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Cycling catalogue from 1896 - see what gear was in back then!

Metropolitan Machinists' Co showcases some weird and wonderful products ... and Brooks saddles...

One of the things we love about the internet is that it allows us to share what once upon a time would have been brochures or pamphlets once passed from hand to hand and becoming more dog-eared each time.

It’s not that long ago that instead of being able to ogle the latest gear on the internet, you’d have to pick up a catalogue from the local bike shop from whichever distributor they had a deal with.

Go back further still though, and you can find some real gems – have a look at this catalogue from the Metropolitan Machinists’ Co. from 1896 which has been posted on Spitalfieldslife.com.

Several things strike us; Brooks has been around for a very long time, cutaway saddles are nothing new, and antisocial cyclists existed (“the faults of [cycling’s] votaries are visited upon it”).

As did hipsters in a part of London now synonymous with them, judging from that chap’s moustache – indeed, source these products and turn up with them half an hour before the Tweed Run starts and you’d be quids in.

But “sperm” being the best form of lube – that’s a new one on us. We're guessing they mean sperm whale oil… hope so anyway.

Pictures courtesy Bishopsgate Institute.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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26 comments

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Tired of the tr... | 8 years ago
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Rifle clips? Bah! Dog cannons:

"Best and most effective method to protect oneself against unpleasant annoyance by dogs. The dog cannon is equipped with a string with which it is to be attached to the handle bar. When one wants to fire the cannon, it is sufficient to pull the same off and throw it after the dog; it will explode in the next second like a gunshot."

This German cyclist has a much more impressive mustache than the British cyclist in the Electrine oil advert.

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Hensteeth | 9 years ago
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Can we have a lumen test on those lightweight lamps please?

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KirinChris | 9 years ago
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Cutout saddles too. What will they think of next?

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userfriendly | 9 years ago
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Need to get me one of those rifle clips!

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pwake | 9 years ago
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Grey tweed capes 8/6?!!
Cheaper down at Aldi Brothers Co. Damnable hipsters!

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dafyddp | 9 years ago
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Excellent. It's a treasure trove of ideas for anyone looking to get their next big idea off the ground via Kickstarter, isn't it? Loved the trouser/rifle clips, and the Compactum Luggage Carrier has about £130 in Shoreditch written all over it.

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pullmyfinger | 9 years ago
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This would make a great poster.

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DaveE128 | 9 years ago
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The "best mud guards" look remarkably similar to Crud guards, front and rear!

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stealfwayne | 9 years ago
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Brilliant and informative  41 .
After all the negative aspects of our pastime / sport being posted recently, (PED's , Accidents and of course anything on bull headed, cheating, horrible human, cancer beater, lack of remorse, waste of print, plum) this is a very welcome change to the norm. More of this please.
If they were printed I wouldn't mind it hanging in my cave.

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Giles Pargiter replied to stealfwayne | 9 years ago
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stealfwayne wrote:

Brilliant and informative  41 .
After all the negative aspects of our pastime / sport being posted recently, (PED's , Accidents and of course anything on bull headed, cheating, horrible human, cancer beater, lack of remorse, waste of print, plum) this is a very welcome change to the norm. More of this please.
If they were printed I wouldn't mind it hanging in my cave.

Right click - save as. Then print it. You will have to check the copyright if you put it anywhere public though.

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shay cycles | 9 years ago
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I just wish I could buy a Brooks saddle for eight bob these days (that's 40p in new money!)

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andybwhite | 9 years ago
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I think I need the rifle clip for my daily commute.  3

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poppa | 9 years ago
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I have just noticed that there is a bugle listed too! Fantastic.

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mrmo | 9 years ago
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Anyone know how Brooks naming works? there are B10s, B11s, B20s, B28 and B30? but the "normal" B15s and B17s don't exist.

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levermonkey | 9 years ago
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Have you taken a good look at that racing saddle? I went cross-eyed just thinking about it. God, they must have been tough in those days. Is this where the cyclists predilection for suffering comes from?

Rifle Clips????  39

And just to prove that there is nothing new under the Sun: Folding mudguards.

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bikebot | 9 years ago
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It's just stuff you'll see everyday if you ride through shoreditch...

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gthornton101 | 9 years ago
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brilliant!

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antonio | 9 years ago
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1896 coincidence, my club, Bolton Clarion C.C. was born, has been going ever since.

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Kadinkski | 9 years ago
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I don't know how I survived so long without tyre heaters in my life.

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cidermart | 9 years ago
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Well maybe this fella had read these and got confused and thought that he was doing a service  3

http://road.cc/content/news/77536-danish-police-seek-man-who-repeatedly-...

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jellysticks | 9 years ago
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I would like a bugle at 3/6 please. Good for commuting around London I imagine.

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gwarpigs | 9 years ago
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'Sperm' was extracted from the head of a sperm whale, rather than the head of a gentleman's gentleman.

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pakennedy replied to gwarpigs | 9 years ago
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GavWarrender wrote:

'Sperm' was extracted from the head of a sperm whale, rather than the head of a gentleman's gentleman.

Spoilsport!  24

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poppa replied to gwarpigs | 9 years ago
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GavWarrender wrote:

'Sperm' was extracted from the head of a sperm whale, rather than the head of a gentleman's gentleman.

Now you tell me, 10 minutes too late. What was I supposed to use to clean my chain again?

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nowasps | 9 years ago
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How are we supposed to get hold of this stuff, if there aren't any links to the suppliers?

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sponican | 9 years ago
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A transparent chain case - marvellous idea! I can imagine that stays just as clear as the glass on my oven door.

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