Can you identify this bike?

[Cycling UK Publicity]

Can you help one of our members identify his grandfather's bike, and the year this photograph was taken?

[John Holiday]

Contact National Cycle Museum at Llandrindod Wells in Mid-Wales,
Or Veteran Cycle Club.
Someone there wiil soon identify.

[Brucey]

the bike looks quite a lot like an 1895 (rudge)-whitworth #18, but in fairness a lot of machines looked very similar at the time and models were changed often at mid-year in response to some new innovation.

FWIW the unequal sized wheels and 'upsloping' frames were a common feature on the first safety bicycles (with solid tyres) and in some makes these feature persisted into the pneumatic era. For example an 1893 rudge racer is built like this, but doesn't have a concentric head tube and steerer like the bike in the picture; that came a little after.

Also in the picture you can see

- a narrow-ish diameter seat pin with a rear-facing horizontal extension
- screw-in pedals (rather than nutted ones that fit slotted cranks as found on most 'ordinaries' and many early safeties) [edit; a closer look suggests that they are the older type after all, as suggested upthread]
- a conventional headset
- no forward extension to the handlebars
- no brake
- chaincase
-radial spoked wheels 36 front, and (I think) 36 rear.

Pre- 1889 chain driven bicycles didn't have freewheels and a second (plunger) brake was an optional extra. Sporting types might specify their bikes without brake or mudguards. The chaincase is an oddity; some makes (eg sunbeam) usually had oil-bath chaincases and set great store by them.

the whitworth #18 model 1895 catalogue page is to be seen here

https://www.oldbike.eu/museum/bikes-1800s/1894-1895/1895-rudge-whitworth-no-3-road-racer/

cheers

[HughMilner]

I agree it seems to be a Rudge Whitworth which I believe my grandfather, Herbert Ernest Wright, also used at that time. This photograph depicts pneumatic tyres, the valves are clearly visible. The bike has no spoon brakes because they could only be used with solid rubber tyres.

My grandfather's abiding memory was the height from which he toppled over when his Old Ordinary wheels dropped into a tram rail and took him around a corner he had not intended to take before he unceremoniously fell sideways! Beware modern tram lines if you have a road bike with 25mm wide tyres.....

[Cluley]

Contact National Cycle Museum at Llandrindod Wells in Mid-Wales,
Or Veteran Cycle Club.
Someone there wiil soon identify.

Greetings, The date of the bicycle is 1893 since it has 1893 pattern Dunlop pneumatic tyres. The up sloping top tube and 30" front wheel were common at this date. Rudge were using tangent spoking at this date, they had been an early adopter of tangent spoking. The machine has slotted cranks for pedal attachment. I note that the photographer address is 2 The Pavement, Clapham. Also at The Pavement Clapham is the well known cycle maker Felix Langton. It is quite possible that the machine is a Langton. I note the presence of a gear case, these were fairly common at the time due to the dusty state of the roads. This may well be a Carter gear case. I note the machine has no brake, which would indicate that this is an experienced rider likely to be a club cyclist. Do we know his address at this date? It may help to identify the club. He might even be a CTC member.

Roger Armstrong.

[fr333zin]

I think this is a Humber No5 Path Racer with the optional gearcase. But what's more significant is that upsloping designs were replaced pretty quickly by level top tubes, which I think means the particular bike would be from about 1894 whichever make it is. The partial shot of the head badge is hard to confirm as either Humber or Rudge from catalogues. The slotted cranks could help to confirm the date alongside the tyres which others have identified, anyone know something about these cranks?

Clearly a keen club cyclist as the subject is wearing a cycling club cap, can we assume that the photo is contemporary with the bicycle? In my view this is reasonable as we may not expect a club cyclist to want a photograph of him seated on an outmoded machine.

I'm not any kind of expert on 1890s bicycles so I'm very happy to be corrected.

Stuart Lafferty

[HughMilner]

Since the bike has no brakes, does that infer a fixed wheel? I wonder if the records still exist for the Eastbourne Photographic Co? This would date the photo'. The semi-dropped handlebars are interesting but his posture must have been inefficient.

[Brucey]

here are some photos from the 1894 humber catalogue





racers used riding positions which were similar to those used on the 'ordinary' bicycle; good for power output, but bad for aerodynamics.

cheers

[HughMilner]

Thanks! The frames are so small, their knees are nearly fouling the handlebars, an attempt to save weight perhaps.

[Cycling UK Publicity]

Thank you all so much for your replies. This is really helpful.

[Bmblbzzz]

Is it known for sure that it's his machine rather than a photographic studio prop?