DESIGNS: CONVERTIBLE SAFETY BICYCLES & TRICYCLES

In the cycle industry in the late 1880s the female market was initially hypothetical. So, rather than build bicycles exclusively for women, some companies hedged their bets and made the type of bicycle you see here …a ‘Convertible’. It was a man’s machine, but with the top tube unbolted a woman could ride it in her skirt.

However, the ‘Convertible’ was just a passing phase, a transitional model within the evolution of bicycles that was out of date almost before it was put onto the market. Because each year saw remarkable advances in frame technology, and as frames soon became lighter – and as women embraced the new hobby – companies started building bicycles designed only for women.