1903 BSA Fittings Machine THE SCOUT
24″ Frame
28″ Wheels
Palmer Buccaneer tyre
ex-Science Museum
A year ago, I received a notification from The Science Museum, offering to lend a variety of vintage bicycles under certain conditions to other museums Last month I was able to buy three of them. I’m not sure of the ethics of The Science Museum disposing of bicycles in its care. Despite them having the most interesting collection of historic bicycles in the country, they show little interest in them and the majority are in permanent storage rather than on display. Unfortunately they also seem to know little about them. I’m not sure if they lost the acquisition records or are just disorganized.
This BSA Fittings Machine is in superb original unrestored condition. Baz has stripped and serviced it, and while cleaning the Eadie coaster he found markings on it that denote it to be from 1903, the first year of production. The fittings on the BSA were produced between 1899 and 1903 (at a time when BSA only supplied parts for other companies to build complete machines). So that has been a useful way to confirm its age. The front tyre is a Palmer Buccaneer in good inflatable condition. I couldn’t see a name on the rear tyre, which is also old with some sidewall cracks, but also inflates. The grips appear to have had protective tape around them for many decades, so I left them like that. I love bicycles of this era in original preserved condition with original transfers (decals). If you share this enthusiasm, I hope you enjoy my photographs of it.
SCIENCE MUSEUM: NOTIFICATION TO BRITISH MUSEUMS
FIRST YEAR FOR THE EADIE COASTER BRAKE
SCOUT MOTORS of SALISBURY
Even before the formation of the Boy Scout movement, ‘Scout’ was a popular name for a bicycle. It has not been possible to find proof yet as to which of the various firms using the name supplied this bicycle, but one possibility is the Salisbury firm of Dean & Burden Brothers at Excelsior Works in the Friary. This firm was founded in 1902, and became Scout Motors in 1904.
