1910 Labor Tour de France Single Fork

1910 Labor Tour de France Single Fork

(Now sold)

The trussbridge bicycle design was already a big hit in France after the American cycling champion Major Taylor rode an Iver Johnson trussbridge to win races in France in the early 1900s. As a result, Labor started making trussbridge frames under license from IJ, and they proved very popular at velodromes. But one of the most important features of racing machines is light weight, and cycle manufacturers constantly strived to find ways to reduce weight. Thinner tubing and wooden wheel rims were often employed, though there’s a fine balance between frame lightness and frame strength as the cycles are obviously ridden hard during races so stress points become obvious much sooner.

The idea of a single fork and stays was not new. The 1889 Invincible crossframe safety had an offset frame plus single fork and rear stays. And before that the Coventry Machinists’ Co Spider, built in 1871, had a single rear fork. But neither was as elegant as the Labor whose execution of the feature has become a design classic.