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BRAKE (oldies)

Take a break here! Below are links to some great examples
from my bicycle collectables, nameplates and ads,
which I’ve accumulated over a twenty-year period.


Corbin brake
From an ad in the April, 1919 The American Boy
Eighteen years of brake study backs the 1919 Corbin Duplex Coaster Brake—so does a ten-million-dollar corporation. Those are the two principal reasons why the Corbin absolutely can’t go wrong—why it’s got to be safe, comfortable, long-lasting, positive.


Nameplates

Nameplates (also called “head badges”) are what manufacturers used to attach to the fronts of their bicycles as a classy signature, not unlike Mercedes’ hood ornaments. These plates gave the makers a nifty way to differentiate their models from others. This was important because the bikes often looked remarkably similar. But, if your model featured an amazing nameplate, you could win the sale. Imagine how a 10-year-old might be drawn to a bike with a Robin Hood emblem. And, fittingly, the nameplate often survived long after the bike was tossed because it was the main emotional attachment and easy to store. I collect nameplates because each (I have about 700) makes me imagine who might have ridden that bike.

Click on the nameplates below to view close-ups of my collection.
Click to view Case 1
Case 1
Click to view Case 2
Case 2
Click to view Case 3
Case 3
Click to view Case 4
Case 4
Click to view Case 5
Case 5

Bicycle ads and covers


Though they weren’t meant for this, bicycle ads provide a convenient bicycle history by recording the ways two-wheelers changed over the years and showing the different cycling trends and fashions as the sport developed. In its heyday (the 1890s), cycling was revolutionary in many ways and the quality of the artwork and fascinating nature of the themes in the vintage advertising is unique and wonderful. And, unlike the bike industry's current in-your-face ads depicting stunts and attitude, early ads portrayed the machines and activity in a positive light capturing the joy, fun and healthy benefits of riding. I find them refreshing and nostalgic.

On my covers page you’ll find a selection of The New Yorker Covers by artists who obviously respect and love bicycles. It has always impressed me that a major magazine such as The New Yorker would grace their covers with so many beautiful paintings of bicycles.

Click
on the images below to go to my pages of bicycle ads and covers:

Click to go to the ads page
Ads

Click to go to the covers page
Covers


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