About this bicycle

Before the modern bicycle was developed, bicycling manufacturers in the late 1870s went in another direction to make a safer cycle: the tricycle. Although, inventors had developed tricycles and quadricycles in the past, they had not been especially successful. The high-wheel tricycle was different. Built for both adults and children they came in many different configurations of wheel placement and size. Unlike the high wheel, the tricycle could be enjoyed by both men and women wearing conventional clothing. The tricycle appealed to men who were interested in cycling but were unwilling or unable to ride a high-wheel, and it appealed to women because it was possible for them to ride at all. The earliest tricycles were made when double rear wheels were fitted to the “bone-shake” bicycle making them more stable and easier to ride. Queen Victoria’s use of a tricycle in the late 1870s made it acceptable for women in Europe and America to ride. Our treadle driven tricycle with the sunroof and fringe is known as a Parlor Tricycle.