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B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 6, B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 6, B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 6, B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge
  • Image 4 of 6, B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge
  • +2
    Image 5 of 6, B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge
  • Image 6 of 6, B1259 Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887. Click to enlarge

Hillman, Herbert & Cooper's 'Kangaroo' dwarf bicycle, 1884-1887

The "Kangaroo" dwarf safety bicycle was made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, of the Premier Bicycle Co., Coventry, England, between 1884 and 1887. Its significance lies in the fact that it was one of many attempts in the transitional period between the Ordinary or "penny farthing" bicycle and the development of the safety bicycle. Cycling literature refers to the Kangaroo as both a dwarf ordinary and a dwarf safety.

The Kangaroo was a successful attempt to make the ordinary bicycle design more …

Summary

Object No.

B1259

Object Statement

Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887

Physical Description

Bicycle, 'Kangaroo', dwarf safety type, No. 26838, rubber / nickel / steel, made by Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, Premier Bicycle Works, Coventry, England, 1884-1887

A bicycle featuring a front wheel of thirty-six inches in diameter with a white solid rubber tyre, nickel-plated steel rim with spokes threaded and screwed into the hub, which is cast with sprockets. It has a rear wheel of twenty inches in diameter which also has a black solid rubber tyre and a steel rim with a cast nickel-plated hub on ball bearings with a centre axle. The frame is steel tubing with forks for the rear wheel with nickel-plated steel rim with spokes and pedals of white rubber.

Thirteen missing spokes were replaced by the Museum in 1980. Some of the existing spokes appear to have been replaced earlier and are not the original ones. The bicycle is driven from the front wheel. The hub is connected by two chains, one each side of the front wheel, to a lower set of cogged wheels to which the pedals are attached. There are two small holes above the front wheel bearings, these are for foot supports so that riders could lift their feet off the pedals when travelling downhill.

In many respects the bicycle resembles an ordinary or penny farthing bicycle, with the same type of tubular frame, solid rubber white-coloured tyres and a rear mounting step.

The bicycle was originally painted black with nickel-plated hubs, bearings, cranks and various fastenings. There is evidence of green paint on the pedals but on no other parts.

Missing parts include the seat, chain guards, foot rests, handle bars, brake assembly and front wheel bearing race and balls.

Marks

Inside the left crank is the number: '26838', and the frame itself is also numbered '26838'. The wording "Hillman's / Patent / A25[?]27" is on the right bearing. The tyre has the name "Palmer" stamped into it.

Short URL

https://ma.as/207237

Dimensions

Height

1170 mm

Depth

575 mm

Source

Credit Line

Purchased 1954

Acquisition Date

15 August 1954

Cite this Object

Harvard

Hillman, Herbert & Cooper's 'Kangaroo' dwarf bicycle, 1884-1887 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 29 March 2023, <https://ma.as/207237>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/207237 |title=Hillman, Herbert & Cooper's 'Kangaroo' dwarf bicycle, 1884-1887 |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=29 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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