A reader sent this into me a while ago, thought it was interesting. Click on the thumbs for a larger image.
Apparently for when pedaling up that hill was just a little too hard you could kick on the (dangerously exposed but friggen sweet) propeller afterburner thing and rocket up. Now and days this could be done with a small electric engine, and save you the trouble of fueling the thing, but for being designed in the early 1900’s it’s not half bad. I also thought it strange that it seems to have wooden rims on the wheels, it could just be rust, but for the life of me that looks like wood.
(thanks Don for the great story and great pictures, he also sent in this)
Wow, I was wondering about these bicycles, I saw an old man riding one nearby where I live. It looks about the same as this one. I’ve been trying to track him down to see if he made it and how. Pretty neat contraption, just keep small children away, and dont lean back.
How deliciously steampunk. And yes, it would probably be frightfully easy to pull an Isadora Duncan. Wooden rims were relatively common esp. on track racing bikes since they were lighter than the steel alternative — wood’s the original carbon fiber.