 24*/2 inches. All wheels 

carry 34-inch iron tires. The saddle is 37 inches above the ground, 

and is so positioned behind the pedals that a rider's leg lengtii of 

about 30 inches is indicated. Overall length is 67 inches. Undoubtedly the maker of this tricycle patterned it on die velocipedes so popular in 1869, and added the third wheel for stability. However, the 

narrow track of I6/2 inches, in contrast to the machine's height, results in a vehicle that feels less stable to ride tiian does die twowheeler. Thus, since it is an impractical conveyance, it appears likely 

that it was little used, and diis, in turn, could account for its remarkably fine original condition. 

The tricycle retains its original finish, which is black (though it 

sometimes appears to be a very dark green), striped with fine lines 

of light yellow, while the handlebar grips are unpainted. Black leather covers the lower part of die saddle, but the upper leatiier is 

tinted green, which lends some support to die possibility that die 

true color of the tricycle may be a dark Brewster green. 

42 
Child's 1876 tricycle. 

Child's Tricycle, 1876 

Gift of Mrs. Harold Allen in 1930 

Patent 171,623 was issued on 28 December 1875 to George W. 

Marble, of Chicago, Illinois, for an "improvement in velocipedes." 

One half his right was assigned to Adolph Shoeninger, also of Chicago. This small tricycle, constructed principally of wood, bears die 

above patent date, and is similar to the drawing accompanying the 

patent application. 

Two wooden bars form the sloping frame, and two others form 

the fork which pivots at die front of the frame. Metal fittings at 

each end of each rod serve as pivots for die fork, and as bearings for 

the wheels. Straight wooden handlebars and a cast-iron saddle are 

provided. 

The hubs, spokes, and felloes of the three wheels are of wood. The 

tires are thin metal rims. The diameter of the front wheel is 24 

inches, that of die rear wheels, 20 inches. Spool-shaped wooden pedals are attached to the crank arms of die front wheel. The distance 

between the two rear wheels is 11 inches, making it an inherently 

unstable vehicle. 

43 
Unzicker Tricycle (model), 187 8 

Transferred from the U. S. Patent Office 

The Patent Office model of the 1878 Unzicker 

tricycle, equipped with ladies' sidesaddle, is 

markedly similar to the child's tricycle of 1876. 

Patent 204,636 was issued on 4 June 1878 to Otto Unzicker, of 

Chicago, Illinois, for an "improvement in velocipedes." It is interesting to note the similarity in design of the main components of diis 

tricycle and those of the 1876 child's tricycle velocipede in the collection. Some connection between the two may well have existed, as 

Unzicker's patent was assigned in its entirety to the same Adolph 

Shoeninger associated with Marble. 

This model shows a tricycle propelled by the back-and-forth motion of the wooden handlebars, which are also used to steer the tricycle. They are fastened to the upright arm of a bell-crank attached 

to the top of the fork, and the motion of the bell-crank is transmitted 

by connecting rods to cranks on the ends of the front-wheel axle. 

The model, measuring 11 inches long, 7^2 inches high, and 3}4 

inches wide, is constructed of wood and brass, except for the steel 

rear axle and the leather strap for the single stirrup. The sloping 

frame and die fork are of wood, with fittings connecting die two. 

The wheels are of wood, the 5-inch diameter front one containing 

12 spokes, and the 4 ^-inc h diameter rear ones each containing 10 

spokes. The spokes are staggered in the wooden hubs. 

The sidesaddle places the rider on the left side of the vehicle. 

Because of the mechanical disadvantage accompanying diis metiiod 

of propulsion, and the relatively narrow track of die rear wheels, 

it is thought that a full-sized vehicle, if one was ever built, would 

not have proven very satisfactory on the poor roads of die nineteentii 

century. 

44 
Shire Velocipede, 1879 

Gift of C. Howard Buckler in 1907 

1879 Shire velocipede, as photographed in 1914 

with George C Maynard, one-time curator of 

the division of technology. 

Built at a rather late date for this type of vehicle, this "boneshaker" bears a brass plate marked "J. Shire, Patent Reallowed May 

10, 1879, Detroit, Mich." Patent Office records reveal the fact that 

John Shire of Detroit on 3 June 1879 was granted Patent 216,231 

covering "improvement in velocipedes." The Shire velocipede in 

the collection is similar to the drawing accompanying the patent 

application. No patents were granted to Shire on the date appearing 

on the plate attached to the machine. The high, wire-wheeled Ordinary was already on the market by 1879, and for such a specimen as 

this crude machine to have been built at the same time seems anachronistic. It is interesting to note that it was built in the future capital 

of the automotive world. 

The forked frame and the front-wheel fork are both made of wood 

with iron reinforcements. The front-wheel fork pivots at the front of 

the frame, straight wooden handlebars surmounting it. Also serving 

as a pivot point for the front fork is the upper end of a nearly vertical 

wooden brace, the lower end of which is connected by iron bars to 

the lower extremity of the frame. 

Both the wheels have wooden hubs, spokes, and felloes, with tiiin 

metal tires. Each wheel has 14 spokes staggered in the hub. The 

diameter of the front wheel is 38 inches and of the rear, 28^4 inches. 

Wooden crank arms, having a 5-inch throw but not adjustable as 

to their working length, are attached to the front axle. Spool-shaped 

wooden pedals are mounted at the ends of the arms. 

Oil cups are mounted at each end of the two axles. A wide wooden 

mudguard is affixed above the rear wheel. The saddle is made of 

wood, canvas, and leather. There is no brake. 

The finish on this velocipede is black with both gold and red 

striping. The mudguard bears a large piece of gold-leaf scrollwork 

similar to that found on Concord coaches and other horse-drawn 

commercial vehicles, and die front fork bears gold-leaf scrollwork 

that is more delicate. 

45 
Velocipede, about 1879 

Gift of Joseph Z. Collings in 1889 

This velocipede has tentatively been dated 1879 

because of its similarity to the 1879 Shire. 

No marks of identification have been found on this velocipede, 

yet the general construction very strongly resembles that of the 1879 

Shire, while the steering head is very much like that of an early 

Columbia. For these reasons its date is believed to be die same as 

that of the Shire, which is rather late for this type of machine. 

The frame consists of two wooden members attached to an iron 

fitting at the front, a broad wooden mudguard, and a steel singleleaf spring reminiscent of the lower part of the nearly vertical 

wooden brace of the Shire velocipede. Similarly, from a point near 

the rear hub a pair of iron braces runs to the rear mudguard and 

another pair to the lower end of the steel spring. Thus, the wooden 

frame alone does not bear the rider's weight, being assisted by the 

mudguard and spring. A Shire-type suspended saddle has horsehair 

padding on a heavy canvas base, and is covered widi enameled 

cloth. The front fork of this velocipede, unlike the Shire, is of iron, 

having an open head that accomodates a long steering spindle. There 

is evidence that there was once a brake, operated by the right hand, 

similar in design to that of a Columbia Ordinary, but none of die 

parts remain. The 24-inch handlebar is of turned wood. 

The 30-inch rear wheel has 14 staggered spokes and the 40-inch 

front wheel has 16 spokes. Both have %-inch iron tires. The spokes, 

unlike those of carriages and most other velocipedes, are turned 

round over their entire length, and are slightly tapered. The axles 

of both wheels are fixed in the hubs, and turn in split bronze bushings equipped with oil holes. These bushings are retained in die 

clevis-like ends of the front fork, and in iron fittings bolted to die 

rear frame, but a single bolt for each. Triangular wooden pedalblocks are fitted to the 5j4-inch cranks on the front wheel. 

The finish of this machine, now in very poor condition, appears 

to have been red, ornamented by gold striping. 

46 
Hammelmann Tricycle (model), 1880 

Transferred from the U. S. Patent Office 

Patent Office model of the Hammelmann 

tricycle, 1880. 

C 

\ 

Patent 225,010 was issued on 2 March 1880, to Charles Hammelmann, of Buffalo, New York, for a velocipede. This model shows a 

tricycle propelled by two foot-operated, spring-returned levers that 

rock sector-racks meshed with ratchet gears on the front-wheel axle. 

The model, measuring 8^4 inches long, 8 ^ inches high, and 4 % 

inches wide, is constructed of metal, with the exception of the 

wooden saddle. The frame consists of a curved bar at the rear, terminating in a fork at its lower end, and a vertical fork at the front, 

this fork pivoting in the steering head of the bar. A saddle is attached 

to the curved bar by means of a spring. At the top of the front fork 

are the handlebars. An axle at the bottom of the rear fork mounts 

two wheels, each 2X/Q inches in diameter and having six spokes. The 

centers of the wide treads of these two wheels are 3 % inches apart. 

The front wheel is 6 inches in diameter and has 10 spokes. Its 

perimeter is grooved as if to mount a solid rubber tire, though it is 

not known if a tire was mounted on this model. Mounted on each 

side of the front-wheel hub are ratchet gears. The wheel and gears 

rotate as one unit on the stationary front axle. 

Two foot-operated levers, spring-returned to their upper positions, 

are pivoted at the lower ends of the front fork, one on each side of 

the wheel. To each lever is attached a rack meshed widi a gear diat 

is mounted free on the front axle and next to the ratchet gear on its 

side of the wheel hub. A pawl on the free gear rotates the ratchet 

gear and the wheel in a forward direction when the foot lever is 

depressed. The two levers are independent of each other and are 

intended to be depressed alternately. 

It is not known whether a full-scale version of diis tricycle was 

ever manufactured. 

47 
Fowler Tricycle (model), 1880 

Transferred from the U. S. Patent Office 

Patent Office model of the Fowler tricycle, 1880. 

Patent 224,165 was issued 3 February 1880, to Francis Fowler, of 

New Haven, Connecticut, for a tricycle equipped with a ratchet 

connection in the hub of each driving wheel. The purpose was to 

enable the outer of the two driving wheels to rotate freely on the 

crankshaft when the machine was making a sharp turn, thus performing the function of a modern automobile differential unit. 

This model, measuring 11 inches long, 10 inches high, and 11 

inches wide, is constructed of metal, with the exception of wooden 

grips on the handle bars and leather straps on the pedals of the 

cranks on the front axle. The frame consists of a curved bar at die 

rear, upon which a saddle is located, and a vertical forked frame 

at the front, pivoting in the steering head of the bar. At the top of 

the fork a horizontal bracket supports a rod serving as the handlebars. This rod is free to be rotated within its supports in the bracket. 

Rotating the rod tightens a cord running down the curved bar and 

causes a brake shoe to bear against the single rear wheel mounted at 

the lower end of the bar. This wheel is 2^4 inches in diameter and 

has eight spokes. 

On each end of an axle mounted at the bottom of the fork is a 

wheel 7^4 inches in diameter and having 10 spokes. The wheels are 

8^4 inches apart. Cranks connect the axle and the wheel hubs. 

Each front-wheel hub incorporates a pair of double-crown ratchet 

gears held together by a spring in the hub. Forward movement of 

the axle drives the wheels, but when the cranking is halted and die 

axle is stationary the ratchets open and the wheels coast. Also, as 

stated before, the outer wheel slips when the machine is making a 

sharp turn. Each intermittent opening of the ratchets would cause 

die wheels to be forced slightly apart and would occasion considerable wear of the teetii, as well as a clicking noise, deficiencies not 

found in the 1869 Van Anden velocipede, with its pawl-and-ratchet 

device in the hub of the front wheel. 

It is not known that this tricycle was ever manufactured. 

48 
Long Steam Tricycle, about 1880 

Gift of John H. Bacon in 1956 

The oldest completely operable self-propelled road vehicle on 

display in the Museum is a steam tricycle built about 1880 by 

George A. Long, of Northfield, Massachusetts. After a period of disuse following its construction, Long's original tricycle was disassembled and its parts scattered. In 1946, however, the donor of the 

vehicle obtained the engine, along with its feed-water pump and 

driving pulleys, from the 96-year-old builder who then was living 

in Boston. At that time Long recalled that many years earlier he 

had seen other parts of the machine in Northfield. A search by Mr. 

Bacon resulted in his obtaining most of the missing parts, and, subsequently led to the machine's restoration, which involved the use 

of some replacement parts. 

