A considerable degree of athleticism was needed to ride a velocipede and the ordinary (‘penny farthing’) that followed it. In the late 1870s, inventors started experimenting with bicycles motivated by a chain to the rear wheel. A prototype was produced by Harry Lawson, and BSA and Rover built their own improved versions, but they were cumbersome. The first successful ‘safety bicycle’ to hit the market was Hillman, Herbert & Cooper’s ‘The Premier’ in 1886. It completely revolutionised cycling and the cycle trade…