Bicycle Design Battle! 1880's Edition.

In my last post, I showed two bikes from the earliest days of the modern bicycle. One was a precursor to the high-wheeler, or penny farthing velocipede, the other represents a more rational, though more complicated, approach that has more in common with the modern bicycle.

On this post, we'll examine the high-wheeler that wouldn't die, compared to one of the first modern full-suspension "safety" bicycles.

The "Victor" 

Some authorities claim the "Victor" above, made in 1887, has the first spring-fork in bicycle history. The clever multi-link suspension allows for about three inches of vertical movement. The back wheel also has a spring. This early suspension made the "Victor" one of the most comfortable rides on the road. Its suspension wouldn't be challenged for several years, until the adoption of the pneumatic tire, invented in 1888.

The acceleration and top speed of the "Victor" is a function of the size of the gears that propel it, rather than the size of the wheels. This makes the "Victor" a far safer steed than any high-wheeler because the smaller wheels allow for a lower center of gravity, and the rider's weight is further from the front axle, reducing the likelihood of going head-first over the bars whenever the bike hits a big bump.

The Victor is clearly an advanced bicycle, equivalent to the top-of-the-line machines coming out of the skunk-works of any current manufacturer. But let's look at its competitor:

The "Facile High Wheel Safety"

Typical high-wheeler with 60" rim. 

The bicycle above, a "Facile High Wheel Safety," was patented in 1878 by a mister J. Beale, but according to the auction listing this model was made a couple years after the "Victor." As the name implies, its design is supposed to be safer and easier to use than a traditional high-wheel because the goofy kangaroo pedals and cranks allow the front fork to be raked forward so the rider can sit slightly behind the wheel, lowering the center of gravity and improving handling. It is slightly less dangerous than a traditional high-wheeler, where the rider sits directly above the wheel on straight forks. This also allows a shorter rider to use a large wheel, because the pedals can be moved up to reach the rider instead of the rider growing their legs to meet the pedals. Using this concept, the kangaroo design can be adjusted to put greater leverage on the wheel for better hill climbing and acceleration too.

Although this bike is superior to its high-wheeled peers, it still represents a step backwards. The "Facile" uses the same level of technology as the velocipede invented by Kirkpatrick Macmillan almost fifty years earlier, in that it involves push-rods and levers to increase the utility of the transmission. But, the "Facile" fails compared to Macmillan's design in that it has a higher center of gravity, the steering is hampered by the rider's pedaling, and –most troubling– a large crack in the road or large bump will almost certainly force the rider to catapult head first onto the ground.

Kirkpatrick Macmillan's 1850's velocipede

It's a dumb design.

Although I couldn't find the original advertised price for either machine, investigations on other bikes of the time lead me to believe they both cost between $100 and $150. This would have priced both bikes out of the average 1880's consumer's hands, but an aristocrat could afford either.

Why anybody would choose the "Facile" over the "Victor" has less to do with reason, methinks, and more to do with traditional biases, advertising, and availability. The "Victor" was a cutting edge machine, even today people are reluctant to jump onto advancements like tubeless mountain bike tires, even though the advantages are obvious. History shows designs like the "Victor's" would go on to rule the bike path, but it took another couple decades before the high-wheelers fell out of fashion.

For reference, here's a picture of the 1885 "Rover":

And here's a snap of an even earlier bike, Harry John Lawson's 1879 "Bicyclette":

We'll learn more about how these shapes evolved in future posts.

Hey, as long as I got you here, why not check out this post about how Gino Bartali subverted the Nazis during WWII?