A Frenchman, de Sivrac, is said to have built a rough form of bicycle in the latter part of the eighteenth century. In that year Pope began building bicycles under the trade name "Columbia" in the factory of the Weed Sewing Machine Co. Since many of the early cyclists in America were Bostonians, and since the first bicycle club in America was the BostonBicycle Club, jointly founded on February 11, 1878 by Charles E.
It was, nevertheless, another of the many pioneering attempts in America to produce a commercially successful self-driving vehicle. It was certainly a return, after many years of development, to the performances of the old hobby horse, which also had two straight wheels. There is no doubt that the widespread use of the coaster brake made the bicycle a much safer vehicle.
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CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION
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This date was near the end of the era of this type of machine, as high-wheelers were soon to replace the heavy velocipes. A vertical iron fork, topped by a horizontal handle mounted in brackets, is pivoted at the front of the frame. Twisting the handles in the mounting brackets causes the chain to rotate the metal shoe in the frame.
This improvement consisted of a "ratchet device" or freewheel unit in the hub of the front wheel, which allowed the rider's feet to remain motionless while the velocipede continued to move with momentum, as a bicycle with a coaster brake will do. The frame and fork are made of iron and rest on wooden wheels with staggered spokes and iron tires. The handlebars turn to operate a clutch connected to a friction brake that works against the tire of the rear wheel.
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 11 saddle (not original) is mounted on leather straps attached to curved
GREENE AND DYER MONOCYCLE, 1869
CHILD'S TRICYCLE VELOCIPEDE, 1876
UNZICKER TRICYCLE, 1878
SHIRE VELOCIPEDE, 1879
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FOWLER TRICYCLE, 1880
The rotation of the rod tightens a cord that runs under the curved bar and causes a brake shoe to face the single rear wheel mounted on the lower end of the bar. Each front wheel hub includes a pair of double crown gears, held together by a spring in the hub. The forward movement of the axle pushes the wheels, but when the crank is stopped and the axle is stationary, the grips open and the wheels descend.
Also, as previously stated, the outside wheel slips when the car makes a sharp turn. Any intermittent opening of the wheels would cause easy separation of the wheel post and, on occasion, considerable wear on the teeth, as well as a clicking noise, deficiencies were not found.
HAMMELMANN TRICYCLE, 1880
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The metal front wheel, fitted with a solid rubber tire 23 inches in diameter, has 28 radial spokes. The rear wheel, also fitted with a solid rubber tire, is 55 inches in diameter and has 64 radial spokes. The effective point of attachment of the belts to the levers can be adjusted to either of two positions, by means of a rotary linkage, to provide a "gear change," so to speak, such as the two steering ratios.
A brake hanging from the rear tire is operated by a linkage on the handlebars and is controlled by the rider's right hand. Another coil spring, located at the base of the steering column, acts as a shock absorber.
KLAHR BICYCLE, 1883
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SMITH BICYCLE, 1885
COLUMBIA BICYCLE, 1886
This example is fitted with a 60-spoke, 53-iii front wheel, and a 20-spoke, 18-inch rear wheel, these measurements include the thickness of the solid rubber tires. The tires of the wheels are of seamless steel tubing rolled into a hollow crescent, the spokes are of steel wire, and the hub flanges are of mild forged steel rigidly attached to steel axles. Adjustable, detachable crank, throwing from I14 to 5I/4 inches, is fitted to the front axle, with rubber-covered pedals attached to the crank.
The machine is fitted with a Kirkpatrick-type leather saddle suspended on fore-and-aft springs; hollow, curved steel tube handlebars fitted with vulcanite pear-shaped handles; a step attached to the lower left side of the perch; a steel protector; and a friction brake operated by the rider's right hand that acts against the tire of the front wheel.
OVERMAN BICYCLE, 1886
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 19evidence indicating that a brake acting against the tire on.
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 19 evidence to indicate that a brake, operating against the tire of the
BEESTON HUMBER RACING BICYCLE, 1886
A metal fender is attached over the back of the front wheel, but only the lower portion of the rear fender remains. There is a step attached to the left side of the rear fork that you can use when assembling the machine. A support for a headlamp, now missing, is mounted on the upper part of the front fork, so that the rays of the lamp are always thrown in the direction of travel of the front wheel.
COLUMBIA BICYCLE, 1888
NEW RAPID BICYCLE, 1889
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 21
OVERMAN BICYCLE, 1889
The front fork of the machine has an interesting construction and is designed to reduce the shock on the handlebars. It consists of a pair of articulated straight arms and a set of four curved spring arms, so arranged that the straight arms, which are pressure members, serve to stabilize and relieve the pressure of the movement of the spring arms, which carry the load. shake away. Footrests are attached to the outside of the spring arms for use during rollout.
