c1900 Double Top Tube 29″ Eadie Track / Road Racer
Eadie 8-Bar Chainset
Inch Pitch
Geared to 104″
29″ Frame
28″ Wheels
(Now sold)
This fabulous racing bicycle has a tall 29″ frame, so it required a double top tube for extra strength. It’s of unknown manufacture, using Eadie components, and is set up for road or track use. Its previous owner covered many miles on it.
It’s much too tall for me, but I managed to mount from a low wall and wobble along with my toes at full stretch to touch the pedals. My dismount was not graceful 🙂
29″ frames were only made to special order, and are very rarely seen over a century later. This impressive example is ready to ride.
EADIE Mfg Co Ltd
Redditch, England
The company was acquired by Albert Eadie (who died 17 Apr. 1931) with other businessmen in November 1891 by the acquisition of George Townsend, & Co.
Eadie obtained the services of Robert Walker Smith, formerly of Daniel Rudge & Co, where he had been assistant manager, and now became works manager. Production continued at the Townsend premises at Givry Works, Hunt End, Redditch although the ‘Ecossais’ name was dropped and the model name ‘Enfield’ was first used from October 1892.
A new factory was laid down in 1896 at Lodge Road and Union Street, Redditch. On 25 June 1896 the company became the New Eadie Manufacting Co. Ltd and continued to make both components and complete machines, primarily for the trade. Eadie also formed the New Enfield Cycle Co. Ltd on 1 July 1896. The Eadie company marketed an eccentric chain adjuster in 1897 which others copied. The American ‘Morrow’ free wheel was made under licence from 1899. A cross and drop- frame machine was made from c.1901. The cross-frame had struts to the chainstays, similar to the Royal Enfield, and was probably the first with this design. In 1901 the New Beeston Cycle Co became defunct and the Eadie Manufacturing Co acquired the machinery to increase production of free wheels under licence from the James Cycle Co. Ltd.
A double cross frame was produced in 1901 which provided a very stiff mounting for the bracket. The ‘Fagan’ 2-speed hub was made under licence from 1903. The Eadie 2-speed coaster hub was made from 1905. The Eadie company was acquired by the Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd (BSA) in 1907.
BSA FITTINGS CHAINWHEEL CHART 1899-1908
Each ‘BSA Fittings’ bicycle is unique, though, due to the consistent standard of its components, its parts would be interchangeable with other ‘BSA Fittings’ machines.
As there are no records of machines built by the many small cycle companies who used BSA fittings, it is impossible to know the exact age of such a bicycle. However, we are able to date such a machine from its chainwheel.
This Eadie Fittings bicycle has an inch pitch 8-bar version of the first pattern chainwheel, current for BSA Fittings machines pre-1899. From this we can see that the pre-1899 BSA Fittings chainwheel was actually an Eadie product.
Chainrings up to 1899 had no more than 20 teeth and straight arms.
From 1899 to 1903 the chainring was detachable and had `Y` arms.
From 1904 to 1907 the arms took the form of an `X`(as on this bicycle).
From 1908 the letters BSA were included.
1900 BSA DOUBLE TOP TUBE & 1900 EADIE DOUBLE TOP TUBE
