Hilldodger: History of the freewheel

[Will1985]

This is mostly aimed at Hilldodger - I've not got much to do so I'm watching Lark Rise to Candleford on iPlayer A bicycle appears in this episode which has a freewheel. Given that this is set in the mid-1890s, is this historically accurate?

All I can find is that the first freewheel patent was filed in 1869 and the first commercial freewheel was produced in 1898. Even then I would imagine that they were very expensive.

 

[Will1985]

Done!

 

[Hilldodger]

The bicycle in the programme dates from around 1910

And that front lamp is all wrong, too.

The freewheel was a very expensive option in the late 1890's

 

[Will1985]

Thanks!
Time to complain to Auntie that our licence fees aren't being used correctly..they should have gone to you for an authentic bike

 

[cchapman]

I don't want to preempt anybody with more knowledge thn I, which is actually very little, but in the colonies they were avilable from the 890's or so and considered a boon, no more getting struck in the calf by the pedal when pushingt the bike, As I recall they were surprisingly expensive whenn first introduced - refer Fitzgeralds book, cycling in the bush

 

[Arch]

I don't want to preempt anybody with more knowledge thn I, which is actually very little, but in the colonies they were avilable from the 890's or so and considered a boon, no more getting struck in the calf by the pedal when pushingt the bike, As I recall they were surprisingly expensive whenn first introduced - refer Fitzgeralds book, cycling in the bush

That's very early indeed, I didn't know the Vikings had them... Actually, I've been working on a theory of the archaeology of the bicycle for some time, as anyone who's been to Bikerite knows....

I thought the one shown last night looked a bit recent. Interesting though, to the laymen that bike could well have served for anything from Candleford to the 1940's - you couldn't say that about cars, or dresses, or agricultural equipment and goes to show how a basic simple design lasts, if it's right. As for going to Roger for authentic machines, well, I'm sure he could produce the very thing at the drop of a bonnet, although I think a few of the tandems in the Stella ad were, how shall I say, cobbled together a bit?

 

[Amanda P]

to the laymen that bike could well have served for anything from Candleford to the 1940's

... and if you call into Cycle Republic in York, they've a Pashley that looks very, very like it right by the entrance, rod brakes and everything.

 

[Hilldodger]

cobbled together a bit

I took a great deal of care faking those bikes!

Trouble is, everytime I spoke to the production company they gave me a different era to work on