A peek into the past
- By Caley Fretz
- Published Jan. 3, 2012
- Updated Jan. 5, 2012 at 1:39 AM EDT
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Old Spokes Home
Old Spokes Home in Burlington, Vermont. Photo: Caley Fretz
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D.H. F Premier
On the left, circa 1883, the D.H.F Premier sported a 58" drive wheel and double hollow front fork. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Top of the stairs
The view at the top of the stairs. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Hickory
My personal favorite: Old Hickory. Made using layers of laminated bent hickory, with wheels that use spiral twisted "sparkle" spokes that would catch the sunligth and twinkel as the rider cruised past. Even the bottom bracket shell and fork are built of bent wood. The lugs are just fantastic. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Hickory
Absolutely gorgeous. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Hickory
Old Hickory. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Hickory
I believe this is a magnesium lantern. Safety first! Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Hickory
Bent wood fork on Old Hickory. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Hickory
The twisted "sparkle" spokes. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Pierce Cushion Frame Chainless
Two interesting things going on here: first, suspension. Note the mono shock above the seatstays. It also uses a leafspring fork. Second, it uses a very cool drive shaft in place of the right chain stay with a bevel gear at each end. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Pierce Cushion Frame Chainless
Rear mono-shock. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Pierce Cushion Frame Chainless
Drive shaft. Pretty cool for 1902. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Pierce Cushion Frame Chainless
Leaf spring fork. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Tri-dem
Yep, that's three saddles you see. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Tri-dem
Skip-tooth, one-sided chains used on the three person bike. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Co. Parisien
An all-metal machine from 1873, this "transitional velocipede" was built by the leading French manufacturer at the time, Co. Parisien. It has a rear mounting step, wire spoked wheels, and rubber tires. From this point onwards all wooden velocipedes were called "Boneshakers" due to their wagon-type wheels. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Co. Parisien
Front wheel. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Co. Parisien
A bit of suspension for the saddle. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Co. Parisien
The Co. Parisien, from 1873. Photo: Caley Fretz
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J.J. Stassen Nonpareil
A 54" high wheel by London maker John Issaac Stassen. It was considered state of the art at the time, and was the preferred mount of the London Bicycle Club. Stassen is credited with coining the term "bicycle" in one of his advertisments for velocipedes. Photo: Caley Fretz
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J.I. Stassen
The brake moved to the tire on this model. Photo: Caley Fretz
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J.I. Stassen
A model similar to this one rode from Bath to London in 8 hours, covering 108 miles, a feat unheard of for 1874.
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Pony Star
Photo: Caley Fretz
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Pony Star
Levers for pedals. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Pony Star
HB Smith Co. 42 Pony Star, 1889. The Star moved the small wheel to the front, and used levers to drive forward. Both levers could be compressed simultaneously for a burst of speed or could be "galloped" like a horse. As as result, the Pony Star won many hill climb competitions. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Spokes Home
Part of the collection. Photo: Caley Fretz
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Old Spokes Home
A bit of information about each machine. Photo: Caley Fretz
FILED UNDER: Gallery
Caley Fretz
Caley came on board with the VN tech department in September 2010. Beyond his journalistic pursuits, Caley is a category 1 road, 'cross and track racer, and pro mountain biker.















