Turn of the Century Ideas

[fordsnake]

This 1890 invention is what started this search...created by George M. Hendee several years before his Indian bicycle, when he was employed with the Hubert Bros in New York as the bicycle department manager.

 

[rustyspoke66]

Thanks for the great thread!

 

[sqrly]

sqrly, I know what you mean, flip through this 530 page book written in 1869. Check out the physics and the science that goes into riding a bicycle. http://archive.org/stream/bicyclestricycl01shargoog#page/n9/mode/1up

Im pretty sure that is the book that I got a reprint of when I was 16, or something very similar, like a second or third edition. Still dont understand it all in depth, but after countless hours reading and rereading it, most of it makes sense. I still doubt centripetal effect of the wheels has much to do with balance.

 

[fattommy]

Great stuff. I saw that big wheel on a you tube the other day and thought it was a new idea. The thing rocked forward a lot when he was braking, but it went, that's for sure. Thanks for putting everything up there so we can all enjoy it.

 

[fordsnake]

I still doubt centripetal effect of the wheels has much to do with balance?

Right, but if you take into account, this was written at the height (pun intended) of the penny farthing; the size of the wheel, by the height of the man, by the revolution of the wheel should determined the travel of the bike, or how long it'll take before you lose your balance and fall off that darn high wheel?

Here's a cool sprocket for you... I think it was shared here on the CABE recently?

 

[GiovanniLiCalsi]

Love that chainring!

 

[fordsnake]

Here's another chainring that's cool...this is a Hendee & Nelson sprocket, and predates the Indian bicycle. This cross bar chainring was used on the early and late Silver Kings.

When compared to the photos of Steve McQueens Hendee & Nelson Silver King, it illustrates his bike had the wrong sprocket.

 

[sqrly]

You have no idea how many questions that ad just answered! Fantastic info. Thankyou for including that. Btw, that is currently my #1 most desired sprocket. If anybody has one, any condition, let me know. It used to be my #2, but I got my racycle pacemaker sprocket, so this one up to the top.

Even in the book they say that centripetal force is quite low and has little effect in balance. But it is there and does help with riding no handed to some degree, but it is more pronounced at higher speeds. I studied how the tire contact moves as you turn the handlebars and lean the bike. Really hard to wrap your brain around that stuff. There were come crazy smart people in the 1800's.

I think the thing that surprizes me the most about 1800's bicycles, is they wernt invented sooner. With all the tech in sailing, clocks, wind/water power, farm machinery, musical instruments, etc., I would have thought bicycles would have been around in some form a thousand years earlier. Blacksmithing, woodworking and chariots were far past infancy 2000 years ago.

 

[sqrly]

Somewhere I have seen that silver king tooth profile. I cant remember where now, I will have to look for it.

 

[decotriumph]

19the Century Manufacturing

Thanks, Fordsnake, for posting these items and starting this thread. The quality and innovation of late 19th century manufacturing is a fascinating study. The more I see of TOC bicycles, the more I am drawn to them.