George Eli Whitney of Bridgeport, Connecticut, constructed the 

replacement fire-tube boiler and its appurtenances, and Russell 

Davis of Leominster, Massachusetts, performed other important 

work in the tricycle's restoration. Whitney is well known as a designer and builder of pioneer steam automobiles in the mid-1890s, 

and his work greatly influenced the Stanley brothers of later steam 

fame. 

Long designed and built the tricycle's engine at Northfield in 

1879, and a year or so later he constructed the framework and 

running gear in Albert A. Pope's Columbia bicycle plant, located 

in the factory of the Weed Sewing Machine Company at Hartford, 

Connecticut. 

On 29 August 1882 Long applied for a patent on a "steam roadvehicle" consisting of a 2-seated, self-propelled tricycle powered 

by a 2-cylinder steam engine using gasoline as fuel. For it he was 

granted Patent 281,091 on 10 July 1883. Drawings on the patent 

papers reveal a tricycle that closely resembles the Museum's restored 

vehicle. Interestingly, gasoline was specified as the fuel. 

Long wanted to provide the front-wheel forks with improved 

steering heads that used small balls, such as those that appeared 

later on the steering heads of bicycles and motorcycles. At the time he 

constructed his tricycle, however, Long was unable to make such small 

balls, so he equipped the two steering heads with plain bushings. 

The rear wheel, 5 feet in diameter, is the driving wheel. The two 

49 
This steam tricycle, built by George A. Long 

about 1880, has been restored and is operable, 

but some of its parts are modern replacements. 

Below, left side, showing details of the 2-cylinder, V-type steam engine. 
(No Model.) 

No. 281,091. 

2 Sheets—Sheet 2 

G. A. LONG. 

STEAM ROAD VEHICLE. 

Patented July 10, 1883. 

4 Aid* 

Drawing from the United States patent granted in 1883 to George A. Long for his steam 

tricycle. 

front wheels, 3 feet in diameter, are mounted in steering forks whose 

heads are connected by a curved tie rod. Spoon brakes operate 

against each of the solid tires on the front wheels. The design of the 

steering and braking systems indicates that Long intended that the 

machine would be operated by two persons. A single driver would 

have difficulty in steering only one of the handlebars and in operating 

both brake levers. Each seat is mounted on a full-elliptic spring, and 

its height is adjustable. 

The 2-cylinder, 90-degree, V-type engine has a stroke of 1% 

inches. It is attached to a steel plate that is mounted in the framework on small rollers so that it can be moved backwards and forwards by means of a lever pivoted in front of the seats. There are 

two pulleys on the crankshaft. The larger pulley is splined and can 

move lengthwise on the shaft. When the engine plate is brought 

backward, one of the driving pulleys is brought into contact with 

the tire of the rear wheel. As the pulleys have different diameters, 

two driving ratios are provided. The boiler and one of the two water 

tanks also are mounted on the engine plate, an arrangement which 

requires that the tube between the fuel tank and the burner (beneath 

the boiler) and the one between the two water tanks be flexible. 

The vehicle's replaced parts include the boiler, burner, engine 

mounting plate, fuel and water tanks, all gauges and piping, die 

hand-operated air pump, and the water pump, which is from an 

early steam automobile. 

The restored tricycle, weighing about 350 pounds, operates at a 

steam pressure of approximately 100 pounds per square inch. 

51 
Standard Columbia Ordinary, 1881 

Gift of Paul E. Waring in 1970 

Standard Columbia. 

Our Columbia, in ils hithcru di-kn for 

excellent and reliable roadster, but in order lo keep ; 

improvements and the demands of experienced riders 

some improvements, at considerable expense, )et willu 

as proved itself an 

• re.isi with the best 

\e have introduced 

t additional price lo 

patrons ; and this form, which is more nearly like the old, and 

cially adapted for road use, we now distinguish by the name of ST.A 

COLUMBIA, and wc recommend it lo all beginners ami to all who 

first-class substantial road machine. 

speIllustration of the 1881 Standard Columbia 

from the catalog of its maker, the Pope Manufacturing Co., of Hartford, Connecticut. 

This Standard Columbia Ordinary was originally owned by die 

donor's father, Mr. Frank E. Waring, in whose memory it was presented. Mr. Waring used this machine to participate in cycling 

activities in the Washington, D.C, area. 

The Standard Columbia, built by the Pope Manufacturing Co., 

was available in models with front-wheel diameters ranging from 

42 to 58 inches. This one, having a 54-inch front wheel with 44 

radial spokes, and an 18-inch rear wheel with 18 radial spokes, weighs 

49 pounds and sold for 95 dollars. The wheels have V-shaped steel 

rims, and now carry only remnants of the original red Para rubber 

tires, which are of 1-inch diameter on the front wheel and ^4-inch 

on the rear. The 1881 catalog states that this model was painted in 

two colors. The condition of this cycle is now such that its color 

is barely discernible, but it apparently was black, with no visible 

traces of the striping shown in the catalog illustration. 

The tapering backbone, or frame, of this cycle is made of 1 j4-inch 

tubular steel, to which are brazed the forged-steel rear fork and die 

steering spindle. The step for mounting is located on die left lower 

side of the backbone. The saddle apparently is not original, for it is 

a suspension type that differs considerably from that shown in die 

catalog. On the left side of the backbone, under the seat, is a brass 

manufacturer's nameplate. 

At the upper end of the forged-steel front fork is the open steering 

head containing the long steering spindle, which can be adjusted by 

means of a bolt passing through the top of die head. Straight handlebars carry pear-shaped grips of Siamese buffalo horn, and a brake 

lever on the right side that operates the spoon brake on the front tire. 

The front-wheel bearings are adjustable double cones, fitting into 

hardened boxes in the hubs. They are adjusted for wear by an eccentric in the bottom of the fork. The adjustable pedal cranks allow die 

throw to vary from 5 to 6 inches. The pedals are equipped with cone 

bearings and dust caps. 

52 
Klahr Bicycle (model), 1883 

Transferred from the U. S. Patent Office 

Patent Office model of the Klahr bicycle, 1883. 

Patent 285,821 was issued on 2 October 1883 to William Klahr, of 

Myerstown, Pennsylvania, for a bicycle of the Star type, propelled 

by single-acting pedal levers in combination with racks, pinions, and 

clutches on the rear axle. No evidence has been found to indicate 

that it was ever manufactured. 

The model, measuring 6 inches long, 4J/2 inches high, and 1 inch 

wide, is constructed entirely of metal with die exception of the tires. 

The triangular frame supports a vertical steering fork with a small 

wheel at the front, and a large driving wheel at the rear. Both wheels 

are radially wire-spoked and are 1^2 inches and 3/2 inches in diameter, respectively. The upper extension of the fork is at an angle 

to the fork itself, and is fitted with handle bars at its upper end. A 

coil spring tends to keep the fork centered, with die wheel headed 

straight ahead on the machine. 

A rear extension of the lower, horizontal forked member of the 

frame extends back of the rear-wheel axle, on each side of diat wheel. 

The long curved arms, with pedals at their front ends, are pivoted 

from the rear ends of tiiese extensions. Extending upwards from 

each arm are slightly curved racks that mesh with a gear on die 

axle of die rear wheel. Each of these gears incorporates an overrunning clutch, so that when the arms are depressed by foot pressure 

the gears will drive the rear wheel forward. When the arms return 

by spring pressure to their upper positions, the overrunning clutches 

operate, and so do not hinder the forward motion of the machine. 

The two arms are independent of each other but are intended to be 

depressed alternately. Parts of the gearing is missing from the right 

side of the model. 

A saddle is located on a leaf spring over the rear wheel. A springreturned foot brake, operated by the left foot, is mounted in front of 

the rear wheel, and rubs against the rear tire. 

53 
Smith Star Bicycle, 1884 

Gift of Thomas M. Wilkins in 1908 

1884 Star bicycle as restored in 1960, held by 

A. A. Balunek, aide in the division of transportation, 1959-61. This is the cycle shown on the 

cover. 

Built by the H. B. Smith Machine Company, of Smithville, New 

Jersey, this cycle bears the serial number 1200, and patent dates of 

1880 and 1884. According to the donor, this machine was given to 

his father, B. F. Wilkins, around 1900. Mr. Wilkins, a member of 

the Capitol Bicycle Club of Washington, D.C, never rode it, as it 

was considered a relic when he acquired it. 

One side of the triangular metal frame consists of a tube for the 

steering post, at the lower end of which is a fork supporting the 

front wheel. Straight handlebars are attached to the upper end of 

the post. The metal front wheel, fitted with a solid rubber tire 23 

inches in diameter, has 28 radial wire spokes. The rear wheel, also 

fitted with a solid rubber tire, is 55 inches in diameter and has 64 

radial wire spokes. 

Spring-returned, overrunning clutches are attached to the ends of 

the rear axle. The wheel is turned by leather straps wound on the 

clutches and attached to pedal levers (see die description of the 

Smith tricycle of 1888). The effective attachment point of the straps 

to the levers can be adjusted to either of two positions by means of a 

pivotal linkage, thus providing a "gear shift," so to speak, since two 

driving ratios are made available. 

The leather saddle is adjustably mounted upon a broad flat spring. 

A brake, bearing against the rear tire, is operated by a linkage on 

the handlebars and is controlled by the rider's right hand. The linkage is returned by a coil spring to the "off" position. Another coil 

spring, located at the base of the steering post, serves as a shock 

absorber. 

Finished in black, the Star bicycle was restored by Henry W. 

Mathis of the Southeast Cycle Shop, Washington, D.C, in 1960. 

54 
Boy's Ordinary, 1885 

Gift of Elbert C. Wood in 1959 

This boy's Ordinary was purchased in New York City in 1885 by 

the father of the donor. No markings can be found that identify the 

maker, and it is not safe to make assumptions, yet the similarity to it 

of the 10-dollar Otto cycle of this size, made in 1887 by die Western 

Toy Company of Chicago, suggests that this could be an earlier 

model of the Otto. 

The 32-inch and 12-inch wire-spoke wheels have half-round iron 

rims, 5/8 inch and %g

 mc n

 wide, respectively, that also serve as die 

tires. A backbone of T-iron joins the malleable-iron rear fork to an 

adjustable spindle in an open steering head similar to that of die 

1881 Standard Columbia. The step on the left side of die frame, die 

front fork, and the wheel hubs, all appear to be of malleable iron. 

The iron handlebars have wooden grips, and a leather-covered 

iron saddle is suspended on a single-leaf spring, the rear end of which 

slides in a keeper on the backbone. 

This machine was restored by Henry W. Matins of die Southeast 

Cycle Shop in 1961, at which time the present black finish was 

applied. 

Boy's Ordinary of 1885, as restored in 1961. 

55 
Columbia Light Roadster 

Ordinary, 1886 

Gift of Lawrence W or stall in 1921 

Columbia Light Roadster Ordinary of 1886, 

made by the Pope Manufacturing Co., of Hartford, Connecticut. It was restored in 1968. 

Owned in turn by Herschal Mulford and Lawrence Worstall, of 

Millville, New Jersey, this early Columbia Ordinary is the Light 

Roadster model of 1886. 

Sold originally for approximately 135 dollars, the Light Roadster 

is a lighter version of the Expert model and weighs approximately 

36 pounds with all equipment, as compared to 45 pounds for the 

Expert. 

The Light Roadster was available with seven sizes of front wheel, 

from 47 to 59 inches, and two sizes of rear wheel, 16 or 18 inches, 

depending on the size of the front wheel. This example is fitted with 

a 60-spoke, 53-inch front wheel, and a 20-spoke, 18-inch rear wheel, 

these dimensions including the thickness of the solid rubber tires. 

The felloes of the wheels are of seamless steel tubing rolled into a 

hollow crescent, the spokes are of steel wire, and die hub flanges are 

of light forged steel rigidly secured to steel axles. The axles are 

mounted on adjustable ball bearings. 

Adjustable, detachable cranks providing from 4*4 to 5^4 inches 

of throw are fitted to the front axle, with rubber-covered pedals 

attached to the cranks. 

The curved perch has a tapering, circular cross section and is made 

of imported, cold-drawn, seamless steel tubing; the front fork is of 

the same material but elliptical in cross section; and the rear fork 

is semitubular. 

