I looked into the history of bicycling and bicycle building. Especially the early safety bicycles made me curious, the ones which came after the high-wheel bicycles, a.k.a. “Penny Farthing”-s. This was all before cars ruled the roads, and the 1890-s were especially intriguing, as the bicycle industry went through a huge boom at that time.

Some of the early safety bicycles were not only pretty but very inspiring and educational as well. One article especially grabbed my attention: Roads Were Not Built For Cars. After reading up about those times, I became so inspired, that I decided to attempt to build a look-alike.

I decided with the Duryea Sylph, that was an early high-end bicycle with a flexible frame, appearing in 1892. It had versions both with and without pneumatic tires, created by the Duryea brothers, who were also the first creators of cars in the United States (Correct: it wasn’t Mr. Ford).

So I got a 36 inch wheel to use it as a rear wheel, and have a loose plan to start building the frame during sometime this winter. I of course want to modify it so it can carry not only a person, but cargo and such as well. That may make the eventual result less similar to the original, but hopefully more practical. I will keep you updated in this space about how it goes, if you care.