A Popular Iron Horse

After having been tucked away for many years in an attic of a warehouse in the city of Sønderborg, a bicycle from a bygone era suddenly emerged in connection with a change in ownership. The rarely offered velocipede is now up for sale at online auction 1714.

 

The Velocipede and the Danish Bicycle Craze

That Danes are crazy about bicycling is hardly news to anyone. In fact, we enjoy the activity so much that we are currently ranked number two among cycling nations in Europe – with only the Dutch surpassing us.

But the Danes’ enjoyment of bicycles is not a new phenomenon. The enthusiasm for the two-wheeled vehicles can be traced back to the latter half of the 19th century, where the first pedal-driven bicycle – the velocipede – was introduced in Denmark in 1869.

Local smithies began production of the velocipedes adhering to French and American models, and the new vehicle quickly rose in both popularity and numbers. People began to gather in clubs and in so-called ”riding schools” to spend time with their newfound interest in bicycling. It was described as a nationwide velocipede craze, which grew rapidly during the course of 1869.

”Boneshaker” or ”Væltepeter”

A child with many names is much loved, and the velocipede is no exception. The many nicknames it has been given are quite telling about the level of comfort, or lack thereof, which was part of the experience of riding it. The first velocipedes were built with a wooden frame, later this became iron, and had wooden wheels with ”tires” of iron. These materials made the construction heavy and inflexible, and in combination with the complete lack of suspension, a trip on the velocipede was not very comfortable at all. It could even turn into quite the ”rattling” experience, which is reflected in the English name ”Boneshaker”.

In Denmark the disadvantages of the stiff and heavy bicycle frame had also been experienced, as well as the difficulty this created in keeping the balance on the bicycle, which is one of the reasons for the Danish name, where the bicycle became known as the ”Væltepeter” (Falling Peter).

Bid on the bicycle here

 

For further information, please contact:

Esben Skov Jensen: +45 8818 1199 · ej@bruun-rasmussen.dk