1880s boneshaker at my local historical society

[bricycle]

Some Museums may research their displays, but a lot of them just go off what the donor says it seems. When I collected Antique outboards I really had to laugh at the displays plaques verbage.

 

[corbettclassics]

I have been involved in old bikes for over 50 years , that bike even if it was made local , is a piece of junk ,not road worthy , not worth anything , no historical value etc.if you look at a real Michaux or other maker , you will see the fine detail , these early bikes are not made like a garden ornament ,

I think you're somewhat right Walter regarding the fine detail of a Michaux for instance. The Michaux is a completely different unit than a Hanlon. Michaux is a classy looking machine but a Hanlon was ( is ) a circus bike all stripped down for their acrobatic tricks. Also, a real Hanlon can command the same price as a Michaux if it's the right one.

This bike could also be a Witty ( doubtful though ), a Brownel or even a Sawyer. They are all similar in appearance but all based off the Hanlon design. I'll post pics later ..

 

[bikebozo]

You can be the expert , I do not care!

 

[OldSkipTooth]

My local Historical Society has some chairs they say are circa 1910, I’m the only antique dealer in town and I use to restore for a living, I tried to tell them they were made in the 1940’s, but they prefer to hold onto the better sounding story so I gave up!

 

[OldSkipTooth]

LOL... now it’s urgent!

 

[redline1968]

Got to say My vote is a reproduction...China made......not real

 

[corbettclassics]

You can be the expert , I do not care!

Walter ....... "YOU" were being the "Expert" here by saying - "It's a piece of junk, it's not worth anything, it has no historical value etc" ............ all I ask: PLEASE explain why - so this way we can all better understand these machines. I really look forward to your write-up.

Please remember -- I "only said" that it looks like a Hanlon - or could possibly be a "Witty" ( doubtful though ), a "Brownel" or even a "Sawyer" as they are all very similar and usually these are mistaken for a Hanlon. Maybe you know more about these than I do Walter so again .... PLEASE explain as I always love to learn more about the Hanlon Brothers and their patent on this style machine. Plus, let us all know about the reproductions they have made from this particular style and of course, why these Hanlon's are junk and have no historical value!

Also remember: a Hanlon was a bare bones circus bike for tricks. A Hanlon is much rarer than any Pierre Michaux and most people not familiar with these early Boneshakers will always refer to a Michaux and not a Hanlon because they don't know much about Boneshakers .... except the word Michaux. I also agree that a Michaux was a fancy looking machine. My Boneshaker was sold to me as a Michaux but it wasn't one. But he knew the word Michaux well!

Also - I found it interesting in your expert opinion you mention to look at a Michaux to see fine detail as a comparison to this unit. You said that this style is made like a garden ornament! Again, as I said before, you can't really compare a Michaux with a Hanlon. ( how you could compare a Michaux to a Hanlon baffles me unless maybe you're not sure what a Hanlon type machine really is and what they were used for. Wouldn't this would be like comparing a Bowden Spaclelander or a Pee Wee Herman bike with all those bells and whistles to a regular old track bike! )

In the end:
I really hope we can see more photos of this bike by the original person who posted this thread. We definitely need to see more photos and then maybe I'll post Hanlon machines, the history of the Hanlon Brothers, replica Boneshakers etc.. and help people better understand the world of this very early iron. Some think they are reproduction and China made ( and also not real ). These people usually are very inexperienced in the bicycle hobby and don't really know much about the early beginnings of the term bicycle and can easily mistake real history for fake. Maybe the bike posted in the museum is a reproduction so lets see some more photos and some explanations about these machine by those real experts.

Kindly

 

[corbettclassics]

And here's a couple of other pictures of the bike for those interested:

Enjoy

 

[Freqman1]

Ok way out of my comfort zone here but I would assume the Hanlon had no sort of pedal mechanism? I would like to learn more about these and some of the nuances between the different manufacturers. V/r Shawn

 

[bricycle]

All I can say about it is the Museum doesn't care much about it, as it appears they spent all of 10-15 minutes stringing it up there. Horrible display.