1910 Woods Road Racer (Dublin, Ireland)

1910 Woods Road Racer

Sold by T.G Woods Cycle Co, 11 Parliament St, Dublin

22″ Frame

28 x 1/2″ Wheels

Fixed wheel

(Now sold)

It’s not often we come across a bicycle made in Ireland, as there were only a few companies there building their own cycles and most were imported from Britain. I’d never heard of Woods Cycle Co before, but I did manage to research them in the 1911 Dublin census. As T.G Woods is listed as a cycle agent rather than builder, my assumption is that he bought in components from the British cycle trade to assemble bicycles for the local market.

The machine itself is superb. It has an American style drop frame to accommodate riders with shorter legs. The solid front fork crown reminds me of a similar one used by Humber in the late 1890s, while the triangular flash on the side of the fork crown is reminiscent of Quadrant c1899. I’ve seen that chainwheel design before, but I can not place it at the moment. It will come to me in due course. The  joint between the bb and the chain stays is unusual (see below).

Meanwhile, the Woods is in good original unrestored condition. The tread pattern on the rear tyre shows it to be from the same era as the bicycle. It has been in my friend’s storage for several decades, so a tyre change would be a good idea if it is to be ridden over any distance. Nevertheless, they pump up OK and it’s ready to ride.