The Safety Bicycle

 

The Safety Bicycle

This is a link to the Introduction 

      By 1890, it was clear that the high-wheel was becoming obsolete, replaced by the first commercially successful “safety” bicycle which was introduced in England, in 1885. It was designed by John Kemp Starley and was called the Rover.

An early Rover advertisement from The Cyclist magazine, July 4, 1888.

Two more early safety bicycle advertisements from The Cyclist magazine, July 4, 1888.

     Unlike the high-wheeler, the safety bicycle had wheels of near equal size and the center of gravity was lowered and moved back towards the middle of the bike; it used hollow steel tubing, and had other efficiency improvements. Although initially furnished with solid rubber tires of the boneshaker variety, by 1891, safety bicycles were being equipped with the newly developed pneumatic tires. John Boyd Dunlop, an Irish veterinarian, believed he had come up with the design and applied for a patent for the new tire design but it was later nullified when it was discovered that a Robert Thompson already had a patent for it which was granted in 1845. But the time wasn't right for Thompson: it was for Dunlop. Not only did the pneumatic tires cushion the rider from rough and uneven roads but they also had another desirable feature: they allowed the rider to go faster as the wider pneumatic tires more easily rolled over road irregularities. Initially there was a lot of resistance to the new safety bicycle as “high-wheelers” were cultish about their machines, but by 1890, the popularity of the solid-tire “boneshaker” was in serious decline. 

A large, late 1880s albumen photograph of a group of cyclists, some with high wheel bicycles and a few with the new safety bicycle.  Location unknown but the image came out of the southwest, possibly Colorado.

Another group of cyclists with both high wheel and safety bicycles. Late 1880s and from the Boston area.

     The faster, safety bicycle, which was less likely to send the rider for a “header” over the handlebars, was the most innovative improvement in transportation to date. The need for a horse, as a form of personal transportation, was quickly becoming a thing of the past. This was the cycling world in which Conn Baker came of age.

     Conn loved to race and his specialty was the one-mile sprint. Other variations of this distance, such as the quarter-mile and half-mile sprints, were also popular with racers, with two, three, five, and ten-mile races being common as well.  There were specialty races where two competitors would start at opposite ends of the track and run laps until one caught up with the other. There were also slow races where the last rider to cross the finish line was the winner. These were all designed to add interest for spectators.

     Races were held for both professional and amateur racers; professionals raced for cash prizes and amateurs raced for gifts such as medals, gold watches, diamonds, apparel, and home furnishing; even a piano was once offered as a prize.

This was a bicycle meet held in Philadelphia by the League of American Wheelmen. This was the one-mile professional race. The meet was held from August 3-7, 1897. 

     Racing was only a small part of cycling and most people who owned a bicycle never entered into one. Practically everyone loved the freedom the bicycle offered and many just enjoyed touring about the countryside with  friends and family or used a bike as an inexpensive mode of personal transportation.

Studio shot of two couples from Coldwater, Michigan with their safety bicycles which are equipped with the new pneumatic tires. Mid-1990s. 

     The bicycle was such a revolution that an entire manufacturing industry was built around it, one that turned out to be the foundation for the auto industry. For years, cyclists had lobbied governments for better roads and as a voting bloc they elected like-minded politicians.  By the late 1890s, and because of the hard work of numerous dedicated cyclists, many cities and towns were now graced with much better thoroughfares and connected to one another with decent roads.  

     By the mid-1890s, bicycle manufacturing had revolutionized the transportation industry. Manufacturers had built large factories with thousands of employees and assembly lines that turned out safety bicycles at an unprecedented rate. Some of the major players in the field, like Pope Manufacturing, were the first to enter into the developing field of automobile manufacturing and some factories were re-tooled from making bicycles to the production of cars. In May of 1897, Albert Pope was the first to manufacture an electric automobile because he disliked the noise and smell that was associated with gasoline engines. But Henry Ford, the watch repairman and later engineer for Edison in Detroit, had his own ideas and he won out in the end. But even Henry Ford and his automobile could not do away with the bicycle as a useful and popular mode of transportation. Even after the invention of the automobile, bicycles continued to be used by the masses as a mode of personal transportation and for recreation, and the number of bicycles produced continued to exceed automobile production, while the Tour de France remains one of the world’s major sporting events. 

Below is a gallery of images with safety bicycles.

A group of country musicians. No location indicated. Late 1880s.

A cycling couple with their early safety bicycles. The lady has a step-thru model and the tires on both bicycles are the solid rubber or boneshaker type. Late 1880s.  These bicycles didn't have a coaster mechanism in the rear hub so if the bicycle was moving, the crank and foot pedals would be turning proportional to the speed of the wheel. So if you wanted to coast, you needed a place to put your feet. A close inspection of the front forks indicates that both bicycles had foot rests installed about halfway down the forks. Coasting competitions were a popular cycling activity back then where riders would coast down a hill to see who could go the furthest without pedaling.

A rare image of a young African American with his safety bicycle. Circa 1890s. Photographer was R. F. Krumhar, Pearl Street, Cleveland, Ohio.

A very nice studio image of a rider and his dog. Late 1880s.

A group of cyclist at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Their bicycles have the newly developed pneumatic tires. Mid-1990s,

A group of riders taking a break from their excursion with a refreshing adult beverage, likely beer.  Mid 1890s No location indicated.

This may have been taken in one of the Niagara Falls photographic studios. The background appears to be a painted backdrop. No photographer indicated.  Looks to be late 1890s.

A lovely studio portrait of a lady with a step-thru safety bicycle with foot rests on the front fork. Late 1880s.

A group of cyclists from Sandy Hill, New York, circa 1893.

Cigar smoking cyclist on a tandem bicycle from Rockford, Illinois. 

The couple are identified as Daniel and Linda Barnes. No location indicated. Circa 1900.

Early 1890s cabinet card. The gentleman on the left is Tom Basson (1861-1930), who later became Mayor of Oxford, England. Interesting that Best Wishes for a Happy Birthday was printed on the image. 

Mid-1890s cabinet card of a gentleman from Chicago. 

Circa 1890 cabinet card of a young rider identified as Edward Beck with an early safety bicycle fitted with solid rubber tires.

Mid-1890s group of friends and their bicycles. No location indicated.

Large, circa 1900 albumen print of the Acme Repair and Bicycle Company in Washington, DC. The proprietor was a Mr. Shaw. The business started in the 1870s. A safety bicycle can be seen in the window of the shop.

Another bicycle repair shop. This one was owned and operated by a Mr. Dudley, from Kansas City, Missouri. A note on the back identifies the subjects as "Mr. Dudley's watchmaker and his porter."

This is another cabinet card of the Melroses, this time on a safety bicycle. They were from Columbus, Ohio and were billed as "America's Greatest High Wire Bicyclists." They performed with the Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus around 1899-1900. A May 14, 1904 Billboard magazine issue ran the following advertisement about them: 

The Melroses - High Wire Bicyclists. Free attraction for Parks, Fairs, etc. have Decoration Day and 4th of July open. For time and terms address: Percy Melrose, Columbus, Ohio