Victor
https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/1890-overman-victor-spring-fork-safety/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1883_VictorRotary_tricycle_by_OvermanWheelCo.png
The flagship product of the Overman Company was the Victor Bicycle. The Victor Bicycle made extensive use of interchangeable parts, an innovation which allowed the owner to make minor repairs, without bringing the bicycle to a professional mechanic.[1] The metal parts of the Victor bicycle were all steel; it was the first bicycle to use no cast metal parts.[1] It was also one of the first bicycles to use a hollow pneumatic tire.[3]
The first Victor bicycle, introduced in 1883, was a three-wheeled bicycle produced in Chicopee Falls.[4] It was the first American-made three-wheeler.[4] Three-wheelers were at the time considered a safer alternative to the high wheeler bicycle and started to gain in popularity.[4] Overman also manufactured some high-wheelers in the 1880s.[4]
By 1886-1887, new safety bicycles, introduced by John Kemp Starley, were becoming popular in England. While most American manufacturers stuck with the traditional high-wheel bicycles, Overman rushed a safety bicycle to production before the end of 1887.[4] Despite its higher price, Overman's safety bicycle quickly became a sensation.[4] Overman soon followed up with innovations such as a hollow core "cushion tire."[4]
By 1893, Overman's Victor bicycle was considered an elegant, premium machine, the "highest grade bicycle of 1893".[5] It was correspondingly priced at the high end of the market.[5] The Overman factory made the complete bicycle, including tires, saddles, rims, etc.[5]
By 1895, eight models of the Victor were offered; five heights for men, two heights for women, and a racer which was available in five different heights.[3] The 1895 Victoria Ladies' Bicycle sold for US$100.[6]
The Overman Wheel Company was a pioneer in using testing equipment to measure things like bicycle power output and tire elasticity.[1][3] This gave Victor bicycles a significant weight advantage over competitors of the time.[6]
Overman Wheel Company on wikipedia
Pages which link here:
- Oakland Bicycle Club (← links)
- Walter F. Foster (← links)
- Edwin Eggleston Stoddard (← links)
- Frank J. Waller (← links)
- San Francisco Call, Volume 72, Number 35, 5 July 1892 - Bicycle Races in Various Parts of the State (← links)
- CYCLING UP TO DATE. - Farewell Banquet Tendered Wilbur J. Edwards at San Jose. - The San Francisco Examiner, 27 Jun 1894 (← links)
- CYCLES AND CYCLERS. - A Sport Which is Fast Becoming Popular on This Coast. - The San Francisco Examiner, 03 Aug 1890 (← links)
- Thomas H. B. Varney (← links)
- A LOS ANGELES WHEELMAN. - Fox Will Represent Southern California at the Fair Races. - The San Francisco Examiner, 28 Apr 1894 (← links)
- L. W. Fox (← links)
- Foster Breaks the Bicycle Record. - San Francisco Chronicle, 31 May 1891 (← links)
- WHEEL WHIRLS. - Another Bicycle Club Has Been Organized in This City. - Oakland Tribune, June 24, 1891 (← links)
- CYCLERS WILL RACE AT THE GARDEN CITY - The San Francisco Call - March 04, 1899 (← links)
- Overman Wheel Company (← links)
