BSA Safety Bicycle

In 1884, the Birmingham Small Arms Company decided to test the market by building a Safety Bicycle as cheaply as possible out of the Tricycle parts that they were already making.

The result may look rather peculiar but it marks a major step towards the evolution of today’s bicycle. The BSA Safety was one of the earliest two-wheeled bicycles with a chain-driven rear wheel.

Although the two wheels were not the same size, the rear wheel was much smaller than those of a typical Ordinary. At only 32 inches (81 cm), it made the bicycle much easier to mount, and much less painful to fall off.

The oddest part of the riding experience was using handlebars that were only indirectly connected (by long thin rods) to the front forks. This arrangement came from using parts of Tricycles, where indirect steering was common. It placed the handlebars and steering tube in a potentially painful position should there be any sudden stop.