Saddle Development 1900s to 1940s Patents and Ads

[dnc1]

What remains of my 1898 "Quadrant" (Coventry,
England) saddle.
Ladies pattern model.
It features 20 individual, small, coil springs and square section rails requiring a special clamp.
Top view.....

Bottom view.....

Side view.....

It's missing the original top cover.
Here's what the only other known example looks like......

I've never seen another design like it.

Great thread @Miq.

And apologies, I can find neither patent or ads that clearly show the saddle construction and design.

 

[Miq]

Thanks @SoBayRon and @dnc1!

The individual coil springs in your TOC saddle are great @dnc1. They would make some of the mattresses I’ve slept on jealous. Thank you for the pics and info about it.

I love seeing all the different methods people have designed for loosely coupling your rear end to two wheels. We’ve been trying different solutions for a couple of centuries now, so there’s lots of different approaches.

 

[Miq]

1930 Troxel Parts List

Interesting to see how the parts were named. Cushion Spring vs Spiral Spring...

 

[Miq]

@Jesse McCauley posted this interesting Persons Sterling design with side by side springs and a great saddle ad in his sale here.

This Sterling saddle matches the Persons patent from 1914

Thanks Jesse for posting the first example and ad for this design that I've seen!

 

[bud poe]

Great thread I’ve been hoping for something that compiled all this info into one place, thanks!

 

[bud poe]

@Jesse McCauley ’s saddle?
“PAN-DANDY”

 

[Miq]

@bud poe that Pan-Dandy looks like it matches the patent I showed but @Jesse McCauley 's Sterling saddle has a round nose coil spring. I hadn't noticed that before. Do you know what year the ad you posted was made?

 

[bud poe]

@bud poe that Pan-Dandy looks like it matches the patent I showed but @Jesse McCauley 's Sterling saddle has a round nose coil spring. I hadn't noticed that before. Do you know what year the ad you posted was made?

@Miq It’s from the 1916 Morley Brothers catalog posted on page 1 of this thread. Something I learned is that the long drop springs showed up as early as 1906, I always thought they were a teen’s innovation.

 

[Jesse McCauley]

Been a while since this invaluable thread got some new posts so I thought I would share some current research I'm undertaking.
I have been trying to narrow down the identity of a saddle chassis of mine with the help of @lgrinnings I'm down to distinguishing between the ca. 1914 - 1915 model Mesinger saddles.

The distinct 'center compression' arrangement of this era of Mesinger is distinct in a number of ways. The support for the base of the spring is distinct as well as the use of a sleeve and leather washer which is meant to prevent metal to metal contact within the springs.
I have dug up some literature that I thought would be appreciated here.
Both the bicycle and motorcycle Mesinger saddles of this period utilize the same tech as shown.

 

[SKPC]

In 1892, Elyria, Ohio, businessman Arthur Garford purchased the Fay Manufacturing Company. Founded by Winslow L. Fay in 1885, the Fay Manufacturing Company produced bicycles and equipment to improve roads for bicycle use. In 1892, Garford renamed the business the Garford Manufacturing Company. Bicycles had become very popular by the late nineteenth century, but roads were very rocky and bumpy, making riding a bicycle somewhat uncomfortable. Garford's bicycle seat, known as the Garford Saddle, made bicycles more enjoyable to ride. Within a few years of establishing the Garford Manufacturing Company, Garford's firm was manufacturing more than one million seats per year.
By the early 1900s, Garford had amassed a sizable fortune from the Garford Manufacturing Company. Garford eventually sold this company to George Worthington, who renamed the firm the Worthington Manufacturing Company. In 1917, Fred Colson became president of the Worthington Company and renamed the firm the Colson Company. The Colson Company manufactured bicycles, scooters, and tricycles in Elyria. The Colson Company continued to manufacture its products until 1953, when the Evans Company, centered in Plymouth, Michigan, acquired the Colson Company.