Lawson Lever Safety

The first bicycle to which the word “safety” was commercially applied was the 1876 Lawson Lever Safety, designed by prominent English bicycle-maker and businessman Henry Lawson.

Viewed today, it may appear strange — in part because of its 54-inch (137 cm) rear wheel, reflecting the belief at the time that speed called for big wheels — but in fact the Lawson Safety embodied many of the principles of today’s bicycle.

For example, to mount it, you climbed onto the seat between the two wheels, which made the bike easier to balance and also made headers less likely. The seat was low enough that you could reach the ground. You steered the front wheel directly with the handlebars. There was even a lever on the handlebars that you pressed to apply the spoon brake to the back wheel.

The oddity was that you “pedalled” this bicycle by pushing down levers on either side of the front wheel; these levers were connected to rods that turned the cranks at the rear hub. While strange, this arrangement showed an awareness of the need to separate the power train from the steering, and to apply power to the back wheel rather than the front.