Rombalds

Introduced about 1893 by the St. Louis Refrigerator and Wooden Gutter Co., St Louis (later the St. Louis Aluminum Casting Company), the Lu-Mi-Num bicycle frame was cast hollow in one piece. Later in the 1890s, Cycles Aluminium of France bought the rights to the Lu-Mi-Num.

Nearly half a century later, in 1936, a radical aluminum framed bike with cantilever brakes was built by Nicola Barra, also of France. Then in 1975, Gary Klein displays his welded and heat-treated aluminum frames at the International Bike show. Alan (Italy) and Vitus (France) were producing their lugged aluminum frames around the same time and in 1983, Cannondale finally launched their “Aluminum for the Masses”. Which other milestones in the history of aluminum frames were there? Who was the first and what happened before and after Cycles Aluminium of France made the Lu-Mi-Num?

WJV

I cant give much input but this ranks up as one of the most beautiful bikes ever, in my eye:
https://www.blackbirdsf.org/caminade/531.html
WjV

Scooper

Pictures of an 1896 Lu-Mi-Num belonging to the poster's great-great grandfather are HERE.

Sloped top tubes in 1896. Everything old is new again...

tatfiend 

From what I have read of bike history the early aluminum bikes were not a success for two reasons.

First they used normal sized tubing for the era so were overly flexible.

They also used pure aluminum which fatigued rapidly. The alloys that are used in current aluminum frames had not been developed yet, nor apparently had the idea of oversized tubing to stiffen things up, things used on all modern aluminum frames.

As has been noted in some bike histories I have read virtually all modern bike developments were tried in initial form in the period of 1885 through 1905. Little truly new except carbon fiber and titanium use in frames. Most others are refinements of ideas tried 80+ years ago.

Prudy

That bike is very cool -- I love the handlebars and the large tank-track chain.

keisatsu

Wow That bike is amazing!!!

Bike Cottage

Completely frickin awesome bike. I saw an aluminum frame for a Road bike in about 1985 and it was completely raw, no paint or anything and they had a price of $1600 on it for just the frame. No fork or anything. Amazing that they tried it 110+ years ago. The geometry on that thing doesn't look much different than most bikes being built these days.

jgedwa

Other big cycling moments in aluminum:

-March 1975: Lambert/Viscount introduces the poorly named Deathfork.
-April 1975: Lambert/Viscount hires a good team of lawyers.
-July 22nd, 1979: For reasons never disclosed, someone first refers to aluminum as "alloy"
-Summer of 1984: Koolstop introduces its most expensive new pads. Each pair comes with a complementary aluminum rim.
-2:45pm, September 3rd, 1999: the first "alloy" bike is posted on Catch of the Day.
-2:46pm, September 3rd, 1999: the first person is banned from C&V.
-Summer/Fall 2002: In the course of extensive therapy, Grant Peterson finally acknowledges that he was abused by several "alloys" at a summer camp in his younger days.

RobbieTunes

Maybe not a moment, but surely important: Trek Aluminum.
Changed the product, changed the market.

RobbieTunes

Maybe not a moment, but surely important: Trek Aluminum.
Changed the product, changed the market.

RobbieTunes

Maybe not a moment, but surely important: Trek Aluminum.
Changed the product, changed the market.

tatfiend 

Where did you find tires for it? It looks like the tires have air in them so presumably they are not original.

How does it ride?