Search results
People also ask
Did James Starley make a bicycle?
What did James Starley invent?
Who is James Starley?
Where did John Starley live?
James Starley (21 April 1830 – 17 June 1881) was an English inventor and father of the bicycle industry. He was one of the most innovative and successful builders of bicycles and tricycles. His inventions include the differential gear, the perfection of the bicycle chain drive, and the penny-farthing.
Apr 17, 2024 · His first bicycle, the Coventry, was quickly followed by the Ariel (1871), notable for its use of centre pivot steering. Considered the first true bicycle by many historians, the Ariel was the immediate precursor of the high-wheel ordinary and was the standard of bicycle design for the next decade.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
James Starley is today remembered as one of the most important figures in the early history of bicycle. His exploits, ingenuity and business sense enabled him to become the “father of the bicycle industry” and one of the most successful bicycle inventors and builders of his 19th century.
Starley had formerly worked with his uncle James Starley (father of the cycle trade) who began in manufacturing sewing machines and switched to bicycles in 1869. In the early 1880s the cycles available were the relatively dangerous penny-farthings and high-wheel tricycles.
As I’m sure you already know, Starley’s Rover was the first model of safety bicycle to hit the road. Below you can see what I actually purchased. I attached random parts to it so that it would look a bit more like a bicycle while I search for bits to complete its restoration.
The Rover safety bicycle was created in Coventry by John Kemp (J.K.) Starley in 1885. It is called a ‘Safety Cycle’ because it was safer to ride than the High Ordinary or Penny Farthing cycles that were used by most cyclists at the time. During the 1880s, many bicycle makers experimented with different designs for safer bicycles.
John Kemp Starley (24 December 1855 – 29 October 1901) was an English inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern safety bicycle, and also originator of the tradename Rover.
