Rudge & co, 1878, tricycle Rotary

Tricycle Rudge & Co. model Rotary, England, 1878

1878 RUDGE’S PATENT N.526

This tricycle was one of the most refined ones. Upper-class customers loved the tricycle more because it was usable by ladies too.
In 1896 an English catalogue reported 89 bicycle models and 106 tricycles. The major tricycle manufacturer was the English company STARLEY BROTHERS.
The Coventry tricycle was followed soon after by this model . Actually the true inventor of the light-metal tricycle with tangent-spoked wheels was the Irish WILLIAM BLOOD.
The famous STARLEY just managed to take advantage of the idea, creating a whole range of tricycle to sell.

Luciano Nicolis personally found this rare tricycle in France.

Technical notes:
Big driving wheel
Two smaller wheels that could be steered thanks to a rod
All three wheels had solid rubber tires