Difference between revisions of "Dursley Pedersen Cycle Co"
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
No. 50. 'Dursley Pedersen' bicycle; built for, and ridden for many years by, A. W. Rumney, the well-known writer and tourist, by whom it was presented to the Bartleet Collection. A letter from Mr. Rumney accompanies the machine: in this he states that it is the actual bicycle on which he rode to Jerusalem. He also toured on it in France, Italy, Sicily, Spain, Algeria, Portugal, and Scotland. It has a “Pedersen" 3-speed hub, giving gears of 50, 75, and 112.5, and 8-inch cranks. This model is the “Military" pattern, with instantly detachable front forks. Note also Mr. Rumney's ingenious home-made "cape-clip" on the fork-blade. Weight, 321bs. | No. 50. 'Dursley Pedersen' bicycle; built for, and ridden for many years by, A. W. Rumney, the well-known writer and tourist, by whom it was presented to the Bartleet Collection. A letter from Mr. Rumney accompanies the machine: in this he states that it is the actual bicycle on which he rode to Jerusalem. He also toured on it in France, Italy, Sicily, Spain, Algeria, Portugal, and Scotland. It has a “Pedersen" 3-speed hub, giving gears of 50, 75, and 112.5, and 8-inch cranks. This model is the “Military" pattern, with instantly detachable front forks. Note also Mr. Rumney's ingenious home-made "cape-clip" on the fork-blade. Weight, 321bs. | ||
Mikael Pedersen, the inventor of this ingenious machine, was a Dane. He arrived in Dursley, Glos in 1893 to work for [[R. A. Lister Co | Mikael Pedersen, the inventor of this ingenious machine, was a Dane. He arrived in Dursley, Glos in 1893 to work for [[R. A. Lister and Co]] who had licenced his design of cream separator. He developed an innovative form of cycle construction using lightweight tubing for which he received a patent in 1894. His invention was first submitted to Messrs. Marriott and Cooper, about 1893, and was tested by their manager, Mr. A. M. H. Solomon. The experimental machine was very light, weighing only 13 lbs. # | ||
* 1897 Pedersen formed a new company, the "Pedersen Cycle Frame Co. Ltd" with the financial backing of a wealthy American, Ernest Hooley, and moved into the old Pin Mill in Water Street, Dursley to produce the new cycle. | * 1897 Pedersen formed a new company, the "Pedersen Cycle Frame Co. Ltd" with the financial backing of a wealthy American, Ernest Hooley, and moved into the old Pin Mill in Water Street, Dursley to produce the new cycle. | ||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
* Pedersen invented a novel hub gear, in competition with one from Sturmey-Archer, but this initially proved unreliable. | * Pedersen invented a novel hub gear, in competition with one from Sturmey-Archer, but this initially proved unreliable. | ||
* 1905 After a slump in sales, the Dursley Pedersen Cycle Company was taken over by [[R.A. Lister]] and Co Ltd who redesigned the gear mechanism and resumed production of cycles. After this Mikael Pedersen concentrated on other areas, including a new motor cycle using his cycle frame geometry but it was not a success<ref>Pedersen[http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk/html/dursley/industry/pedersen/pedersen.htm]</ref>. | * 1905 After a slump in sales, the Dursley Pedersen Cycle Company was taken over by [[R. A. Lister and Co]] and Co Ltd who redesigned the gear mechanism and resumed production of cycles. After this Mikael Pedersen concentrated on other areas, including a new motor cycle using his cycle frame geometry but it was not a success<ref>Pedersen[http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk/html/dursley/industry/pedersen/pedersen.htm]</ref>. | ||
* By 1917, sale of cycles by [[R.A. Lister]] ceased. | * By 1917, sale of cycles by [[R. A. Lister and Co]] ceased. | ||
* 1921 all stocks were sold to a London company who continued selling the cycle for a few years. | * 1921 all stocks were sold to a London company who continued selling the cycle for a few years. | ||
Revision as of 11:31, 26 May 2010
Dursley Pedersen was a motorcycle produced in 1903.
The name was originally associated with bicycles based on a special design of frame.
No. 50. 'Dursley Pedersen' bicycle; built for, and ridden for many years by, A. W. Rumney, the well-known writer and tourist, by whom it was presented to the Bartleet Collection. A letter from Mr. Rumney accompanies the machine: in this he states that it is the actual bicycle on which he rode to Jerusalem. He also toured on it in France, Italy, Sicily, Spain, Algeria, Portugal, and Scotland. It has a “Pedersen" 3-speed hub, giving gears of 50, 75, and 112.5, and 8-inch cranks. This model is the “Military" pattern, with instantly detachable front forks. Note also Mr. Rumney's ingenious home-made "cape-clip" on the fork-blade. Weight, 321bs.
Mikael Pedersen, the inventor of this ingenious machine, was a Dane. He arrived in Dursley, Glos in 1893 to work for R. A. Lister and Co who had licenced his design of cream separator. He developed an innovative form of cycle construction using lightweight tubing for which he received a patent in 1894. His invention was first submitted to Messrs. Marriott and Cooper, about 1893, and was tested by their manager, Mr. A. M. H. Solomon. The experimental machine was very light, weighing only 13 lbs. #
- 1897 Pedersen formed a new company, the "Pedersen Cycle Frame Co. Ltd" with the financial backing of a wealthy American, Ernest Hooley, and moved into the old Pin Mill in Water Street, Dursley to produce the new cycle.
- 1898 Hooley was declared bankrupt. Pedersen found finance from R. A. Lister and Co, who acquired the patent for the cycle, and established a new company, the Dursley Pedersen Cycle Co. to built the bicycles under license. Pedersen produced further designs for military use, for ladies, in low-cost versions as well as racers and tandems.
The “Pedersen" frame employs the cantilever system, which is well known in all branches of engineering. Examination will reveal that every tubular member, comprising the frame, takes a compression stress only: thus the tubes can be made of very light gauge. In some of the earlier "Pedersens" the frame tubes were soft-soldered into the lugs.[1]
Although they remained the principal product, the company did build a motorcycle in the same form. This had a single-cylinder engine designed by W. J. Barter.
Few of these were sold and W. J. Barter went on to design a flat-twin engine, which eventually evolved into the Douglas make.
- 1904 Motorcycle. Exhibit at Nottingham Industrial Museum. Made by Humber
- Pedersen invented a novel hub gear, in competition with one from Sturmey-Archer, but this initially proved unreliable.
- 1905 After a slump in sales, the Dursley Pedersen Cycle Company was taken over by R. A. Lister and Co and Co Ltd who redesigned the gear mechanism and resumed production of cycles. After this Mikael Pedersen concentrated on other areas, including a new motor cycle using his cycle frame geometry but it was not a success[2].
- By 1917, sale of cycles by R. A. Lister and Co ceased.
- 1921 all stocks were sold to a London company who continued selling the cycle for a few years.
Sources of Information
- ↑ Bartleet's Bicycle Book
- ↑ Pedersen[1]
- The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
- Mikael Pedersen and The Dursley Pedersen Cycle Company[2]