This superb replica was built by Paul Knight, based on one of the few surviving examples of the CMC Spider on display at Brooklands Museum.
As with Paul’s other creations, the workmanship is superb and, as you can see in the video, the machine is ready to ride.
You can read about its history further down the page.
VIDEO: RIDING THE 1871 CMC SPIDER
COVENTRY MACHINISTS CO
Founded by James Starley and Josiah Turner, the Coventry Machinists’ Co was the world’s first major cycle manufacturer. It was a magnet for innovative engineers and designers, and its employees included many who went on to found their own cycle companies.
As well as Starley, there was his partner William Hillman who founded ‘Hillman, Herbert & Cooper’ makers of the Premier. William H Herbert of that partnership also worked at CMC. Others were Thomas Bayliss and John Thomas (Bayliss Thomas), George Gilbert (Centaur Cycle Co), George Singer (Singer Cycle Co), and John Icely Warman whose companies included Warman Laxman and Warman & Hazlewood: they made The Rival and also The ‘Triumph’ prior to the Triumph Cycle Co’s use of that name.
James Starley left CMC in November, 1870. After patenting the design for The Ariel with William Hillman he established his own company Smith, Starley & Co with William Hillman in 1871. The Ariel was licensed to his ex-foremen Haynes & Jefferis, who built and sold it.
While CMC’s Spider had been designed by James Starley before he left the company, it was produced and sold by CMC in competition with the Ariel. The first version (seen here) had a single rear fork blade, but the second pattern was a more conventional design with two.
WHEEL SPOKING
Paul explained: “The spokes are riveted at the rim and travel through the nipples at the hub, and are riveted on the other end of the nipples. The nipple thus acts on the spoke to true the wheels.
The driving wheel has lock nuts on the nipples to prevent them loosening. Quite often though the trailing wheels are not locknutted as they are not under the same loads .
This system was used by many manufacturers throughout the 1870s but gave way to direct spokes in the early 1880s.”