The steering head is cylindrical and slightly tapered. The handlebar lug is forged solid with it. 

The machine is equipped with a Kirkpatrick-type leather saddle 

suspended on fore-and-aft springs; hollow, curved handlebars of 

steel tubing fitted with pear-shaped vulcanite handles; a step attached 

to the lower left of the perch; a steel leg guard; and a friction brake, 

operated by the rider's right hand, that works against the tire of die 

front wheel. 

This Ordinary was restored by Henry W. Matins of die Soutiieast 

Cycle Shop in 1968, at which time the present black finish was 

applied. 

56 
Overman Victor Ordinary, 

about 1886 

Gift of Edward Hosea Sit hens in 1921 

This Overman Victor Ordinary was used 

for racing in the late 1880s. 

This Ordinary, built by die Overman Wheel Co., of Boston, 

Massachusetts, was dieir Victor model, and was ridden to many 

racing victories in die late 1880s by Stacy Cassady, of Millville, New 

Jersey. It was probably built in 1886, as die latest patent date on its 

nameplate is 1 December 1885. 

In appearance it is very similar to die Columbia Light Roadster, 

tiiough larger and of heavier construction. The front wheel is 54 

inches in diameter and contains 72 wire spokes, while die rear wheel 

is 18 inches in diameter, widi 24 wire spokes. The spokes are tangentially laced to die hubs. 

Adjustable cranks widi rubber-covered pedals provide for a tiirow 

of from 5 to 5^4 inches. 

The machine is equipped widi a leatiier saddle, a step attached to 

die lower left of die curved perch, and curved handlebars. The leveroperated spoon brake diat once operated against die tire of die front 

wheel is now missing. 

57 
Humber "Genuine Beeston" Racing 

Ordinary, 1886 

Gift of Albert E. Schaaf in 1934 

Humber "Genuine Beeston" lightweight racing 

Ordinary, made in England in 1886, as restored 

by donor. 

This lightweight racing Ordinary, weighing only 24 pounds, was 

built by Humber and Co., Ltd., of Beeston, Nottingham, England, 

in 1886 and was completely restored to new condition by its donor 

before being presented to the Museum. This make of Ordinary was 

ridden by many world's champions in the 1880s. 

As does the Overman Victor, this Humber closely resembles die 

Columbia Light Roadster of 1886 in general shape. The diameter of 

the front wheel, with its solid rubber tire, is 52 inches, and that of the 

rear wheel, 18 inches. The wheels are fitted, respectively, widi 60 and 

20 radial wire spokes. 

Adjustable cranks, providing from 4 to 5 J/2 inches of tiirow, are 

attached to the front axle. The pedals are not rubber covered. 

The leather saddle is secured directly to die perch witiiout die 

benefit of springs, and there is no step and no brake, all of which 

aided in keeping die weight to a minimum. The curved handlebars 

are fitted widi smooth, white grips. 

58 
Starley Psycho Safety Bicycle, 

about 1887 

Gift of J. E. Hosford in 1903 

Starley Brothers Psycho Safety^ bicycle of about 

1887. It was restored in 1968. 

This bicycle, built by Starley Brothers, St. John's Works, Coventry, 

England, is of the improved cross-frame, Safety type, with a crankbracket stay, a stay between the steering head and the top of the 

saddle post, and a pair of stays from the rear end of the rear fork 

to the top of the saddle post. For it, the manufacturers of this machine 

were awarded a gold medal at the International Exhibition at 

Toulouse, France, in 1887. 

The frame is of metal tubing, the handlebars are metal with 

wooden grips on each end, and the Brooks saddle, of leather over 

coil springs, is adjustable both vertically and fore and aft. 

Each wheel, 30 inches in diameter, has a thin solid rubber tire and 

48 radial wire spokes. The rear-wheel sprocket, on the right side of 

the wheel, is driven by a block chain from the front sprocket, which 

is equipped with pedals adjustable in throw from 5/2 to 6J/2 inches. 

The chain tension is adjusted by moving the rear axle backwards or 

forwards in slots at the rear end of the rear fork. There is no coaster 

attachment, the pedals always turning while the bicycle is in motion. 

Oil cups are provided in the hub of each wheel. 

A metal mudguard is secured over the rear of the front wheel, but 

only the lower portion of the rear mudguard remains. A small footrest is attached to each side of die front-wheel fork, for use while 

coasting, and a step is attached to the left side of the rear fork for 

use when mounting die machine. A warning bell is affixed to the left 

handlebar, and a lever for hand operation of the front-wheel brake 

spoon is pivoted on the right handlebar. A flat leaf spring normally 

holds the spoon away from die tire. A support for a headlamp, now 

missing, is mounted on the upper part of the front fork so that die 

lamp's rays would always be thrown in die direction of the front 

wheel's travel. 

The attractive original finish—black with red and gold striping— 

was duplicated in 1968 when the Psycho was restored in die Museum's shop. 

59 
Rudge Racing Ordinary, about 1887 

Gift of Carl and Freda Von Sothen in 1960 

Rudge racing Ordinary of about 1887, with its 

original owner, Godfrey A. S. Wieners. 

One of England's prominent bicycle manufacturers was D. Rudge 

& Co., of Coventry. This racing model, undoubtedly sold by their 

U.S. agents, Stoddard, Lovering & Co., of Boston, Massachusetts, was 

originally owned by Godfrey A. S. Wieners who used it in racing 

events held by the Manhattan Athletic Club. 

The backbone and front fork are of seamless steel tubing, the latter 

being oval in cross section. The back fork is semitubular. An adjustable Andrews-pattern long-center steering head joins the backbone 

to the front fork. Adjustable ball bearings are fitted into the front 

fork and the rear wheel hub. Cow-horn handlebars carry spade 

handles with vulcanite grips. As is common with racing cycles, there 

is neither a brake nor a mounting step. 

The 58-inch front wheel has 52 tangential spokes brazed together 

at the points where they cross one another and a Clement hollow 

steel rim made from seamless tubing. According to the manufacturer's 

claims, this rim could supposedly carry the weight of a normal rider 

even before the spokes were put in. The 16-inch rear wheel has 20 

radial spokes. Tires of red Para rubber are of 3^-inch diameter in 

front and 1/2-inch in the rear, the unusually thin tires being typical 

of a racing cycle. Ball-bearing pedals with corrugated white rubber 

pads turn on cranks that adjust from 4/2 to 5 inches. 

The saddle now on the bicycle appears to be the Townsend patent 

suspension saddle shown in the catalog, yet the springs are not identical. A long, sliding leaf spring now carries the saddle, though the 

rear slide loop is missing. Obviously this saddle is incorrect, for not 

only is it ill-fitting, but the catalog shows a simplified unsuspended 

type for the racing cycle. Further, the spring bears die name of 

Stoddard, Lovering & Co., along with the words, "Rudge Light 

Roadster." 

Nickel plating once covered the handlebars, hubs, cranks, and 

pedals. The other parts, including the spokes, were black. Two shieldtype emblems, once mounted on the backbone behind the seat, are 

now missing. 

60 
Two-Track Tricycle, about 1887 

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Grover C. Richards in 1968 

No markings of identification have been found on this tricycle, 

yet it is so nearly identical to the Ideal tricycle shown in the 1887 

catalog of the Gormully & Jeffery Mfg. Co., of Chicago, Illinois, 

that it may not be unreasonable to assume that this is one of their 

products. It was used by Mrs. Richards during her childhood. 

This is known as a two-track tricycle, meaning that the single front 

wheel is in line with one of the rear wheels—in this case, the right 

wheel—so that fewer obstacles are encountered than with the symmetrical three-track tricycle with its front wheel in the center. The 

rear wheels are 34 inches in diameter, each having 36 radial spokes 

and 34-inch red Para rubber tires on steel rims. The front wheel is 

16 inches in diameter, with 18 radial spokes and a ^j-inch tire. Rear 

wheel track is 24 inches. The framework is of seamless steel tubing, 

tapered where necessary, and consists of the rear axle housing, two 

members angling downward to support the pedal cranks, another 

angling toward die rear to prevent tipping over backward, and the 

arm leading to the front wheel. 

The steering head has a long spindle similar to that found in 

many of the Ordinaries, such as the Columbia. On the left side of the 

fork is an arm, from which a rod runs backward to the rack-andpinion steering assembly located to the right of the rider. To either 

side of the rider is a vertical arm on which a vulcanite handlegrip 

is fitted, the right one serving as the steering control, while the left 

one serves merely to steady the rider. Both handles are adjustable 

for height, as is the spring-mounted suspension saddle; the latter 

can also be adjusted forward and backward. 

The pedal shaft is mounted in front of the rider in adjustable 

bearings so that the slack of the chain may be taken up. The throw 

of the cranks is 3/2 inches. Both the front sprocket and the wheel 

sprocket have 16 teeth, so that the tricycle is, in effect, direct-drive. 

A bronze chain guard is provided for the now missing 1-inch-pitch 

block chain. Driving force was applied to both rear wheels, which 

was a practical advantage, for if the power is transmitted to one 

wheel only, the tricycle tends to turn toward the opposite side. Since 

both rear wheels are driven, a small differential is necessary, this 

being attached to the hub of the left wheel. 

61 
This illustration from an 1887 Gormully & Jeffery 

catalog shows a tricycle nearly identical with that in 

the Museum's collection. 

26 GORMULLY & JEFFERY MFG. CO., CHICAGO, ILL. 

THE IDEAL, TRICYCLE, 

(TW O TRACK. ) 

Diameter 

Drivers 

30 inches 

34 

Price 

Standard Finish. 

$40 0 0 

45 0 0 

Price 

Full Nickeled. 

$55 00 

60 00 

Rail Bearings to Driving Wheels 

" " Steering Wheel 

" " Cranks 

Weight. 

47 lbs. 

Weiyht of Crate. 

24 lbs. 

25 " 

Extra, $14 00 

4 00 

10 00 

This really beautiful little machine has received every care and is listed 

now for its second season with a well-earned reputation of being just what 

we claimed for it when we introduced it to the cycling public last year, and of 

a quality both in material and manufacture that will compare very favorably 

with larger and costlier machines. It is and was as a tricycle what its 

A brake drum, 4 inches in diameter and 1/Q inch wide, is attached 

to the sprocket of the left wheel, a vertical hand lever operating a 

leather-lined steel band against the drum. 

Lubrication is provided through oil cups on die front hub, pedal 

shaft bearings, rear axle bearings, and the left hub. The right hub 

requires none since it is fixed permanently to die axle. 

Though many cycles diat were made for children were inferior in 

quality, an examination of this one reveals that it has been carefully 

engineered and finely constructed. While it has not yet been restored, 

it is obvious that nickel plating originally covered the hubs, seat 

springs and support post, handle posts, brake, steering parts, and 

pedals, though the pedal cranks appear to have been painted black. 

The wheel rims, front fork, and frame were finished in black and 

traces of fine gold striping can still be seen on die frame. 

62 
Columbia Light Roadster 

Ordinary, 1888 

Gift of Albert E. Schaaf in 1949 

This Ordinary, a Columbia Light Roadster of 1888, is very similar, 

both in design and appearance, to the corresponding model of 1886, 

though it was sold for slightly less, approximately 125 dollars. Its 

weight, with all equipment, is 42 pounds. 

This example is fitted with a 68-spoke, 53-inch front wheel, and 

a 20-spoke, 18-inch rear wheel. The wire spokes are tangentially 

laced to the hubs. 

The adjustable cranks, attached to the front axle, provide a throw 

of from 5 to 6 inches. The pedals are rubber covered. 

The slight differences between this and die 1886 model include 

the method of springing the saddle, the shape of die handlebars and 

of the grips, and the fact that die step is adjustable. 

This machine was completely restored to new condition by its 

donor before being presented to the Museum. It is finished in black 

paint and chromium plate. 

Columbia Light Roadster Ordinary, 1888 model, 

as restored by the donor. Catalogs of the Pope 

Manufacturing Co. reveal that 1892 was the 

last year it offered high-wheeled bicycles and 

that it never made machines of the Star type. 

63 
Smith Tricycle, 1888 

Gift of Robert Atwater Smith in 1901 

This tricycle was made by the H. B. Smith 

Machine Co. in about 1888. It was restored in 

1961. 

