1905 No 2 Aero Special Rudge-Whitworth

 

 

 

 

Rudge-Whitworth were rightly proud of their royal connection, which allowed them to display the statement ‘By Special Appointment to His Majesty King Edward and H.R.H The Prince of Wales’ in their adverts and catalogues.

But until I took a close-up photo of the royal coat of arms on the down tube of this 1905 Rudge-Whitworth, I had not appreciated the ornate design of the emblem.

 

1905 No 2 Aero Special Rudge-Whitworth

Fagan Two-Speed Gear

 Rudge-Whitworth ‘No 701’ Leather Saddle

24″ Frame

28″ Wheels: Beaded Edge Aluminium ‘Roman’ Rims

Frame No 312774

 

 

 

RUDGE-WHITWORTH: 1905 CATALOGUE EXTRACTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNUSUAL INFLATOR PUMP MOUNTS

 

 

 

RUDGE-WHITWORTH: CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAGAN TWO-SPEED GEAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TO SEE THE

1904 ROYAL ENFIELD GIRDER LIGHTWEIGHT

with

FRAME-MOUNTED FAGAN GEAR TRIGGER

PLEASE CLICK HERE

RUDGE-WHITWORTH CLEAR CELLULOID GEARCASE

 

RUDGE-WHITWORTH: PARTS & ACCESSORIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the earliest surviving British film advertisements is for Rudge-Whitworth bicycles. It’s a silent 30 second commercial which would have been shown before the main feature.

95% of cycle makers kept prices high. A few years before, R-W had stunned their competitors by dropping their prices. Now they launched a lightweight range of bicycles – the Aero Special – and became the world’s leading cycle manufacturers.

The chap in this advert is complaining about his Raleigh, and he then discovers a lady’s R-W Aero Special is much lighter than his bike. Was it a joke? Or a personal dig at Frank Bowden of Raleigh Cycle Co, Rudge’s main competitor?

See it here – https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-rudge-whitworth-britains-best-bicycle-1902-online