The 1901 Pierce Cushion frame Chainless was $75. But for an additional $5 a customer could add a New Departure coaster brake, stamped with the Pierce name.
Coaster brakes were still a novelty in the first few years of the century. The Pan-American Exposition took place in Buffalo, NY in 1901, so the Cushion-frame Chainless received a new name…
“…When combined with New Departure Hub Coaster Brake the models are known as PAN-AMERICAN SPECIALS.”
In 1902, Pierce introduced their unique spring fork. This additional option transformed the previous year’s Pan-American Special into a state-of-the-art machine with more features than any other bicycle in the USA.
1902 Pierce Chainless Cushion Frame Springfork
24″ Frame
28″ Wheels with tubeless US tyres
New Departure hubs (Pierce ND Coaster brake on the rear)
New Departure bell
Frame No 94344
(Now sold)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – In the first few years of the twentieth century, the buzzword among cycle manufacturers in Britain and the United States was ‘vibration.’ The first motor bicycles were hitting the road and there was a worry about the impact of their engines on the frames. Also frame strength and hard rides were mentioned in the press every now and then.
In Britain this resulted in spring frame and cross frame bicycles. In America, the industry responded to the challenge with sprung front forks and also the ‘cushion frame’, meaning there was a ‘shock absorber’ on the rear fork. Though it might not be immediately apparent from the pictures, it’s the entire rear triangle of the machine that is cushioned, with the fulcrum at the bottom bracket. The outer case is rigid to the frame, while the inner case rotates.
This was one of America’s top bicycles in the early 1900s. Its sale price of $80 was around £16 10/- in Britain. That’s the same as a single speed Dursley Pedersen but cheaper than a Raleigh X Frame, Centaur Featherweight or Quadrant Chainless, which were the most expensive bicycles in the world. By comparison, 1902 motor bicycles were around £45 and cars around £125.
This example is in remarkably well-preserved original condition, with little use during its lifetime. Everything works as it should and it’s ready to ride, to display …and to amaze anyone who sees it!
As you can see from the advertisement above and the chart below, the spring fork was introduced in 1902.
Apparently the 1902 Pierce catalogue also mentions that the company did not consider the coaster brake as supplied by New Departure to be good enough. So Pierce made it themselves under license, and on the arm securing it to the chainstay it has the Pierce name as well as New Departure. You can see more details further down the page.
THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION, BUFFALO, NY
1901 WORLD’S FAIR
The Pan-American Exposition was a World’s Fair held in Buffalo, New York, between 1 May and 2 November, 1901. The fair occupied 350 acres of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park.
1906 PIERCE CATALOGUE EXTRACTS
1902 STATE-OF-THE-ART CHAINLESS BICYCLES in USA & GB:
