1900-1905 Alcyon with Rear Foot Brake

After the turn of the century, many new inventions for bicycle brakes were patented. American bicycles used coaster brakes, while British and French bicycles were fitted with a wide variety of different braking mechanisms for rear wheels. Common types included band brakes and rod operated back-pedal brakes, before rod or cable operated rim brakes became the dominant style to be adopted by the industry. This interesting and elegant foot-operated sprung rim brake is unique. Presumably it was not generally used because it is so much more elaborate than the simple rim brakes that dominated by 1910. It would have been too expensive to manufacture. It is now an extremely rare item and the only example I’ve seen… read more >