1894 Rover Road Racer
21″ Frame
28″ Wheels
Fixed wheel
Frame No 3416
This rare Rover with an upward sloping top tube was made from 1893 to 1895, when it was superseded by a horizontal top tube model, which became the fashion in Britain in that year. This left cycle manufacturers with vast amounts of stock of this earlier pattern frame. Customers in Britain were very fashion conscious and many customers traded in their old cycles to buy the latest design. But in the export markets – primarily Europe and The Commonwealth – customers preferred older models at cheaper prices. So the leading British cycle makers dumped their old stock abroad. Most went to France and Australia.
This example comes from France, assembled at the Starley depot at 52 Rue de Dunkerque, Paris. As it has a front brake and mudguard fittings, it’s most likely to be the Rover Light Roadster / Rover Legere de Route, with its mudguards removed to turn it into a road racer, a popular option in France.
However, as you can see below its chainwheel is a racing one: it has castellated teeth with holes drilled into the centres to reduce its weight. It’s a very lightweight machine – I weighed it and it comes in at 31 lbs 6 oz.
It was restored several decades ago. I know the previous owner, and he used it for long rides over the years. However, he did not know it was a Rover! It was identified by my friend Andrew Heaps when he saw it in my garage: he pointed out that the triangular ends on the chain-stay and seat-stay bridge are a Rover feature. This rare machine is a fast lightweight road bike in good all round condition and ready to ride.
REPLICA BADGE FOR 1894 ROVER
SEAT-STAY BRIDGE & CHAIN-STAY BRIDGE
FRAME No (TOP OF STEERING HEAD)
WHEEL RIMS
