Solid tech, no hollow tube, just a forged steel rod, but the same idea. Not much is new. Recently I came across this 1890s patent for a dropper post. Pretty similar to what we have now, cable operated by a handle bar mounted lever.
Going by the typeface I'd hazard an "8" ....
One inch pitch, block chain, 7 inchesGoing by the typeface I'd hazard an "8" ....
I hope all your bearing faces look that good
Trying to get my head round the gear on this bike....what's the pitch of the chain used and crank length?
Ah so it's equivalent of a 52 tooth chainring! That's quite grunty !
All American single speed bikes were way over geared, all the way to the 70s. It’s a big part of why bicycling became unpopular here. Originally it had a 9 tooth cog. The cog in the photo is stripped so I put it on the non drive side for decoration. I’m working on replacing the original worn out 9 tooth cog cog by removing every other tooth from an 18 tooth track cog. The original cogs were thicker than modern cogs so removing every other tooth is hard on block chains but I have only seen 6 and rarely 7 tooth 1 inch pitch cogs for sale. Here is the stripped cog with the correct thickness. Another photo of the partially finished 18 to 9 tooth cog. Lots of fun.
American mens bicycles back then were aimed at the sports market. Mostly path racers. City and touring bicycles were developed in the UK and Europe, but American manufactures stuck to the sports theme. You could get the same sports bicycle with a few accessories like fenders. A lot of after market stuff though. A few, like some Schwinn‘s 1938 to 41, made some bicycles with a touring style frame and forward facing drops to compete with the Raleigh invasion but the one I have is still over geared.
They actually made a light weight single tube tire that held more pressure than the other early clincher designs like Dunlop, but they were fragile, couldn’t be repaired in the field or at home, another reason cycling fell of in the USA. The more sturdy ones were very heavy, compared to a fire hose in the media back then. You also had to shellac them to the wood rim, which was inconvenient. They also wouldn’t fold so you couldn’t really carry a spare.
