Lea-Francis made the world’s most exclusive bicycles. This Lady’s model features the early style of handlebar, soon to be superseded by the concealed roller lever style. According to the marque specialist “it is on the cusp of the change to the concealed brake levers in the handlebars introduced for the 1903 season.”
He has a record of frame number 9417 being delivered on Jan 28th 1903. With an output in the region of 20 machines a week he reckons this bicycle was made around 4 months earlier.