SALE High Wheel Bicycles ~ 2 Small Vtg 1886 Ads

Collectibles : Transportation : Bicycle : Advertising

 

From HARPER'S MONTHLY w/ the images as shown in the 1st scan @ 2.5 x 4" each ~ great Holiday card enclosures, ideal for display in an old small frame or as parts of a collage ~ Buy with confidence from A.P.I.C. Member #15408 ~ click on the above thumbnail pic & scroll down the next page to see 2 enlarged views & matting margins.

According to the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum in Orchard Park, NY: "The High Wheel Bicycle ~ In 1870 the first all metal machine appeared. (Previous to this metallurgy was not advanced enough to provide metal which was strong enough to make small, light parts out of.) The pedals were still atttached directly to the front wheel with no freewheeling mechanism. Solid rubber tires and the long spokes of the large front wheel provided a much smoother ride than its predecessor. The front wheels became larger and larger as makers realized that the larger the wheel, the farther you could travel with one rotation of the pedals. You would purchase a wheel as large as your leg length would allow. This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle ("two wheel"). These bicycles enjoyed a great popularity among young men of means (they cost an average worker six month's pay), with the hey-day being the decade of the 1880s.

High Wheel

"Because the rider sat so high above the center of gravity, if the front wheel was stopped by a stone or rut in the road, or the sudden emergence of a dog, the entire apparatus rotated forward on its front axle, and the rider, with his legs trapped under the handlebars, was dropped unceremoniously on his head. Thus the term "taking a header" came into being."

Item ID: 2657

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SALE ~ All Retail Listings (except SPECIALS & Auction Items) @ $11 or More Take 50% OFF ~ All @ $10 or Less Reduced to $5 each ~ Minimum Order 3 Listings