Photos of Late 19th-Century Bicycle Clubs Riding Their Penny-Farthings Around the Bay Area | Slate
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By
Philip Skocich
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The California Historical Society recently posted a batch of cycling-themed imagesfrom their collections on Flickr. While some of the ephemera is gorgeous (and don’t miss this studio portrait of “Miss Valentine Conwell, age 3 year and 4 months, the youngest cyclist in the world”), I like these photographs of groups of cyclists on outings best. While some of these images are undated, almost every cyclist pictured has a high-wheel bicycle, a type of bike with a big leading front wheel and a smaller stabilizing rear wheel. These were commonly used in the late 1870s and the 1880s, before the invention of the so-called “safety” bicycle in the early ‘90s. (This cyclists’ map of California, published in 1896 and bordered by advertisements for cycle-dependent businesses, shows the explosion in popularity that came with that advance.) Bicycle clubs formed in the late nineteenth century were social organizations, meant to bring together people with interests in the new sport. Historian Evan Frisstold the New York Times’ J. David Goodman in 2010 that late 19th-century bike clubs tended to divide themselves by race, class, and ethnicity. While some clubs did include women (Goodman points to the Cycle Club of Brooklyn, for example), none of the images in this collection show female cyclists in the midst of their California counterparts.
“Cyclists after ride from Oakland to Mission San Jose to Sunol Train Home,” June 20, 1886.
Undated, with no identifying information. Note the boy in the right, who seems to be photographing the photographer.
Undated, with no identifying information. Here, you can see parasols attached to high-wheelers, as well as a tuckered-out cyclist in the left foreground, lounging with his head in his friend’s lap while his friend wields a fan.
“San Francisco Bicycle Club on San Leandro Road between San Leandro and Milpitas; H.A. Greene, Captain.” Undated.
“Bicyclists in front of Isaac L. Requa residence, Highland Avenue and Hazel Lane, Piedmont, Calif.,” undated, photograph by the firm of Rieman & Pray. Requa, a prominent businessman with interests in railroads and mines, was a pillar of Oakland society.
Now AAA members are eligible to have their bicycle transported by AAA in WA, OR, ID and BC BELLEVUE, Wash. (June 26, 2012) – On July 1, AAA Washington will begin providing its more than one million members in Washington and northern Idaho emergency bicycle service. AAA members now have membership benefits that cover them on their bicycle in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. AAA Washington’s new bicycle service works exactly like its emergency road service for vehicles. A member with a disabled bicycle due to mechanical failure calls the AAA hotline (800-‐AAA-‐HELP) and AAA will dispatch service. The member and their bicycle will be transported to a safe location within the distance their membership level allows: Classic – 5 miles, Plus – 100 miles, or Premier – 200 miles. “We are excited to extend our legendary emergency road service to bicycles,” said John Milbrath, vice president of Member Services for AAA Washington. “People who live in the Northwest are avid
In July of 2006 a few of my friends joined me on an inaugural bike tour of West Virginia. I spent that winter planning a variety of routes through the Monongahela National Forest, and this would be our first of many weekend tours in the Mid-Atlantic Region. An early morning departure from the Pittsburgh area had us loading up the trailers high atop Spruce Knob . The starting point for this 60-mile mixed-touring loop was the Big Run/Allegheny trailhead off Route 112. Heading clockwise, we utilized forest roads, rail-trails, and paved roads. The reality of pulling our belongings behind us set in as we headed down the dusty and rolling forest road, quickly understanding why West Virginia is known as "The Mountain State." Soon we were treated to one of many mountain vistas. After rolling onto pavement (Route 28), we climbed over Allegheny Mountain and coasted into our campsite for the evening -- Island Campground , situated on the banks of the East Fork of the Greenbrier
Nearly 30 years ago, J. David Rhoades had a unique idea – to design and market a 4-wheel bicycle that everyone could enjoy. He appropriately named it the Rhoades Car... http://www.rhoadescar.com/rcar/index.shtml
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