The Birth of the Bicycle by Nick Clayton

Author:Nick Clayton [Clayton, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw
Publisher: Amberley Publishing
Published: 2016-07-10T22:00:00+00:00

The 1878 Salvo with Starley’s balance gear provided his lasting memorial.

The 1886 Humber-style tricycles broke many records and a few bones as well.

The Humber Cripper direct steerer eventually became the style of choice.

Young Jackson in the monocycle, 1870.

MONOCYCLES

Jackson’s 1870 monocycle was certainly not the first, nor was it to be the last. At a time when the long-term possibility of two or three wheels was being debated, logic suggested that one wheel would incur less friction than two. It was proposed that a large diameter wheel would reduce rolling resistance and that manoeuvring would be easier with only one point of contact with the road. Jackson announced a demonstration run from Paris to Versailles on 18 July 1870. Unfortunately, he had wounded his knee and his son had to stand in. ‘Sitting like a squirrel in a cage’, the fourteen-year-old bravely completed the 7-km journey in a creditable half an hour, but war was declared that same week and Jackson and his son fled the country. The machine ended up in a Birmingham café, grinding coffee, but it was not the end for monocycles. They have regularly appeared in the patent record almost every decade since and Jackson replicas, with whirling lights, thrilled the crowds at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The monocycle may be the future, but for the present two-wheels are still preferred by the majority.

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