c. 1884

Ordinary Bicycle

Ordinary bicycles were built over a twenty-year period-from 1871 to 1892, though they were not known as "Ordinaries" until the 1890s when "safety bicycles" with smaller wheels became popular. This Columbia Light Roadster bicycle was used around 1884. The Light Roadster was available with seven sizes of front wheels, from 47 to 59 inches. The front wheel of this model stands a staggering 57 inches high! The Pope Manufacturing Company, which manufactured the Columbia, was founded in the 1870s and was the first company to manufacture bicycles on a large scale in America.