1906 Dursley Pedersen Lady's A1 Model (Nickel plated)

1906 Dursley Pedersen Lady’s A1 Model (Nickel plated)

1906 Dursley Pedersen Lady’s A1 Model

Nickel plated frame and parts

Dursley Pedersen 3-speed gear No 18357

19″ Frame

26″ Wheels

Standover Height: 29″ to bottom of seat post.

32″ to top of saddle with seat post in lowest position. It’s currently raised by 3″ which suits me with a 31″ inseam.

Frame No 3324A

A nickel finish was an option on the Dursley Pedersen. It is my understanding that for a certain period (most likely until the company was taken over by Lister) all the models were nickelled prior to painting, so rubbing down the paint could produce the same finish. The nickel on this example is worn in places, so in my opinion this is a rare surviving example of a model supplied in nickel.

It’s in good working order, having been ridden by its previous owner on a number of events over the years. She sold it to me because she no longer uses it. The saddle is the correct Pedersen type, with a leather cover on top to prevent damage to the string. The mudguards are a later addition and it also has a front carrier.

Its frame style is similar to the A1 Model ridden by Mikael Pedersen’s wife Dagmar in the photograph below. On most lady’s models there were extra frame tubes to support the front of the seat, while mine is very interesting because it has just a single seat tube without extra bracing. It was obviously built in this way, as the seat stay is substantial and there’s no sign of extra tubes at the rear dropout. By 1905 the company had run out of money and had been taken over by Lister. In my opinion, this was an experimental model built with a saddle that would also fit conventional bicycles so it could be marketed separately.

My inseam is 31″ and I rode it with the seat post extended upwards by 3 inches. So with the seat post in its lowest setting it would suit someone with a 28″ inseam, meaning it’s the equivalent of a normal bicycle with a 19 inch frame. This would make it the ‘A1’ model. I’ve previously owned several Lady’s Royal Roadsters, but I’ve never seen this model before and I wonder if there are any other surviving examples for comparison?

When I rode it, the saddle support felt adequate and it was a pleasure to cruise around on such a unique machine.