Lr--;:Y 

According to the donor, this vehicle was called the American Lever 

tricycle, yet there is no evidence in any of the Smith catalogs to 

substantiate this statement. It was made by the H. B. Smith Machine 

Co., of Smithville, New Jersey, the well-known manufacturer of Star 

bicycles, who apparently offered tricycles during 1887 and 1888. The 

wheel size of this one seems to date it in the latter year. 

The rear wheels of the tricycle have separate axles, each independent of the other, and they are rotated by pedal levers that, when 

depressed, pull on straps wound around overrunning clutches on the 

axles. Springs return the drums of the clutches to rewind the straps 

when the pedal levers are allowed to rise. Each wheel is provided 

with its own axle, clutch, strap, and lever combination. The straps 

can be easily attached to either of two positions on the levers to provide two different mechanical advantages, or driving ratios. 

The frame is of metal tubing. The three wheels have metal rims 

with radial wire spokes, and are of the type used by Smith. Diameter 

of the rear wheels is 40 inches and of the front wheel, 25*/2 inches. 

The track of the rear wheels is 29/ 2 inches. Thin, solid rubber tires 

are mounted on the wheels. 

A wooden saddle (not original) mounted on springs is attached 

to the upper end of a rod that can be raised or lowered to suit the 

rider. A lever, actuating a friction brake diat rubs against die tire 

on the front wheel, is pivoted on the right handlebar. A small metal 

mudguard is secured over the rear of the front wheel. 

This tricycle was restored by Henry W. Matins of the Southeast 

Cycle Shop in 1961. At that time, the original black finish was duplicated. 

64 
St. Georges New Rapid Bicycle, 1889 

Gift ofH. K. Griffith in 1899 

New Rapid Safety bicycle, made in 

England in 1889. 

This bicycle is one of the improved cross-frame, Safety type, with 

a chain strut, a crank-bracket stay, and a stay between the steering 

head and the top of the saddle post. It is an example of one of the 

many makes of English bicycles of the 1880s and was manufactured 

by the St. George's Engineering Co., of Birmingham, England. 

The frame is of metal tubing, the tangentially wire-spoked wheels 

are of metal with thin solid rubber tires, the handlebars are metal 

with wooden grips on each end, and the leather saddle is mounted 

on springs. The lower end of the vertical section of the frame is 

articulated, the single chain strut being to the left of the rear wheel, 

as is the chain itself. Both this strut and the crank-bracket stay required adjusting in order to swing forward the articulated section 

of the frame for tightening the chain tension. 

The diameter of the rear wheel is 31^2 inches, and that of the 

front wheel is 30 inches. Each contains 48 spokes. The rear-wheel 

sprocket is driven by a block chain from the front sprocket, which 

is equipped with pedals adjustable in throw from 4 % to about 6 

inches. There is no coaster attachment, the pedals always turning 

while the bicycle is in motion. Oil cups are provided in the hub of 

each wheel. 

A small metal mudguard is secured over the rear wheel, and it is 

thought that originally another was located over the rear part of the 

front wheel. A small footrest is attached to each side of the frontwheel fork, for use while coasting. A step it attached to the left side 

of the rear fork, for use by the rider in mounting the machine. A 

warning bell is attached to the left handlebar, and a lever for hand 

operation of the front-wheel brake spoon is pivoted on the right 

handlebar. A coil spring normally holds the spoon away from the tire. 

A small leather tool bag hangs from the steering-head stay. Attached to a bracket on the front of the steering head is an oil lamp 

marked "Zacharias & Smith, Bicycle Sundries, Newark, N. J." In 

addition to the round clear glass in front, the lamp is fitted with 

a green glass in the right side and a red glass in the left side. 

65 
Overman Victoria Bicycle, 188 9 

Gift of Miss May H. Mead in 1903 

Made by the Overman Wheel Co., of Boston, Massachusetts, this 

Safety bicycle was their Victoria model, for women. It bears a 

nameplate carrying patent dates ranging from 20 November 1877 

to 9 July 1889. 

This type of bicycle with a drop frame was invented so that a 

woman could sit astride without having her skirt caught on the 

cross bar. Its adoption greatly increased the popularity of the bicycle 

and helped make cycling a sociable recreation as well as a sport and 

a means of transportation. 

The frame is of metal tubing, the wheels are of metal with tangential wire spokes, the thin tires are of solid rubber, and the curved 

handlebars are of metal with spade handles on each end. The saddle, 

made of leather stretched across several sets of coil springs, is adjustable vertically and fore and aft. A curved brace at the bottom of the 

frame serves to strengthen it. 

The front wheel is 28 inches in diameter and contains 24 spokes. 

The rear wheel has the same diameter but contains 32 spokes. The 

rear-wheel sprocket, which is on the right side of the wheel, is 

driven by a block chain from the front sprocket, the latter being 

equipped with pedals having a nonadjustable throw of 5^4 inches. 

Adjustment of the chain tension is obtained by moving the rear axle 

backwards or forwards in slots at the rear end of the rear fork. There 

is no coaster attachment, the pedals always turning while die bicycle 

is in motion. Oil cups are provided in the hub of each wheel. 

The front fork of the machine is of interesting construction, being 

designed to reduce the road shocks transmitted to the handlebars. It 

consists of a pair of hinged, straight arms and a set of four curved 

spring arms, so arranged that the straight arms, which are compression members, act to steady the movement of the spring arms, which 

carry the load and reduce the road shocks. Footrests are attached to 

the outer sides of the spring arms, for use while coasting. A small 

mudguard is secured at the rear of the front wheel. 

A large mudguard is mounted over the rear wheel, a chain guard 

surrounds the chain almost completely, and twine laced on the mudguard and the chain guard protects the rider's skirts from becoming 

entangled in the wheel spokes or the chain. 

66 
On the right handlebar is a pivoted lever that controls a rearwheel spoon brake by means of a system of wires and pivoted arms. 

A wire spring at the spoon normally holds it away from the tire. A 

headlamp support is mounted on the upper part of the front fork. 

Finished in black, this cycle was restored in 1960 by Henry W. 

Mathis of the Southeast Cycle Shop. 

Overman Victoria woman's Safety bicycle 

of 1889. It was restored in 1960. 

67 
Smith Pony Star Bicycle, 1891 

Gift of Robert Atwater Smith in 1913 

Smith Pony Star bicycle of 1891. 

This Star bicycle bears the nameplate of the H. B. Smith Machine 

Co. with the serial number 3025 and patent dates of 1880, 1884, and 

1885. Known as a Pony Star, it is believed to have been made in 

1891, the year after J. B. Dunlop's invention of the pneumatic tire 

had found its way to America. 

Patent Office records reveal that Patents 321,819 and 321,932 

were both issued on 7 July 1885 to William S. Kelley, of Smithville, 

New Jersey. Both show bicycles of the Star type, and claim improvements in bicycles and tricycles. 

This bicycle is very similar in appearance to the full-size 1884 Star 

previously described, its method of steering and operation being die 

same. The steering post is not within a tube, however. The front 

wheel, fitted with a solid rubber tire, is 23 inches in diameter and 

contains 24 spokes. The rear wheel contains 72 tangential spokes and 

is fitted with a 40-inch-diameter single-tube pneumatic tire, undoubtedly the earliest pneumatic tire in the Museum's collections. 

The leather saddle, mounted on springs, is adjustable fore and 

aft. The handlebars are of the cow-horn variety and have spadegrips. A linkage operated by the rider's right hand causes a spoon 

brake to bear against the rear tire, the linkage being returned to die 

"off" position by a flat leaf spring. As on the earlier Star, two driving 

ratios are available by shifting the effective attachment points of the 

straps to the foot levers. 

68 
Columbia Model 41 Bicycle, 1896 

Gift of Col. N. J. Wiley in 1950 

'Customized" Columbia woman's Safety 

bicycle of 1896. 

This highly decorated, drop-frame bicycle was formerly the possession of Mrs. M. N. Wiley, mother of the donor, of Montgomery, 

Alabama. The frame is nickel plated, with gold-plated decorations. 

On the steering head appear the initials "MNW" in gold, emblazoned 

with small cut diamonds and emeralds. 

High-carbon-steel tubing and 4/ 2 percent nickel-steel tubing are 

used in the frame, the joints and brackets of which are machined 

forgings. Unlike the 1889 Overman bicycle, this Columbia machine 

has a double-drop frame, and two small gussets connect the bars for 

additional strength. 

69 
The wheel rims, of laminated wood, are approximately 25 inches 

in diameter and have 28 and 36 tangential steel spokes, respectively, 

front and rear. They are fitted with 28-inch, single-tube, pneumatic 

tires. The tires are not original, but are replacements of about 1930. 

The hubs are machined from solid drop forgings of steel, and are 

fitted with detachable ball cases for the bearings. Each end of the 

front and rear axles is supported on a ball bearing. Lubrication is 

through oil holes in the wheel hubs. 

The rear-wheel sprocket is driven from the front sprocket by a 

block chain on the right side of the machine. The tension of the 

chain is adjusted by moving the rear axle backwards or forwards in 

slots at the rear end of the rear fork. There is no coaster attachment, 

the pedals always turning while the bicycle is in motion. The nonadjustable crank throws are 6 inches in length, and the pedals are rubber covered and mounted on ball bearings. The two halves of the 

crank assembly are dovetailed together within the crank hanger, yet 

can be easily separated and removed from the hanger, which is fitted 

with two covered oil holes for lubrication of the crank ball bearings. 

The curved, tubular handlebars, tipped with ivory grips bordered 

with wide silver bands, are embellished with gold-plated, flowerlike 

decorations, as is the frame. 

A rear mudguard and a chain guard, also nickel-plated and decorated, are supplied, as is a hand-operated spoon brake operating on 

the front tire and controlled by a lever pivoted on the right handlebar. Twine is laced across the chain guard and the rear mudguard 

to protect the rider's clothing. 

The decorated leather saddle is the Columbia Model 22, introduced in 1896. It consists of a black leather seat resting on a flat 

spring, with a spiral spring at the rear. It is adjustable vertically, as 

well as backwards and forwards. 

An oil lamp marked "Aladdin, Tiffany & Co., sterling,'' fitted with 

a large clear lens in the front, and small red and green lenses in die 

left and right sides, is attached to a bracket at the front fork. Footrests are not provided on the fork. A decorated warning bell is fitted 

to the left handlebar. 

This machine, a Model 41 Columbia, made by the Pope Manufacturing Co., of Hartford, Connecticut, weighs approximately 30 

pounds, and bears the serial number 12877. 

70 
Columbia Model 4 3 Tandem 

Bicycle, 1896 

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Goldwin Goldsmith in 1928 

After the drop frame, adapting the bicycle to women's use, was 

invented, the combination of the diamond frame and the drop frame, 

thus forming a tandem bicycle, became very popular. 

This Model 43 Columbia bicycle, manufactured by the Pope Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Connecticut, was purchased in Washington, D.C, in the spring of 1896 for 150 dollars and was then used 

by the donors for a honeymoon tour through Europe. 

The frame is made of high-carbon steel and nickel-steel tubing, 

the handlebars are tubular with vulcanite-tipped cork handles, and 

the wheel rims are of laminated wood. 

The diameter of each wheel with tire is the same, 28 inches, the 

front wheel containing 36 tangentially laced steel spokes and the 

rear, 44. The hubs are machined from solid drop forgings of steel; 

and are fitted with detachable ball cases for the bearings. The tires 

on the cycle when it was presented to the Museum were 1^4-inch 

single-tube pneumatics made by the Hartford Rubber Works Co., a 

subsidiary of the Pope Manufacturing Co. These were in such deteriorated condition that they were replaced when the bicycle was 

restored in 1961 by Henry W. Mathis of the Southeast Cycle Shop. 

The rear-wheel sprocket, on the right side of the hub, is driven by 

a block chain from the larger of the two-center sprockets. Another 

block chain connects the smaller sprocket of the center pair to the 

front sprocket. Tension of the rear chain is adjusted by moving the 

rear axle backward or forward in slots at the rear ends of the rear 

fork and that of the front chain, by turning the eccentrically mounted 

front-crank bearing bushing in the frame, thus moving the front 

sprocket backward or forward. The throw of the pedals is not 

adjustable, that of the front pedals being 6 inches and of the rear, 

7/ 2 inches. 

