After the turn of the century, many new inventions for bicycle brakes were patented. American bicycles used coaster brakes, while British and French bicycles were fitted with a wide variety of different braking mechanisms for rear wheels. Common types included band brakes and rod operated back-pedal brakes, before rod or cable operated rim brakes became the dominant style to be adopted by the industry.
This interesting and elegant foot-operated sprung rim brake is unique. Presumably it was not generally used because it is so much more elaborate than the simple rim brakes that dominated by 1910. It would have been to expensive to manufacture. It is now an extremely rare item ..the only example I’ve seen.
1900-1905 Alcyon
with Rear Foot Brake
24″ Frame
28″ Wheels
My friend Tony has owned this bicycle for over ten years. He’s now 82 years old, and has decided to rationalise his collection. He asked me to sell a few of his bikes, so I am advertising his 1910 Lea Francis and this machine, his Alcyon with unique rear foot brake. I don’t know the provenance and exact age of the bicycle, but I assume it to have been manufactured in the first years of the 20th century.
It is superb to ride. My friend Ed visited me to pick up a bike the day after I’d collected Tony’s machines. As they were on my van, Ed and I were curious so we took them for a spin along Rottingdean seafront. You can see the videos I took of each.
BELLE EPOQUE CYCLE POSTERS
Many of the French Belle Epoque cycle company posters are now reproduced and sold by poster companies online. If you are lucky enough to have a French bicycle of this era that featured in a poster designed by one of France’s top artists, it’s an excellent piece of ate to frame or display alongside the bicycle.
