crank_addict

crank_addict

crank_addict

sykerocker 

That Mark IV Jaguar was my birthday gift for my eighth, 9 July 1958. It finally went away sometime in 1970, after two seasons as my commuter bike at college in Erie, PA. By that point, the tank and headlight were long gone. Unlike the one in the picture, mine had a Sturmei-Archer AW hub.

markwesti

crank_addict

German Social Democratic party (SPD), (anti-Nazi), propaganda poster for the Baden regional election in October 1929

T-Mar

Originally, I thought that the Toulouse-Lautrec poster for Simpson chains was creepy, when I first saw it in the mid-1970s. That was because I had thought that he had committed a faux pas and drawn the teeth on the chain, instead cogs and chainwheel. Only decades later did I discover that Toulouse-Lautrec was an avid cyclist who regularly attended competitions at the Paris velodromes and that his representation of the Simpson chain was accurate.

The Simpson chain itself is certainly unique, if not creepy. Simpson called it a lever chain and claimed a mechanical advantage over traditional chains. The benefit reportedly came from driving at two different levels, as a result of the triangular links. The inner pins at the base of the triangle were driven by the chainwheel while the outer pins, at the peak of the triangle, drove the cog on the rear wheel.

Of course these claims were the subject of much ridicule. Consequently, Simpson set up a series of match races for June 1896 in which he gave 10:1 odds for anybody using traditional chains that could beat his sponsored riders. The races, held at the Catford track in London, reportedly drew crowds of 12,000 to 20,000 spectators. All the eveents were distance races, preformed with pacing bicycles consisting of triplets, quadruples and quintuples (i.e three, four and five rider bicycles). Simpson prevailed but only because of the superiority of his team. The company would go bankrupt in 1898, when the bicycle boom went bust.

The poster depicts a similar 1896 event at the Vélodrome de la Seine in Paris. The Simpson chain would probably had been relegated to obscurity had it not been for this poster being produced by an artist of Toulous-Lautrec's stature. However, it merits attention beyond the artist and chain. In the back ground, upper left, is a depiction of what appears to be two bicycles with five riders on each (quintuplets). Of more interest is the solo cyclist in the foreground. It is Simpson sponsored rider Constant Huret, 1900 World Champion, and brother of André Huret, of wingnut and derailleur fame.



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T-Mar

Here is a mid 1890s Rouxel & Dubois poster that is interesting in that it depicts an tandem convention that was popular in the era. Primarily utilized by couples, tandems presented the social issue of whether a woman should ride up front or on the back. Theoretically, a tandem is more efficient with the stronger rider in the back. However, for a pairing of the opposite sex, that means that the woman would in the front and responsible for the steering, which put her in a position of control over the man. Some tandems, such as the pictured model, solved the dilemma by providing a linkage from the front fork to a 2nd steering column for the rear cyclist, thus allowing the man to maintain control. As women gained social stature, this approach died away, due to the added complexity, associated cost and extra weight. I also imagine there were more than a few cases where it caused additional problems, like when there were opposing views as to which way to turn upon arriving at a fork in the road.

crank_addict

^Fascinating reads and illustrations!
Thank you for posting the article on the differential pitch chain.

Towards the end and mention of petrol and electric cars is neat. Sliver of history about the short success of the electric auto and then as we know, disappeared.

I restored a 1910 era Detroit Electric. They were very much popular in the city, even Henry Ford's wife drove one.

Finally it's taken over a century but the electric auto is making a revelation.

crank_addict

Spotted this awesome Blatz piece on eBay.

markwesti

thumpism 

Very popular poster back in the day.

100bikes

And it glows in the dark!

T-Mar

Here's a reportedly circa 1905 poster for Presto bicycles. It compares the Presto to the new technological marvel, the airplane, claiming, "without motor, without wings and just as fast". The fact that a hobo owns one attests to its affordability (or did he just assault and steal it from that person lying in the road). Based on the Blériot XI style monoplane, I believe the poster is actually circa 1909, exploiting the 1st successful crossing of the English channel by airplane

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T-Mar

This is one of my favourite posters because it depicts the birth of the aluminum bicycle frame, in 1895! In the mid-19th century, aluminum metal was incredibly rare and expensive. However, in 1886 a process for large scale production of aluminum metal was invented. Over the next few years, as production increased, prices plummeted. By the mid-1890s, prices were sufficiently low that the cycle trade was considering the "miracle metal" to replace steel and shed weight from the heavy roadsters of the day. 1895 was the breakthrough year. A St. Louis company produced the Lu-Mi-Num, a bicycle with a cast aluminum frame, while Eagle Bicycle Manufacturing Co produced aluminum rims. There were various aluminum components including pedals, seat posts, saddles, chain guards, lanterns and even chains. The public was so enamoured of aluminum that some manufacturers even offered aluminum coatings on steel frames.

The subject poster depicts an aluminum tubed frame with lugs and an additional, diagonal top tube, creating a triple triangle frame.. The emphasis is clearly the light weight. The owner looks on proudly as a very petite mademoiselle effortlessly lifts his bicycle with one hand, much to the astonishment of a female onlooker. The window display advertises a claimed weight of 8.5 kg (18.7 lbs) and appears to advertise a successful completion of a 5,012 km event, with a route around the perimeter of France. While the event isn't named and it doesn't quite match up with any Tour de France of the era, the company appears to have been steering the consumer towards association with the prestigious stage race.

Unfortunately, the early fascination with aluminum quickly disappeared. The booming cycle industry attracted many new companies, quickly leading to market saturation, excessive competition and decreasing prices. Bicycle prices plummeted faster than aluminum price reductions, forcing the manufacturers of aluminum bicycles and cycling products to revert to steel or fold. The aluminum bicycle died in its infancy.

Giuanin

The Tour de France of Jean-Marie Corre in 1895 : https://www.lepetitbraquet.fr/chron7...rie-corre.html

T-Mar

Thank-you! For some unfathomable reason I did not pick up on the fact that the poster pre-dates the 1st TdF by 8 years. So, the poster's window display capitalizes on a high profile accomplishment of the era. Mystery solved.


I also noted that an illustration of one of his slightly later bicycles depicts it using the Simpson Lever Chain that was the subject of a slightly earlier post.

markwesti

crank_addict

Flick from 1965

tcs

Sturmey Archie, always depicted with his cigarette.

tcs

Wish I read Chinese, so I'd have a clue as to why this was a good idea:

tcs

Corbin coaster brakes:

tcs

I think I'd rather finish the ride on the bike; I'd be warmer and no wetter. Peugeot's Captain Gerard folding bike:

tcs

Taft and Wilson. Wilson was an avid cyclist who belonged to the League and the CTC and went on tours. Politics aside, he was also a virulent racist of the Old South, which puts him into the creepy cycling cartoon character category.

tcs

Back in an era when offspring had to campaign to get parents to spend money on their childhood.