There is no coaster attachment and the pedals always turn while 

the bicycle is in motion. No footrests are attached to the front fork 

for use while coasting. 

The rear handlebars turn in unison with the front, a drag link 

connecting short arms attached to the lower ends of the steering posts. 

71 
A warning bell is secured to the left front handlebar, and a lever 

for hand operation of the front-wheel brake spoon is pivoted on the 

right handlebar. A small coil spring at the pivot normally holds die 

spoon away from the tire. 

The two saddles are fully adjustable for position, and are made of 

leather and metal. In addition, the front saddle has a wooden base. 

A hand-operated tire pump is secured to the center section of die 

diamond part of the frame. There are no mudguards and no chain 

guard for die front sprocket, though both were originally available 

as optional equipment. The machine weighs approximately 46 

pounds. 

Columbia Model 43 tandem bicycle of 1896, as 

restored in 1961. Inset, the donors, Mr. and 

Mrs. Goldsmith, in Paris on their 1896 honeymoon tour of Europe with this bicycle. 

72 
Child's Safety bicycle of about 1897. 

Child's Safety Bicycle, about 1897 

Gift of J. Ralph Cline in 1938 

Safety bicycles built in small children's sizes were somewhat uncommon during the 1890s. This cycle, however, is a fairly typical 

example of those that were made, and was used by the donor in October of 1897 when he was 3/2 years old. While no markings identify the maker, it is believed to have been built by the A. O. Smith 

Co., of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, makers (1914—19) of the well-known 

Smith Motor Wheel. 

The frame, of steel tubing, is the conventional diamond type. The 

handlebars of bent wood are fitted with cork grips having brass ferrules that bear the inscription, "Made in Plymouth, Ind., U.S.A.," 

but this undoubtedly refers only to the grips. A hand-operated warning bell is mounted on the right handlebar. The saddle has a woodand-metal frame with numerous web straps, adjustable for tension, 

and is covered with felt and leather. The badly deteriorated leather 

bears the date, or number, 1898 in several places, and some initials 

not decipherable. 

The wheels are 12 inches in diameter and carry single-tube pneumatic tires. Drive is by the conventional chain and sprockets; no 

brake is provided. 

73 
Clarke Gasoline Tricycle, 1897 

Gift of Louis S. Clarke in 1947 

In 1897, Louis S. Clarke of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded the 

Pittsburg Motor Vehicle Company, with himself as president and 

engineer, and constructed this experimental motor tricycle. With the 

experience thus gained, in the following year the company built a 

4-wheel automobile, which is now in the Henry Ford Museum. The 

name of Clarke's firm was changed in 1899 to the Autocar Company 

—one of the few pioneer automobile companies surviving today. 

Clarke's 1897 vehicle, which is known as the first Autocar, is a 

conventional tricycle equipped with a gasoline engine diat drives die 

rear wheels. The frame consists of standard bicycle parts and some 

special parts designed and made by Clarke. The 1-cylinder engine 

has a mechanically operated exhaust valve and an automatic intake 

valve. On its crankshaft extension is a gear that meshes directly with 
The 1897 Clarke single-cylinder gasoline tricycle was the first motor vehicle built by Louis 

S. Clarke, founder of the Autocar Company. 

the ring gear of the differential. No gear changes are provided. A 

single lever operates both the clutch (located on the crankshaft extension between the engine and the driving gear) and a band brake 

on the drum of the clutch. 

There is no throttle, but the engine speed can be varied by means 

of a spark-advance lever, and there is a fuel-flow regulator on the 

exhaust-heated, gasoline vaporizer. The main exhaust pipe leads 

into a small muffler. The gasoline tank is in the frame beneath the 

saddle, and the batteries and high-tension coil are in a box farther 

forward in the frame. 

Bicycle pedals, with the usual sprockets and chain, enable the 

rider to start the engine and, in event of a breakdown, to propel die 

vehicle. An overrunning clutch is built into this gearing so that the 

pedals are not driven by the engine while die tricycle is in motion. 

The front wheel is supported in a steering fork equipped with 

handlebars. 

The wire-spoke, bicycle-type wheels carry 26-by-2^2-inch singletube pneumatic tires, and Clarke has stated that the tire on the front 

wheel is an original. 

The tricycle was restored in 1963 by Dale C. Price of Cambridge, 

Maryland. Some of the original parts have been replaced—the saddle, handlebar grips, spark plug, rear tires, and a relief pipe and 

valve on the engine's crankcase. 
Rex Cycle, 1898 

Gift of Anne Bray Schmidt, Margaret Wightman Schmidt, Katherine Greene Schmidt, and Nicholas Ward Schmidt in 1972 

While it might seem inconsistent to apply the term "bicycle" to a 

3-wheel machine, this is not a tricycle in the usual sense of the word. 

It was the invention of Bohn C. Hicks of Chicago, Illinois, who assigned his rights to the Rex Cycle Company, of the same city. Mr. 

Hicks obtained three patents on this type of machine in 1896, and 

another on a four-wheel "tricycle" in 1897. While this cycle does 

not entirely agree with the patent drawings, and there is no name 

plate on it, the diary of its original owner, Robert Wightman (greatgrandfather of the donors), of Will County, Illinois, states that he 

went to Chicago on 23 June 1898 and bought a Rex cycle. Just two 

months later he made an entry to the effect that he "enlarged the 

bike house," possibly to accommodate the greater length of this 

cycle. 

The unusual construction of the Rex cycle resulted from Hicks' 

efforts to produce a machine "particularly adapted to absorb or 

minimize the shocks incident to riding over obstructions." This objective, stated in the patents, was accomplished by mounting the 

seat near the front of a long tube, extending from a pivot near the 

front wheel to the smaller rear wheel. 

Consequently, the successive upward movements of the front and 

driving wheels, as they passed over a bump, caused minimal upward 

movement of the pivot point and, hence, of the seat. Likewise, by 

reason of the distance from the small rear wheel to the seat being 

greater than that from the seat to the pivot, the subsequent upward 

movement of that wheel was also minimized. The cycle, in effect, 

undulated over bumps, leaving the level of the seat relatively 

unaffected. 

The Rex cycle displays some of the conventional construction of 

a common Safety bicycle, except that it does not have the diamond 

frame. Instead, it is the cross-frame type, wherein the top tube is not 

horizontal but inclines downward in a straight line towards the rear 

hub, with those parts normally called back stays continuing to the 

hub from the point where the top tube terminates. From a point 

near the front of the down tube, a long, arching backbone is pivoted, 

76 
Rex cycle of 1898. The original wheels were two 

inches larger in diameter. 

terminating between the rear and driving wheels at a double-pivoted 

fitting that surmounts a post from which forks extend to both of 

these wheels. 

The present wheels are not the originals, though two of the original wheels accompanied the machine, and will eventually be reinstalled. The wood-rim wheels originally carried 28-inch single-tube 

tires, and the small wheel probably had a 16-inch tire. When these 

tires wore out and could not be replaced, a pair of 26-inch wheels 

and a 14-inch wheel were substituted. The present driving wheel has 

a New Departure coaster brake, whereas the cycle originally was not 

provided widi a brake. The seat and pedals are later replacements, 

but the now fragile cork grips are original. Black enamel and the 

usual nickel-plated parts complete the finish of the Rex cycle. 

77 
Pierce Bicycle, about 1900 

Gift of Barton A. Bean in 1928 

The Museum's Pierce bicycle, built about 1900, 

was restored in 1961. 

This bicycle was built by the Geo. N. Pierce Co., of Buffalo, New 

York, also known as the makers of the early Pierce Motorette automobiles. In time, the Pierce automobile became known as the PierceArrow, while the Pierce bicycles and Pierce 1- and 4-cylinder 

motorcycles were built by the Pierce Cycle Co., a subsidiary of the 

original company. The Pierce Cycle Co. was headed by Percy Pierce, 

son of George, when receivers were appointed for it in 1910. 

To attain the utmost in simplicity and cleanliness a shaft-and-gear 

drive, having a pair of bevel gears at each end of the shaft, was used 

78 
in place of the usual chain drive of the period. The drive shaft is 

contained in the right member of the lower rear fork. The elimination of sprockets and chain protected the rider's clothing from grease 

and damage, while the enclosing of the gears protected the mechanism from dirt. The rear hub is equipped with a New Departure 

coaster brake, a feature that began to be introduced on various 

cycles about 1898. 

The wooden rims, 24 inches in diameter, mount single-tube, pneumatic tires. The front wheel contains 32 tangentially laced wire 

spokes, and the rear wheel contains 36. An oil hole with a sliding 

cover is provided in the rear hub. The nonadjustable pedal throw is 

7 inches. The rear wheel is turned approximately three revolutions 

for each turn of the pedals. 

The frame is sprung, both front and rear, for easier riding. Each 

side of the front fork is composed of several spring leaves, while the 

upper end of the upper rear fork incorporates a telescopic section 

containing a coil spring. The housing of the spring is marked "Pierce 

hygienic cushion frame, licensed by Hygienic Wheel Co.," and bears 

patent dates ranging from 21 July 1896 to 31 January 1899. 

The curved, tubular, nonadjustable handlebars are fitted with 

grips which appear to be of leather. The saddle is a "Christy No. 3" 

and bears patent dates ranging from 15 January 1895 to 21 June 

1898. 

On the steering head of the frame appears a nameplate marked 

"The Geo. N. Pierce Co., Makers, Buffalo, N.Y., U. S. A.—Tried 

and True." The name "Pierce" also appears, backed by the design 

of an arrow. Patent dates on the plate range from 28 April 1895 to 

10 May 1898. 

In 1961 the Pierce bicycle was restored by Henry W. Mathis of 

the Southeast Cycle Shop, at which time the tires were replaced and 

the present black finish applied. 

79 
Anderson "Military Bicycle," 

about 1900 

Gift of James C. Anderson, through Russell A. Conn in 1929 

Patent 633,745 for a "military bicycle" was granted to James C. 

Anderson of Highland Park, Illinois, on 26 September 1899. Subsequently such a machine was built, following closely but not exactly 

the drawings of the patent application. The application says of it: 

In a machine for personal locomotion, propelled wholly by the human 

body, whether used for transportation of the rider only or for the additional 

service of a carrier, especially for carrying the necessary equipments of a 

soldier, it is not only desirable that the machine should be compact and small 

as possible, but it should, as it were, fit the rider mounted thereon in an upright soldierly position, which position is manifestly best suited to the human 

anatomy and best conserves the human force of the body in propelling the 

machine, as well as in maintaining the proper equilibrium. In other words, 

the articulation of the body of the rider and of the machine should compensate each other, and in such a wheel it is also desirable that the rider 

should be able to mount in front, and when occasion requires to dismount 

forwardly or in the direction of the motion of the wheel, and hence it is 

important that his movements should not be obstructed by the usual arrangement of handlebars in front of him. 

Actually the machine is somewhat like a small Star bicycle designed to go backwards, as the tubular, triangular frame has two 

wheels of different sizes, with the small one mounted in a fork for 

steering purposes. However, the fork and steering wheel are at the 

rear of the machine, rather than at the front as on the Star. The 

upper end of the steering post is fitted with a small gear sector 

worked by a similar sector fitted to the axis of the curved, tubular 

handlebars, so that turning the handlebars will turn the small wheel. 

Adjustable cork-covered grips are fitted to the handlebars, which are 

located behind the rider's legs. 

A Christy saddle, bearing patent dates ranging from 15 January 

1895 to 19 April 1898 is located directly above the gear sectors. The 

saddle is made of leather and horsehair on a metal frame, and faces 

in the direction of the larger wheel. A rider, seated on the saddle, 

would find his hands on the handlebars at a level slightly below diat 

of the saddle. On the patent application appears the suggestion that 

the saddle post be geared to the steering post, so that by swinging 

the body and saddle the machine could be steered. The example, 

however, does not employ this interesting feature. 

80 
Anderson "military bicycle" of about 1900. 

The wheel rims are made of laminated wood and are fitted with 

single-tube, pneumatic tires. Tangentially laced wire spokes are used. 

The front wheel is 20 inches in diameter and the rear, 11 inches. 

