Riveted Steel Trike

[velovia]

Hello to The Cabe crowd. I've been riding trikes and bikes since the 1950's but this is my first post to this Forum and I am happy to see a section for tricycles. Here's a trike I've had for a number of years but never knew much about it. Riveted steel, wood grips with brass ferrules, cardboard fiber(?) seat, steel cage pedals. I don't find any markings otherwise. Can anyone shed some light on age and manufacturer? My limited research puts it maybe into the early 1900's but when did riveted steel construction give way to welded tubular design in trikes (and bikes)?

 

[GiovanniLiCalsi]

Looks to be around 1880’s

 

[cr250mark]

Looks like early 1900 1910 Gendron pioneer possibly
Strap steel frame construction
Metal wheels with heavy gauge spokes.
Hard to see if Seat post is compression or straight steel construction.
All it’s characteristics point into that direction , era and manufacturer
Nice find.

 

[ridingtoy]

I'm guessing late 1800s to first decade of the 1900s. During that time period trikes were produced with both steel wheel and rubber tire options, with the rubber tires being narrow and thin like these. Tough to pinpoint a manufacturer if the name is no longer on the frame because there were several makers back then that were building similarly designed trikes. It amazes me sometimes how any of these children's ride on toys survived for over 100 years between battling the elements and escaping being melted down during wartime scrap metal drives.

The latest catalog page I've ever seen where the strap type frame tricycle was offered was 1937...a Toledo Standard trike. Though by that date the tire material used was a larger diameter than this one has.

Dave

 

[velovia]

Thanks everyone. The seatpost is straight steel going through a cross-brace with a square head set screw.