The Victor Safety, which was new in 1887, has taken a veryn high place in the estimation of riders …It was not less than a sensation – a genuine surprise to old riders; and its many practical good qualities have so firmly established it that there is no room fr doubt that it will hold its own against all comers.
As fast as any, absolutely safe, and well adapted for night and rough riding, it is a successful combination of qualities long desired. Old men have fund it a tractable and profitable steed, and it has delighted and captivated those who had formerly held aloof from cycling. This machine, like most of our products, differs from all others. It is one of the articles of our faith never to make blind copies.
As the wheels are small the vibration is great. To compensate for this we have introduced a spring fork which absorbs the vibration, and, in effect, carries with it its own good road …We would urge wheelmen to ride a Victor Safety, and then try a similar machine, without a spring fork, and note the difference. It will tell its own tale.
– 1888 Victor sales catalogue
1887 The Victor Safety Cross frame Springfork
22.5″ Frame
30″ Wheels
(Now sold)
When the Premier safety bicycle made its debut in England in February, 1886, it completely revolutionised the world’s cycle market. Other manufacturers quickly got to work designing their own versions. The Overman Wheel Co, one of America’s leading cycle makers, went one better – their new safety bicycle had a sprung front fork.
However, by the end of 1886 they had apparently still not quite completed its design – their announcement in December of that year in The Bicycling World did not carry an illustration of it …the assumption being that they were still working on it.
Overman was keen to incorporate all the new innovations in their safety bicycle, but English companies were moving so fast it must have been hard to keep up to date. They linked up with William Bown, patentee of ball bearings, and by 1888 the spring fork in Victor Safeties had four ball bearing to improve its functionality. In return Wm Bown built his own version of the springfork to sell in Britain, which he named the Aeolus Victor.
The crossframe version of the Victor Springfork which was launched in 1887 was only built for one year. It served its purpose to test the spring fork and establish a market for the Victor, but it was really a prototype, and in tests it did not corner well because the front fork was straight. So, in 1888, it was superseded by a ‘Rover style’ open frame Victor Safety fitted with an updated version of their spring fork.
The machine presented here has a rear brake, which is a remarkable innovation for 1887. Its spade handlebars are another unique design feature. It’s in excellent all round condition and ready to ride.
The Victor Springfork captured the public imagination at the time and 14 decades later remains America’s most iconic bicycle, much sought-after by collectors. This first (Crossframe) version is extremely rare and is the ultimate Victor Springfork Safety.
1888 OVERMAN VICTOR CATALOGUE EXTRACTS
Wm BOWN’S VERSION OF THE VICTOR SPRING FORK
PHOTO LOCATION: LEWES CASTLE