Each is marked "Fairbanks Boston laminated wood rim, Bradford, 

Penn., Bedford, Mass., Pat. May 9, 1893." The original tires, bearing a patent date of 23 May 1893 and the words, "Newton Upper 

Falls, Mass.," were so badly deteriorated that they were replaced in 

1969, with tires donated by Henry W. Mathis, of the Southeast 

Cycle Shop. 

The front wheel is driven by means of pedals and gearing, three 

revolutions of the wheel occurring for each turn of the pedals. The 

convertible pedals have both serrated steel edges and rubber pads, 

either of which may be turned upward at the discretion of the rider. 

Manufactured by the Lavigne and Scott Manufacturing Co., of New 

Haven, Connecticut, the pedals bear a patent date of 21 July 1896. 

The pedal throw, nonadjustable, is 6*4 inches. There is no operating 

brake, the machine being retarded by holding back on the pedals, 

but a parking brake, the lever of which is accessible only when the 

rider is dismounted, can be flipped against the tread of the front tire. 

This brake was necessary to prevent the cycle from drifting forward 

or backward off the free swiveling, telescoping tubular stands, located 

on each side of the cycle. 

Within the triangular frame is a sheet-metal hanger for carrying 

a rifle, pointed forward and so situated that the rifle can be quickly 

seized by the rider. The framework of adjustable tubes and braces 

attached to the upper rear of the frame was apparently intended to 

carry equipment. A leather tool bag marked "Eclipse" is located beneath the framework. 

It is apparently the only bicycle of its kind, and was probably built 

for Mr. Anderson by a local machinist who was obviously an expert 

craftsman, for the cycle is finely constructed. In spite of the quality 

of the workmanship, this is a most awkward machine, and those 

accustomed to riding conventional cycles find it almost impossible 

to balance. Its weight is approximately 45 pounds. The color, black, 

is customary for the period. 

81 
Wabash Child's Irish Mail 

Quadricycle, about 1900 

Gift of Robert C. King in 1945 

Used about 1900 by die donor when a child, this small quadricycle, or Irish Mail, as it was popularly called, was made by the 

Wabash Manufacturing Co., of Wabash, Indiana. 

Of simple and inexpensive construction, the vehicle is made primarily of strap steel. The arched frame supports a pivoted axle at 

the front, and at the rear a crank axle to which only the right wheel 

is pinned, the left running free on it. The rear wheels, of metal with 

solid rubber tires, are 15 inches in diameter and have a tread of 16 

inches. The rear axle and right wheel are driven by die fore-and-aft 

motion of a pivoted lever at the front of the frame, the lower end of 

the lever being connected to the crank of the axle. A wooden handle 

is at the top of the lever. 

The front wheels, similar in construction to the rear, are 11 inches 

in diameter and have a tread of 15*4 inches. The axle is steered by 

the feet of the rider. 

The wheelbase is 23^4 inches. A rectangular wooden seat is secured 

to the top of the frame. The machine is painted red widi white 

decorations. 

Wabash quadricycle, popularly known as an 

Irish Mail, of about 1900. 
Indian Motorcycle, 1902 

Gift of B. E. Andre, through Indian Motocycle Company in 1930 

Indian motorcycle of 1902, the first year of production for its maker, the Hendee Manufacturing Company. 

This motorcycle was designed in 1901 by the noted bicycle racer 

Oscar Hedstrom for the Springfield, Massachusetts, firm of Hendee 

Manufacturing Company, later (1924) known as the Indian Motocycle Company. It is one of the 143 built in 1902, the year that the 

model was first offered for sale. 

The 1^4-horsepower, 1-cylinder, 4-cycle, air-cooled engine, bearing the number 150, has an automatic intake valve and a camactuated exhaust valve. 

The ignition system consists of dry cells and a coil, timer, and 

spark plug. The timer is advanced and retarded by means of a small 

83 
lever at the front of the frame to the right of the steering head. The 

same lever is also used to release compression—when moved to the 

retard position it lifts the exhaust valve from its seat—and it serves 

as the ignition switch. 

Fuel adjustment is controlled by means of a lever attached to die 

crossbar of the frame. A two-sectioned tank on the rear fender 

supplies gasoline to a float-equipped Hedstrom carburetor and oil 

to the crankcase. The oil flows by gravity through a sight glass. A 

small exhaust pipe leads to a muffler beneath the crankcase. 

A double-reduction sprocket-and-chain drive (on the left side of 

the frame) transmitts power from the engine to the rear wheel. Since 

the machine has no clutch or change gear, the engine is connected 

to the wheel at all times. Supplementary power is available from a 

pedal-and-chain drive (on the right side) incorporating a New 

Departure coaster brake that engages when a slight backward pressure is applied on the pedals. The pedals remain at rest when the 

engine is propelling the machine. 

The diamond-type frame is of tubular construction; the woodrimmed wheels carry 28-by-1/2-inch, single-tube, pneumatic tires; 

and the complete machine weighs just under 100 pounds. 

84 
Harley-Davidson Model 9-B 

Motorcycle, 1913 

Gift of Paul Edward Garber in 1947 

Harley-Davidson Model 9-B motorcycle of 1913, 

as restored in 1947. 

The Museum's 1913 Harley-Davidson, bearing engine number 

4336-D and known as the Model 9-B, "5-35" (5 horsepower; 35 

cubic inches displacement), originally sold for 235 dollars at the 

factory in Milwaukee, but it was purchased secondhand in 1918 by 

the donor, who used it for several years. It was restored in 1947 by 

the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. 

The 1-cylinder, 4-cycle, air-cooled engine has a 3%6-inch bore 

and a 4-inch stroke. The cylinder casting and its integral head are 

of heat-treated gray iron, and the heat-treated, ground piston is fited 

with three rings and a hollow steel wrist pin. An I-beam section of 

chrome-vanadium steel, fitted at both ends with phosphor-bronze 

85 
bushings, serves as the connecting rod. Separate camshafts for the 

intake and exhaust valves are driven by gears in the magneto drive 

train. The overhead intake valve is of nickel steel; and the exhaust 

valve has a cast-iron head and a nickel-steel stem. The crankcase 

is of polished aluminum, and the hardened, tool-steel crankshaft is 

mounted in the crankcase on phosphor-bronze bearings. The crankcase has an oil-drain plug and an overflow pipe. 

Ignition is effected by a Bosch high-tension magneto with spark 

plug, and the fuel is vaporized by a constant-level, float-equipped 

Schebler carburetor. A priming petcock is in the left side of the 

cylinder head. A compartmented tank, with one section for gasoline 

and the other for oil, is mounted at the upper bars of the frame, 

above the engine. On top of each compartment of the tank are a 

filler cap and a shut-off metering valve. The oil for the engine passes 

by gravity through a sight glass into the crankcase. The spark timing 

is controlled by twisting the grip of the left handlebar, and the 

throttle, by twisting the right grip. 

The loop-type frame of brazed tubing forms a cradle that supports and protects the motor. The handlebars are tubular, and die 

steering fork is fitted with both main and recoil springs. A narrow, 

metal toolbox is mounted vertically on the frame below the saddle, 

and the curved exhaust pipe culminates in a muffler below the 

toolbox. The wheels, with wire spokes and metal rims, originally 

carried 28-by2/2-inch clincher tires, but 28-by-3-inch tires (contributed by Harvey S. Firestone, Jr.) were installed when the motorcycle was restored in 1947. The wheelbase is 57 inches. 

The drive is furnished by a double-reduction roller chain (covered 

by metal guards) that runs from a sprocket on the engine crankshaft 

to a sprocket at the hub of the rear wheel. The clutch, which is on 

the rear-wheel hub, is operated by means of a lever on the left side 

of the machine, and is engaged by moving the lever forward. 

A pedal-and-chain drive, on the right side, incorporates a New 

Departure coaster brake. With the rear wheel raised free by the stand 

and with the clutch engaged, the pedals are used to crank the motor. 

The brake is engaged by a slight backward pressure on the pedals. 

The pedals are not driven by the forward motion of the machine, 

but can be used for propulsion in an emergency, in which case the 

clutch is disengaged. 

86 
Pope Model L Motorcycle, 1913 

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William L. Conners in 1964 

This motorcycle was purchased late in 1913 by the father of Mrs. 

William L. Conners, John R. Beattie of New Haven, Connecticut, 

and was used by him for about eight years. It was then placed in 

storage, where it remained until it came to the Museum in 1964. 

Built by the Pope Manufacturing Company of Westfield, Massachusetts, it was known as the Model L and sold for 250 dollars. 

The two-cylinder engine, bearing the number 246, is secured to 

the frame at four points. It is rated as having between seven and 

eight horsepower, although a chart of its performance in tests by the 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute shows that at 50 miles per hour it 

developed 15.4 horsepower, with 13.9 horsepower delivered to the 

rear wheel. The 3 2 % 4-inch bore and 3l/2-inch stroke give a displacement of 61 cubic inches. The vehicle's maximum speed was 

between 60 and 65 miles an hour. 

The gray-iron cylinders have separate heads containing nickelsteel valves operated by rocker arms attached to the heads. The 

intake and exhaust valves are interchangeable. The camshaft and 

the roller-bearing connecting rods are of nickel steel; the main bearings are of phosphor-bronze; and the crankcase is of aluminum. 

An oil tank having a capacity of two quarts is compartmented with 

a toolbox beneath the seat. A mechanically operated oiler, wormand-gear-driven from the motor shaft, supplies oil from the tank to 

the top of the crankcase. A spur from the main oil line leads to the 

front cylinder, thus insuring equal distribution of oil to both cylinders and overcoming the movement of the main body of oil toward 

the rear while the machine is running forward. A window in the left 

side of the crankcase shows the oil level. An auxiliary hand pump at 

the side of the oil tank is used to supply extra oil for hard pulling 

or high-speed operation. 

A Schebler carburetor is located on the right side of the engine. 

Ignition is furnished by a Bosch magneto shaft-driven from the motor 

shaft through a worm-and-gear drive. 

The gas tank has two sections, each with a capacity of a gallon 

and a half. Fuel lines and shut-offs are arranged so that the sections 

may be used independently or as one tank. The fuel line leading to 

the engine is equipped with a small metal screen strainer. 

87 
Pope Model L motorcycle of 1913. It was 

restored in 1966. 

The muffler runs beneath the oil tank and has a pedal-operated 

cut-out at the rear. 

The driving mechanism consists of a chain running from the 

engine sprocket to the larger sprocket of the clutch assembly, a chain 

from a smaller sprocket of the clutch assembly to a sprocket on the 

left of the rear wheel, and a chain from a sprocket on the right of 

the rear wheel to a sprocket on the pedal shaft. The latter chain 

operates the Corbin Duplex V-band brake when backward pressure 

is applied to the pedals, and it puts the machine in motion when 

forward pressure is applied. When sufficient forward speed has been 

attained the engine is started by engaging the Eclipse multiple-disk 

clutch, which is controlled by a hand lever on the left side. 

The handlebars have a twin stem as a safety feature. The right 

grip controls the carburetor and the left grip serves as a compression 

release by controlling the opening of the exhaust valves. A small 

lever on the right side of the gas tank serves as the spark control. The 

ignition switch is mounted on the right handlebar. 

The front hub is a ball-bearing type by Corbin. The wheels carry 

28-by-3-inch clincher tires. Suspension is by a leaf spring at the front 

and twin coil springs at the rear. The saddle is of Troxel manufacture. Wheelbase is 56/2 inches. 

Additional equipment consists of a bulb horn, front and rear 

acetylene lights having a separate acetylene generator, a CorbinBrown speedometer geared to the rear wheel, and a luggage rack 

over the rear fender. The cylindrical toolbox now on the rear fender 

is an added attachment introduced by the Pope Manufacturing 

Company in 1915. 

This cycle was restored in 1966 by Dale C. Price of Cambridge, 

Maryland. New tires were installed to replace the missing originals, 

and the horn and acetylene generator, also missing, were replaced 

with appropriate types from the Museum's collection. It is possible 

that the acetylene gas originally may have been furnished from a 

Prest-O-Lite tank rather than a generator. 
Cleveland Motorcycle, 1918 

Gift of Richard and Russell Fiedler in 1951 

Cleveland motorcycle of 1918, restored in 1951. 