A large mudguard is mounted over the rear wheel, a chainguard fits almost completely around the chain, and twine laced on the mudguard and chainguard protects the rider's skirts from getting tangled in the spokes or chain. On the right handle is a pivoting levei' that controls a rear bucket brake by means of a system of wires and pivoting arms.
COLUMBIA BICYCLE, 1896
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The rear sprocket is driven by a block chain, on the right side of the machine, that runs over the front sprocket. Chain tension is adjusted by moving the rear axle backwards or forwards in slots at the rear end of the chainstay. The two halves of the crank assembly are joined together in the crank hanger, yet can be easily separated and removed from the hanger, which features two covered oil holes for lubrication of the crank ball bearings.
Also included are the rear side guard and chain guard, also nickel-plated and decorated, as well as a manual spoon brake that operates on the front tire and is controlled by a lever turned on the right handlebar. It consists of a black leather seat resting on a flat spring, with a coil spring at the back. An oil lamp marked 'Aladdin, Tiffany &Co., sterling', fitted with a large clear lens to the front and small red and green lenses to the left and right, is attached to a bracket on the front fork.
COLUMBIA TANDEM BICYCLE, 1896
There is no attachment for a coaster, the pedals always turn while the bike is in motion. non-adjustable crank throws are 6 inches long, and the pedals are rubber-coated and mounted on ball bearings. Rope is tied over the chain guard and the rear mud guard. to protect the rider's clothing. This machine is a Model 41 Columbia, made by the Pope Manu-. factoring Co., of Hartford, Conn.
The diameter of each wheel is the same, 28 inches, the front wheel having 8 (j tangentially interlaced steel spokes, and the rear 44. The hubs are made of solid steel and are fitted with removable ball bearing housings Rear wheel sprocket, on the right side of the hub , is attached by a chain of blocks from the larger of the two center rockets.
The travel of the pedals is not adjustable, the forward travel is (> inch and there', 7^^ inches. The two saddles are fully adjustable in position and are made of leather and metal.
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CLARKE GASOLINE TRICYCLE, 1897
The handlebars are made of bentwood and are mounted on the upper end of the fork, which supports the front wheel. This small four-wheeler, or Irish Mail as it was popularly known, was used by the donor when he was a child around 1900. It was made by the Wabash Manufacturing Co. from Wabash, Indiana. The curved frame supports a pivoting axle at the front and a crankshaft at the rear. axle to which only the right wheel is attached, while the left wheel runs freely on it.
The rear wheels, made of metal with solid rubber tires, are 15 inches in diameter and have a pitch of 16 inches. The rear axle and right wheel are steered by the fore and aft movement of a pivoted lever at the front of the frame, the lower end of the lever being connected to the pivot pin. The front wheels, similar in construction to the rear, are 11 inches in diameter and have a tread of 151/4 inches.
In time, the Pierce automobile became known as the Pierce-Arrow, while the Pierce bicycles and Pierce 1- and 4-cylinder motorcycles were built by the Pierce Cycle Co., a subsidiary of the original company.
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 27 To attain the utiiiost in simplicity and cleanliness a shaft-and-gear
However, the fork and handlebars are located at the rear of the machine, rather than at the front as on the Star. The upper end of the handlebar post is equipped with a small gear sector worked by a similar sector fitted to the axis of the curved, tubular handlebar, so that turning the handlebar will rotate the small wheel. The patent application suggests that the seat post should be aligned with the handlebar stem, so that by pivoting the body and saddle the machine could steer better.
The front wheel is steered by means of pedals and gears, three revolutions of the wheel occur for each revolution of the pedals. Inside the triangular frame is a metal hanger for holding a rifle pointed in the direction of the car's movement, apparently. A frame of tubes and brackets is attached to the rear of the upper part of the frame and was apparently intended to hold equipment.
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INDIAN MOTORCYCLE, 1902
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HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE, 1913
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 31 hand lever on the left side of the machine. Forward motion of the
CLEVELAND MOTORCYCLE, 1918
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. A metal mudguard is located above each wheel, and a stand is provided at the rear of the frame. A cylindrical fuel tank hanging from the frame above the engine is equipped with a shut-off valve at the bottom.
The 1926 District of Columbia license plate attached to the rear fender at the time of presentation to the museum was also refinished in its original colors.
SNYDER BICYCLE, 1927
CYCLE COLLECTION CATALOG 33 Curved tubular metal grips with Grip-AVell rubber.
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 33 The curved, tubular metal handle bars, with Grip-AVell rubber
REINHARDT BICYCLE, 1935
3 piece crank assembly supported in two ball bearings in a crank hanger that has an oil opening for lubrication.
WHALEN AND JANSSEN LAMINATED-WOOD-FRAME BICYCLE, 1942
CATALOG OF THE CYCLE COLLECTION 35 Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador,
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