- Outside Magazine has named Boa Technology #4 in their America’s 50 Best Places To Work feature in their September issue out on newsstands now.
- Ellsworth is asking you to send them your photos of you on your Ellsworth bikes so they can showcase them on their Interbike and Outerbike displays. Send your hi-res .jpg’s to this email by today, Friday, August 18th, include your name, location of the image(s) and how long you’ve been riding an Ellsworth. Read their disclaimer after the break for usage of your images.
- Rapha is having their summer sale. Up to 50% off select items, and an additional 30% off the summer sale price of Rapha Jerseys – Just enter code JERSEY11 at checkout. Additional 30% Offer ends midnight GMT 8/22/11.
- This Monday we will be introducing a new take on our Pic Of The Day feature: the Monday Mystery Pic! Posting at 7am EST every Monday will be a new “mystery” photo. Give us your best guess as to what is in the picture and you can win the awe and admiration of your fellow bicycle tech junkies!
- The photo above is from the National Museum of American History’s collection of artifacts. It was sent to us as a new project from the Smithsonian Institution called the Smithsonian Snapshot – “a weekly peek into the Smithsonian’s collection. Every week, we will highlight a behind-the-scenes object or tell you an unusual story about a popular object in our collection. These objects are one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection.”
- Speedgoat has hired Andy Clark, formerly with Competitive Cyclist, to head up their Operations.
- Universal Sports will broadcast live, exclusive coverage of every stage of the Vuelta a España—more than 45 total hours—beginning Saturday, August 20 at 11 a.m. ET. Coverage of the third and final Grand Tour of the European cycling season continues every day at 10 a.m. ET throughout the three-week race ending September 11. The network will also present primetime re-airs of each stage nightly at 8 p.m. ET.
Click ‘more’ to read more about the photo.
Shire Velocipede, 1879
In the 1880s and 1890s, cycling was a popular form of transportation for practical travel and pleasure rides. In the late 1860s, the forerunner to the bicycle was the velocipede, which originates from the Latin words for “swift foot.” The velocipede had pedals on the front wheel but no drive mechanism, such as a chain on a bicycle. The velocipede was a stepping stone that created a market for bicycles, which led to the development of more advanced and efficient machines.
The Shire velocipede was donated to the Smithsonian in 1907. This photo shows Smithsonian curator George C. Maynard with the Shire in 1914, an 1879 model that was a later version of the original velocipede. The machine bears a brass plate marked “J. Shire, Patent allowed May 10, 1879, Detroit, Mich.” Patent Office records reveal that John Shire of Detroit was granted Patent 216,231 covering “improvement in velocipedes” June 3, 1879.
This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is not currently on display.
More from the Smithsonian Snapshot series
In the late 1860s, the velocipede, the forerunner to the bicycle, became a popular form of transportation for those living in the city and countryside. The velocipede was a stepping stone that created a market for bicycles, which led to the development of more advanced and efficient machines in the 1880s and 1890s.
This photo shows Smithsonian curator George C. Maynard with the Shire velocipede in 1914, an 1879 model that was a later version of the original velocipede. The 1879 Shire was listed as an improvement to the earlier velocipedes for its hammock-style saddle. This design would have cushioned the ride from rough road surfaces, which were often paved with cedar or brick.
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