This motorcycle, bearing engine number 5283, cost 175 dollars in 

1918 at the Cleveland Motorcycle Company in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Advertisements of the period claimed this machine could travel 75 

miles on a gallon of gasoline and that it had a top speed of from 35 

to 40 miles an hour. This make of motorcycle, introduced in August 

1915, when the price at the factory was 150 dollars, was one of the 

most popular lightweight motorcycles of the period. 

The 21/2 -horsepower, 1-cylinder, 2-cycle, air-cooled engine has 

a 2/2-inch bore and a 234-inch stroke, providing a total piston displacement of 13 / cubic inches. A Brown and Barlow float-feed, 

single-jet carburetor, with auxiliary air control, is bolted to the inlet 

port at the front of the cylinder and is controlled by a pair of levers 

on the right handlebar. The motor is lubricated by a mixture of oil 

and gasoline in the fuel tank. A Bosch high-tension magneto, with 

spark plug, supplies the ignition. 

89 
The cycle's frame is of heavy-gauge, seamless steel tubing,

 bra z 

at the joints; wheelbase is 54 inches. The engine and gear box are 

secured in the frame by two large suspension bolts. The gear box, 

which is integral with the aluminum crankcase, contains a set ol 

two-speed sliding gears of chrome-nickel steel, a heat-treated, alloysteel worm with a titanium-bronze worm gear, and a clutch composed of 13 disks of hardened and ground steel. Low ratio of the 

gear box is 10 to 1; high ratio, 6.1 to 1. The transmission gears run 

in an oil bath. 

The clutch is engaged by moving forward a lever on the left. The 

brake is operated by depressing a foot pedal, also on the left, which 

contracts a band on a drum on the left side of the rear wheel; and 

the gears are changed by means of a foot pedal on the right side. A 

kick starter is attached to the left side of the gear box. The rear 

wheel is driven by a roller chain from a sprocket on the output shaft 

of the transmission, on the right side of the machine. There is no 

guard over the chain. 

The steering fork is fitted with a coil spring and its tubular handlebars have rubber grips. A cylindrical muffler, of cast aluminum, is 

mounted in front of the crankcase. The wire-spoke wheels have 

metal rims and mount 26-by-2/2-inch clincher tires (of the 1920s) 

that have been equipped with new butyl-rubber inner tubes. Each 

wheel has a mudguard, and there is a stand at the rear of the frame. 

A cylindrical fuel tank, equipped with a shut-off valve at the bottom, 

is suspended from the frame over the engine; and a small, metal toolbox is attached to the rear underside of the tank. The footrests, adjacent to the brake and gear-shift pedals, are rubber covered. The 

saddle is a Mesinger "Auto Cushion." The motorcycle has no 

battery, generator, lighting equipment, or warning signal. Its total 

weight is about 150 pounds. 

In 1951 the motorcycle was disassembled, cleaned, refinished, and 

reassembled. The 1926 District of Columbia license plate—on the 

vehicle when it was given to the Museum—was then refinished in 

its original colors. 

90 
Autoped Motor Scooter, 1918 

Gift of Lawrence Bourgeois in 1964 

This lightweight scooter was built in 1918 by the Autoped Company of America, Long Island City, New York. It bears the number 

D3201 on the left side of the engine. 

Autoped motor scooter of 1918 with its steering 

column in the driving position and, below, with 

steering column folded for storage. 

91 
The 4-cycle engine, mounted on the left side of the front wheel, 

has an air-cooled integral-head cylinder bolted to a circular crankcase. In front of the cylinder is a breather tube that protrudes from 

the top of the crankcase; the carburetor and muffler are behind the 

cylinder. The Breeze carburetor has a screw-adjusted air intake, and 

its needle valve is operated by a small knob bearing numbers for 

convenience in adjustment. A shutter serves as a throttle control. On 

the side of the intake manifold is a small priming cup. The intake 

valve is automatic and the exhaust valve is cam operated. The engine 

is geared to the wheel by means of a disk clutch. 

The flywheel, on the right side of the front wheel, contains a 6-volt 

lighting generator that originally furnished current for lighting and 

ignition, but the system later was altered by the addition of an ignition coil and four dry-cell batteries. The ignition switch is mounted 

on the right side of the frame, and the gasoline tank is above the 

front fender. 

All control of the vehicle is through the steering column. Turning the column steers the machine in the conventional manner; 

pushing it forward engages the clutch; and pulling it back operates 

the internal, expanding brake on the front wheel. Turning the left 

grip operates the throttle, and turning the right grip operates the 

compression release through a wire controlling the opening and 

closing of the intake valve. A hand Klaxon is mounted on the left 

grip. The steering column can be folded down and secured to the 

rear fender for compactness in storage. 

A headlamp is mounted at the right of the front wheel, and a 

tail lamp, on the rear fender. 

The operator stands on rubber pads on the frame of the vehicle. 

A two-pronged stand, attached to the underside of the frame, is 

operated by means of a pedal that extends through the floor. A 

utility box, mounted toward the front of the machine, now contains 

the batteries that were added to the electrical system; an ignition 

coil is mounted just in front of the utility box. 

The 15-by-2/-inch pneumatic tires, made expressly for this 

vehicle by the Empire Rubber and Tire Company, Trenton, New 

Jersey, bear the inscription "Auto Ped Tire, Empire red, non-skid." 

92 
Iver Johnson Bicycle, 1925 

Gift of Mrs. Powhatan Moncure, Jr., in 1961 

Iver Johnson woman's bicycle of 1925. 

Made by the Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works, of Fitchburg, 

Massachusetts, this drop-frame woman's cycle is completely typical of 

its era. The frame is of comparatively heavy steel tubing, with the 

customary additional drop bar and cross member for the extra 

strength that a drop-frame requires. 

Hollow steel wheel rims are fitted with 28-by-U/2-inch Gillette 

Ambassador single-tube tires. Each wheel has 36 tangential wire 

spokes and ball-bearing hubs, with a Morrow coaster brake in the 

rear hub. 

The usual drive by roller chain is employed, with 22 teeth in the 

front sprocket and 9 in the rear. Nonadjustable pedal cranks have a 

throw of 6 / inches, and the ball-bearing pedals have rubber pads. 

Handlebar grips are of black rubber. The saddle, a Mesinger No. 

1, is fully adjustable. This cycle is equipped with front and rear 

mudguards, the rear one having a red reflector and holes through 

which a cord skirt guard is laced, a rear luggage rack, chain guard, 

and kick-stand. 

The finish is a medium blue with white striping and decoration; 

the wheel rims are yellow with dark blue striping. 

«***> 

93 
Snyder Bicycle, 1927 

Gift of the Homer P. Snyder Manufacturing Co., Inc., in 1927 

Snyder bicycle of 1927. 

This tubular, diamond-frame bicycle was made by the Homer P. 

Snyder Manufacturing Co., Inc., of Little Falls, New York. At the 

time of its receipt at the Museum it was new and was among the 

most modern types of bicycles then manufactured in diis country. 

The hollow steel wheel rims carry the original 28-by-l/2-inch, 

single-tube tires, No. 66 E. H., made by the Fisk Rubber Co., of 

Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. Each wheel contains 36 tangentially 

laced wire spokes, and the rear-wheel hub incorporates a Model C 

New Departure coaster brake. Both wheel hubs run on ball bearings. 

Adjustment of the chain tension is obtained by moving the rear axle 

backward or forward in slots at the rear of the frame. 

The drive to the rear wheel is by sprockets and a Diamond roller 

chain, located to the right of the wheel. The pedal throw, 63/4 inches, 

is nonadjustable. The two pedal cranks are in one piece, unlike the 

two-piece construction of the 1896 Columbia bicycle in the collection. The rubber-covered pedals are mounted on ball bearings. 

The curved, tubular metal handlebars, with Grip-Well rubber 

grips, are strengthened with a crossbrace. A hand-operated Klaxontype horn is mounted on the brace, and a McKeelite electric lamp 

is attached to the front of the bars. 

The frame is strengthened at the top by means of an additional 

horizontal member, while the fork is supplemented with two vertical 

bars at its front. A metal toolbox is placed between the two horizontal members of the frame. Beneath it hangs a metal container for 

the dry cell for the lamp. A switch is built into the cover at the front 

of the container. 

The Troxel saddle of wood, leather, and coil springs is adjustable 

in all directions. 

Front and rear mudguards, a luggage rack over the rear guard, 

which carries a red glass reflector, and a stand are provided, but no 

chain guard is supplied. The bicycle is finished with orange and black 

paint and with nickel plate. Its weight is approximately 50 pounds. 

94 
Reinhardt Bicycle, 1935 

Gift of Fred A. Birchmore in 1938 

The German-made Reinhardt bicycle that Fred 

A. Birchmore rode on his around-the-world 

journey in the mid-1930s. 

The donor, a resident of Athens, Georgia, bought this bicycle in 

Gotha, Germany, in July 1935. An "Original Reinhardt," it was 

made by Fahrradfabrik Otto Reinhardt, Bielefeld, Germany, and 

was bought for 67 reichsmarks. In the course of the next two years 

Mr. Birchmore rode it through western Europe, eastern Europe, 

Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Siam, Indochina, and the Philippines, before pedaling his bicycle home across 

the United States from California. It has been estimated that his 

travels covered approximately 40,000 miles, of which about 25,000 

were on the bicycle, and die rest by boat. Approximately four saddle 

covers and seven sets of tires were worn out during the journey. The 

present tires were purchased from a shop in Calcutta, India. 

95 
The tubular frame is of the diamond, Safety type, and is supported 

on metal-rimmed wheels, each containing 36 tangentially laced wire 

spokes and fitted with 26-by-2.00-inch tires with inner tubes. The 

rear-wheel hub incorporates a coaster brake inscribed "TorpedoSystem Sachs." Both wheel hubs run on ball bearings, and an oil 

cup it fitted to each. Adjustment of the chain tension is obtained 

by moving the rear axle backward or forward in slots at the rear of 

the frame. 

The drive to the rear wheel is by sprockets and roller chain, 

located to the right of the wheel. The driving sprocket is mounted 

on a 3-piece crank assembly supported in two ball bearings in the 

crank hanger, which has an oil hole for lubrication. The pedal throw 

is 6/g inches and is nonadjustable. The pedals are rubber covered 

and are mounted on ball bearings. 

The curved, tubular metal handlebars carry composition grips, 

and mount a warning bell on the left side. A Radsonne front lamp 

is attached to the front fork, just below the handlebars, and turns 

with it. The light switch is contained in the lamp. An Energie generator is clamped to the left side of the fork. 

The presently installed saddle cover, a Luxus, is mounted on a 

metal-and-coil-spring base that is fully adjustable. Front and rear 

mudguards, a Pallas luggage rack over the rear guard, a tire pump, 

and a small leather tool bag are provided. The front brake, which 

formerly rubbed against the tire, is now missing. No chain guard is 

supplied. An American pennant is attached to the front mudguard. 

The weight of the machine is approximately 43 pounds. 

96 
Simplex Servi-Cycle, 1935 

Gift of Paul Treen in 1960 

First production model Simplex 

Servi-Cycle, 1935. 

The Museum's Servi-Cycle, designed by Paul Treen and built by 

the Simplex Manufacturing Corporation, of New Orleans, Louisiana, features simplicity in every respect. The motor bears the number 

19351, indicating that it was built in 1935 and was the first of the 

series. 

The single-cylinder, 2-cycle, 2-horsepower engine is air cooled 

and equipped with a rotary valve. The tiny carburetor on the back 

of the motor is controlled by a wire operating from a knob located 

behind the steering head, and a lever near the right grip operates 

a compression release. To start the engine, the operator opens the 

compression release with his right hand, pushes the cycle to gain 

speed, then closes the release. A V-belt drive transmits power to the 

rear wheel. 

There is no clutch, so the engine must be switched off in stopping. 

This is accomplished by pressing an electric button, of the type 

generally used to operate a bicycle horn, located near the left grip. 

This apparently shorts the low-tension side of the magneto, an 

Eisemann Model 71L bearing the serial number 2003. 

The tires bear the name of the Simplex Manufacturing Company 

and are marked "26 x 2.250." An ordinary cycle coaster brake, made 

by Morrow, is operated by a pedal at the left of the engine. The 

bicycle's stand can be moved up to form a footrest. 

