Inkwolf

The bike books I enjoy reading the most seem to deal with the history of cycling. I'm reading "A Social History of the Bicycle" by Robert A. Smith now, and it's quite fun! It deals mainly with the American bicycling craze of the 1890's, and how it changed so many aspects of society.

Some interesting bits:

Diamond Jim Brady wanted 10 gold-plated bicycles to give as gifts. The bike company couldn't do the gold-plating, and Tiffany's refused, so Diamond Jim built his own factory, gold-plated the bikes, and then tore the factory down. One of the bikes, encrusted with jewels, was a gift to Lillian Russel, who took it with her (in a padded leather case) whenever she travelled.

Women's wearing of bloomers for biking was considered shocking by many people. A woman who wore trousers biking, and then stood up at the bar drinking with her husband, was arressted for disorderly conduct. A bicycle club held dances where people would wear cycling clothes....the first bloomer dance was a success...the second was raided by the police and shut down.

"It is not the proper thing for ladies to ride the bicycle. They wear skirts, of course, but if we don't stop them now, they will want to be in style with the New York women and wear bloomers. Then how would our schoolrooms look with the lady teachers parading about among the girls and boys wearing bloomers. They might as well wear men's trousers. I suppose it will come to that, but we are determined to stop our teachers in time, before they go that far." --Dr. A. w. Reimer, a school board member after the board determined to forbid the teachers to bike to school.

"These bladder-wheeled bicycles are diabolical devices of the demon of darkness. They are contrivances to trap the feet of the unwary and skin the nose of the innocent. They are full of guile and deceit. When you think you have broken one to ride, and subdued its wild and Satanic nature, behold, it bucketh you off in the road and teareth a great hole in your pants. Look not on the bike when it bloweth upon its wheels, for at last it bucketh like a bronco and hurteth like thunder. Who has skinned legs? Who has a bloody nose? Who has ripped breeches? They that dally along with the bicycle." --1896, a Baltimore preacher.

They used to hold 6-day-long endurance bicycle races on a track--something like the bike version of the Indy 500--until it was outlawed to ride a bicycle more than 12 hours a day. Charles Miller, who won the first race (and at least one later one) biked over 2,000 miles, and spent only 10 hours off the bike during the entire race, only four of which were spent sleeping.

Anyway, the book is quite fun. Lots of poetry and bits from the old biking magazines and stuff.

I've also read the Leeks' The Bicycle--That Curious Invention which was excellent, and How I Learned To Ride A Bicycle (formerly A Wheel Within A Wheel, 1895) by Frances E. Willard, which is amusing from the perspective of the 21st century.

Anyone have any other cool history or trivia books to recommend?

And, out of curiosity, are there any antique bicycle groups, like the car collectors, who have bike shows and ride the antiques?

RegularGuy

Smith's book, A Social History of the Bicycle, is a classic. I have a copy on my shelf and re-read it recently. I believe that it is currently out of print. It was re-issued for a time under the title Merry Wheels and Spokes of Steel.

There are, of course, Antique Bicycle collectors', restorers' and riders' groups. One of the largest and most active is the Wheelmen. Click here to visit their website.

Another good book I have on bicycle history is Jay Pridmore and Jim Hurd's The American Bicycle.

One of the great stories in American bicycle history is the tale of the 25th U.S. Infantry Bicycle Corps, a group of African American soldiers who conducted an experiment in 1896 to determine if the bicyle was a worthy military vehicle. It is a great story.

A few years ago I also read a good biography of Major Taylor, an African-American pro cyclist from the 1890s. I've read his autobiography as well, but thought the modern biography was a better read. I wish I could remember the book's title. Taylor was an amazingly talented rider who had to overcome the prejudiced attitudes of his age.

I have some good links to bicycle history sites on my website. Click here and scroll down my Links page to the section "Museums, Antiques, History." There are also links to sites about the 25th Infantry on that page.

Redhed 

Those men would have had a heart attack if they could have seen what women wear today!!! Legs and Cleavage anyone????

MichaelW

In the UK women cyclists (mainly wealthy independant middle class ladies) formed the Rational Dress Movement which was a precursor to the Womens Sufferage Movement, which won them the vote.

Inkwolf

I'm just reading the chapter about bikes conflicting with horse-drawn wagons...how teamsters and cab drivers would swear at bikers, spit tobacco juice on them and try to force them off the road....and the police unsuccessfully tried to keep them from driving on the sidewalks.

Some things never change!

jacob

anyone have a link to a picture on the web of James Starley, the bicycles' inventor?

Jacob

willic

There seems to be several claimants to the title of "Inventor of the bicycle" Among them Kirkpatrick Macmillan.

The son of a blacksmith. He lived at Kier, Dumfries and Galloway and was known locally as "Daft Pate" for his exentricities.

Messing about one day on a "Hobby horse" he started to make improvments to that machine, until he invented what looks vagually like the cycles we know today.

He started to use his cycle to travel into Dumfries (The nearest town) 14 miles distant. He became so competent on his invention, that eventually he could cover the distance in 1hr... No mean feat! even by todays standard, when you see a picture of his machine and visit the Glasgow museum and view the reproduction of it that seems an astounding speed.

A favorite tale, was the time he travelled to Glasgow 68 miles away in Two days, entering the city, a small girl ran into him and was slightly injured.
He was taken to court for this incident and fined 5 shillings (quite a sum I would think for those times)
The judge it is said was so intrigued by the description of his mode of transport, he requested a demonstration, and was so impressed, he quietly slipped Kirkpatrick his 5 shilling back.....

RegularGuy

Click here for a picture of John Kemp Starley, whose "Rover" was the first modern safety bicycle. The wheels were of equal size (or nearly so) and were propelled by a chain drive.

RegularGuy

Another picture of Starley can be seen at:

https://www.sponend.org.uk/hist/hhstarly.htm

Google image searches rock!