The ‘ordinary’ (penny farthing) bicycle revolutionized personal transportation. However, its use was limited to younger gentlemen with a degree of athletic prowess.
In 1884, William Hillman’s patent for the ‘Kangaroo’ had chains and pedals in the front wheel, allowing a smaller wheel to be geared up. With this smaller machine, a rider was much less likely to fall in a ‘header’ and suffer a major injury. As a result, the market for bicycles increased greatly. Hillman, Herbert & Cooper benefitted from a high volume of sales, sufficiently so for Hillman to take cycle evolution an important stage further two years later and introduce the first cross-frame safety bicycle with the chain driving the rear wheels.
In America, Colonel Pope was very interested in every new innovation from Britain and, observing the popularity of the Kangaroo, decided to build his own version that avoided Hillman’s patent. However, events – and the speed of cycle evolution – worked against him. Because by the time he had it ready for sale, in 1886, Hillman’s new safety bicycle was on the market and that was now the novelty bicycle that everyone wanted.
As a result Columbia’s Kangaroo was only listed in their 1886 and 1887 catalogues and then quietly forgotten. Colonel Pope soon had his own new chain-driven safety bicycle ready to compete with the machines being imported from England for resale in the USA.
The 1886 Columbia Safety is interesting historically because it was the first American application of a chain drive bicycle.
This replica is another fabulous creation from master craftsman Paul Knight. He has based it loosely on the Columbia, but made various improvements to the drive such as using opposed tapered roller bearings (which were not invented until 1898). You can adjust the chain, if required, by undoing the two front nuts and holding down the pedal crank. Paul said he’d road-tested it over 30 miles and nothing needed adjusting or tightening.
WILLIAM HILLMAN had worked with Starley at Coventry Machinsts’ Co and both went on to form companies that greatly influenced the cycle industry. Hillman’s patent for the ‘Kangaroo’ lever-operated ordinary was the first ‘safety bicycle.’ As you can see from this (censored) example of Victorian pornography, it captured the public imagination.
1886 COLUMBIA CATALOGUE EXTRACTS
Here’s an original one for comparison. It sold in a 2013 Copake auction for $17,250 (plus commission?)