The gasoline tank is in front of the seat, and the muffler is to the 

left of the rear wheel. An electric headlamp, mounted on the cycle's 

spring fork, receives current from the magneto. 

97 
Experimental wood-frame Whalen & Janssen 

bicycle of 1942. 

Whalen and Janssen Laminated-WoodFrame Bicycle, 1942 

Gift of Webster E. Janssen in 1946 

At the beginning of World War II, John T. Whalen, witii Webster 

E. Janssen of the Janssen Piano Co., Inc., developed this laminatedwood-frame bicycle to conserve critical materials yet provide essential 

transportation. Wood subsequently proved to be more critical than 

metal, so the bicycle was not marketed. 

The fork, saddle, handlebars, and elliptical frame are of laminated wood. The wheels are of metal, with 36 tangential steel spokes, 

and are 24 inches in diameter, mounting 26-by-1.375-inch Goodyear 

tires and tubes. 

A New Departure Model D coaster brake is incorporated in the 

rear-wheel hub, and the drive, by roller chain with metal sprockets 

and wooden pedals, is on the right side of the frame. Ball bearings 

are used throughout the machine. 

The saddle is unsprung but is adjustable. There are no mudguards or chain guard, and no grips on the handlebars. The machine's weight is approximately 31 pounds. 

98 
Raleigh Bicycle, about 1949 

Gift of Alvaro Zabala in 1950 

On 3 January 1950 Alvaro Zabala left Bogota, Colombia, on diis 

bicycle, and headed for New York City. After pedaling through 

Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, 

Guatemala, Mexico, the Mississippi Valley, and Ontario, Canada, he 

reached New York City on 2 June, five months later. It is estimated 

that about 8,000 miles were covered during the trip. Subsequently, 

Mr. Zabala pedaled the bicycle to Washington, where the machine 

was presented by him to the Museum. 

The Raleigh bicycle, made in Nottingham, England, is a wellknown machine. The lightweight, tubular frame of diis example is 

of the modern diamond type and is supported on two Dunlop metalrimmed wheels, with 32 tangentially laced steel spokes in the front 

wheel and 40 in the rear. Each wheel runs on a pair of ball bearings, 

an oil hole being provided in each hub for lubrication. Large wing 

nuts are provided on each wheel axle to facilitate the removal of the 

wheels. The 26-by-1*4-inch tires are equipped with inner tubes. 

The fork, also of lightweight tubular construction, is mounted on 

This British-nnade Raleigh bicycle was used by 

Alvaro Zabala on his trip from Bogota, Colombia, to New York City in 1950. 

99 
a pair of ball bearings, while the curved handlebars are made of 

tubular aluminum and are provided with rubber grips. 

The sprockets and the Perry roller chain are on the right side of 

the frame. The 46-tooth driving sprocket is mounted on a 3-piece 

crank assembly supported in two ball bearings in the crank hanger. 

An oil hole in the crank hanger permits their lubrication. The 6/2-

inch crank arms are detachable from the center section of the crank 

assembly, but are not adjustable. A ball-bearing-mounted, all-metal 

pedal with a metal toe clip is fitted to each crank arm. Attached to 

the rear wheel is a 3-gear, compound sprocket, made by Cyclo, of 

Birmingham, England, that contains 16, 20, and 24 teeth, respectively, in its three gear sections. These turn as a unit with respect to 

the wheel, and contain an overrunning clutch between the hub of 

the unit and the hub of the wheel so as to permit coasting. In use, 

the chain is engaged with one of the three gear sections, depending 

on the terrain to be covered. Changing is accomplished by loosening 

the wing nuts of the rear axle, placing the chain over the gear section 

desired, adjusting the chain tension by moving the wheel and axle 

within slots provided at the rear of the frame, and tightening the 

wing nuts. Another 16-tooth gear is rigidly attached to the other side 

of the wheel. By removing the wheel and turning it around in the 

frame, this gear, which allows no coasting, can be used. 

Front and rear brakes are provided, and each consists of a pair of 

rubber-faced, metal shoes which clamp against the metal rim of its 

wheel. Each pair of shoes is controlled by a cable and hand lever 

attached to the handlebars, the right lever for the front wheel, and 

the left lever for the rear wheel. A heavy wire spring keeps each pair 

of shoes normally away from the rim. 

Lighting equipment consists of a tail light, a Lucifer "Aero Bl " 

front lamp with two bulbs and a built-in switch to select the bulb 

that is to be used, and a Lucifer "Baby 700" generator, clamped to 

the left side of the front fork, that operates through contact with 

the side of the revolving front tire. Both of the Lucifer items were 

made in Switzerland. 

A Brooks B-l7 Champion Narrow saddle, made of heavy leather 

on a wire framework, is attached to a tubular aluminum post adjustable for height. The saddle is fully adjustable. 

There are no mudguards on the machine. A removable aluminum 

tire pump bearing the name "Britannialloy" is secured to the lower 

tube of the frame. Carried on the handlebars are a pair of aluminum 

water flasks and a tool bag. Small flags of the 10 countries through 

which Mr. Zabala travelled are draped from the handlebars to the 

saddle. The complete machine weighs approximately 33 pounds. 

100 
Schwinn Varsity Tourist Bicycle, 1965 

Gift of Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1966 

Designated by Schwinn as the Varsity Tourist, this cycle is interesting because of the 10-speed, French-made Sprint derailleur with 

which it is equipped. This is so named because the chain can be "derailed" from one sprocket to another, offering ten different gear 

ratios. The rear hub is fitted with five sprockets (14, 16, 20, 24, and 

28 teeth), and the 6/2-inch pedal cranks have two sprockets (39 

and 50 teeth). Two small levers mounted on the lower main tube of 

the frame move cables that operate the derailing devices, the left 

one moving the chain sideways behind the pedal sprocket and the 

right one moving the chain sideways below the wheel sprocket. This 

lateral movement causes the chain to crawl up or down to the next 

sprocket as the cycle is pedaled forward. With this type of drive, 

Weinmann caliper brakes are used, the pairs of brake shoes gripping 

the rims of the wheels when hand levers are squeezed—the left one 

operating the front brake, and the right one, the rear. 

The 36-spoke wheels have tubular chrome rims and carry 27-by1%-inch nylon sports touring tires. The frame is of the usual lightweight diamond pattern. The frame and forks have a coppertone 

finish, the tourist-style handlebars have white plastic grips, and the 

spring saddle is in white and coppertone. The fenders are chrome 

plated, the rear one carrying a red reflector. A built in kick-stand 

is mounted on the left, just behind the pedals. 

Schwinn 10-speed Varsity Tourist of 1965. 
Schwinn Super Deluxe Sting-Ray 

Bicycle, 1965 

Gift of Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1966 

Schwinn Super Deluxe Sting-Ray of 1965. 

Used primarily by youngsters as a fun bike rather than for serious 

road work, this Super Deluxe Sting-Ray is Schwinn's "sports car" 

model. Sturdy and durable to stand the abuse often given it by children, this cycle has a cantilever frame in which all members but die 

center stay are curved. The back stays sweep forward in a continuous 

curve, drop below the upper main tube, and are secured to the sides 

of the lower main tube. 

Chrome-rimmed 28-spoke wheels carry 20-inch whitewall tires, 

the front being 13/4 inches in diameter and the studded rear, 2.125 

inches. The front wheel is mounted in Schwinn's spring-fork. A 36-

tooth front sprocket and a 20-tooth rear sprocket carry the driving 

chain, and the pedals turn on 5/-inc h cranks. The rear hub contains a Bendix automatic 2-speed coaster brake, which is shifted 

from one speed to another by back-pedaling slightly, while the brake 

is applied in the usual manner by back-pedaling more firmly. A 

chain guard protects the riders clothing. 

Handlebars of the high-rise type have white plastic grips. A white, 

padded "banana" seat is unsprung, but adjusts to three different 

heights at 1-inch increments. 

Finished in a metallic sky-blue, this Sting-Ray has a short chromeplated rear fender, and an even shorter front fender. Since the rear 

fender does not extend far enough downward to carry a reflector, a 

large red reflector is mounted under the rear of the seat. The cycle 

is supported when not in use by a built-in kick-stand to the left rear 

of the pedals. 

102 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 

BARTLEET, HORACE WILTON. Bartleet's Bicycle Book. London: Ed. J. Burrow & Co., Ltd., 1931. 

BOWDEN, KEN, AND JOHN MATTHEWS. Cycle Racing. London: Temple 

Press Books, Ltd., 1965. 

BURY, VISCOUNT, AND G. LACY HILLIER. Cycling. London: Longmans, 

Green & Co., 1887. 

CAUNTER, C. F. The History and Development of Cycles. London: Her 

Majesty's Stationery Office, 1955. 

Cycles: Handbook of the Collection. Science Museum. 

London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1958. 

GODDARD, J. T. The Velocipede: Its History, Varieties, and Practice. Cambridge: Riverside Press; New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1869. 

GRIFFIN, HARRY HEWITT. Bicycles and Tricycles of the Year 1886. London: L. UpcottGill, 1886. 

Cycles and Cycling. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 

1890. 

HOUGH, RICHARD, AND L. J. K. SETRIGHT. A History of the World's Motorcycles. New York: Harper & Row, 1966. 

MCGONAGLE, SEAMUS. The Bicycle in Life, Love, War and Literature. 

London: Pelham Books, 1968. 

PAGE, VICTOR W. Motorcycles and Side Cars. New York: The Norman 

W. Henley Publishing Co., 1924. 

PALMER, ARTHUR JUDSON. Riding High. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 

Inc., 1956. 

PORTER, LUTHER H. Wheels and Wheeling. Boston: Wheelman Co., 1892. 

PRATT, CHARLES E. The American Bicycler: A Manual for the Observer, 

the Learner, and the Expert. Boston: Rockwell and Churchill, 1880. 

SCHWINN, FRANK W. Fifty Years of Schwinn-built Bicycles. Chicago: 

Arnold, Schwinn & Co., 1945. 

SCOTT, ROBERT P. Cycling Art, Energy and Locomotion. Philadelphia: 

J. B. Lippincott Co., 1889. 

SHARP, ARCHIBALD. Bicycles and Tricycles. London: Longmans, Green 

&Co., 1896. 

SHELDON, JAMES. Veteran and Vintage Motor Cycles. London: B. T. 

Batsford, Ltd., 1961. 

SLOANE, EUGENE A. The Complete Book of Bicycling. New York: Trident Press, 1970. 

SMITH, ROBERT A. A Social History of the Bicycle: Its Early Life and Times 

in America. New York: American Heritage Press, 1972. 

TRAGATSCH, ERWIN. The World's Motorcycles, 1894-1963. London: 

Temple Press Books, Ltd., 1964. 

WOODFORDE, JOHN. The Story of the Bicycle. New York: Universe Books, 

1970. 

103 
In addition to these publications there are many periodicals, most 

of which are no longer being published, that provide contemporary 

descriptions of many cycles and contests. Among these are the 

following: 

American Bicycling Journal, The (Boston), 1877-79, then merged into The 

Bicycling World. 

American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist (New York), 1906 to present (various 

titles). 

Bearings (Chicago), 1890-97, then merged into The Cycle Age and Trade 

Review. 

Bicycling World, The (Boston), 1879-1915 (various titles). 

Cycle (Boston), 1886-87. 

Cycle Age and Trade Review, The (Chicago), 1888-1901 (various titles). 

Cyclist, The (London and Coventry), 1879-1911 (various titles). 

L.A.W. Bulletin, The (Philadelphia and Boston), 1885-88, then merged into 

The Bicycling World. 

Springfield Wheelmen's Gazette, The (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1883-86, 

succeeded by The Wheelmen's Gazette. 

Wheel, The (New York), 1880-88, published by the League of American 

Wheelmen. 

Wheel and Cycling Trade Review, The (New York), 1888-1900, then 

merged into Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review. 

Wheeling (London), 1884-1901. 

Wheelman, The (Boston), 1882-83, then merged into Outing. 

Wheelmen's Gazette, The (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1886-1908, succeeded The Springfield Wheelmen's Gazette. 

ft U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1974 0 50S-7 U 

104