California Bicycle Museum

The high-wheel bicycle evolved from the boneshakers through two principal advances: The first incorporated design improvements spawned by boneshaker racing. Cyclists knew that a larger front wheel would be faster, and they discovered through experimentation that the rear wheel could be made smaller. The second area of innovation included manufacturing improvements through mass production in factories, metallurgy improvements with lighter and stronger steel tubing, and engineering advances—most notably the mechanized production of steel ball-bearings.

Although popular, the high-wheel bicycle did have a major design problem. With the rider perched high above the front wheel, any sudden stop could launch the rider forward and over the handlebars in a devastating crash that soon became known as a “header.” Designers attacked this problem by offering a treadle drive that would place the rider’s weight lower and further back. Tricycles and tandem tricycles (with chain drive) soon evolved as a safer alternative, and in 1880 the Star bicycle—also called the “safety high wheel”—placed the small wheel in the front of the machine to solve the header problem.

The two “spade grips” turn both of the small wheels to steer. The pedals drive the large 50” wheel only. Historian David Herlihy writes, “The three wheels traced only two tracks rather than the usual three, thereby reducing the chances that one of them would find an unsettling rut somewhere on the road. Moreover, the extended span of the two smaller wheels made for a very stable ride.” The Coventry Rotaries were the first bicycles to use an efficient chain with anti-friction bushings and rollers as found on modern bicycles and motorcycles.

Manufacturer: Coventry

Location: England

Museum Collection

University of California