bicycle repairer

● bicycle repairer, ciclista ( meccanico); meccanico di biciclette.

SUBJECT AREA: Land transport

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Pierre Michaux has been variously described as a cabinet-maker, a locksmith and a carriage-repairer. He probably combined all these occupations. He had a workshop near the Champs Elysées in Paris in 1861 where he set up a business in the manufacture of bicycles. His machines, which became known as Michaulines, were largely built of wood but had the great advantage over the draisienne that the rider's feet rested on a pair of pedals connected to the axle of the front wheel. In the late 1850s solid rubber tyres were added to the wheels. In 1865 Michaux et Cie built about four hundred Michaulines. By 1866–7 they had developed a new model with a wrought-iron frame and a larger front wheel. This machine was shown at the World Exhibition held in Paris in 1867 and the company received many orders, including one from the invalid Napoleon III. The Prince Imperial also had a Michauline. Late in the 1860s the Olivier brothers invested 100,000 francs in Michaux et Cie, allowing the firm to move to a 2 1/2-acre (1-he-care) factory near the Arc de Triomphe. Soon afterwards, Michaux père accepted a 200,000 franc payment and left the firm, which continued to flourish. In the early 1870s the Olivier brothers were building as many as two hundred machines each day. By 1870 they employed 500 workers using fifty-seven forges. There were in addition about sixty other bicycle makers in Paris and fifteen in provincial France.

The 1867 Michauline had a metal backbone and a lever-shoe brake; the saddle was mounted on a single leaf spring; slotted cranks allowed the effective crank length to be adjusted; and the machine weighed 59 lb (27 kg).

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SUBJECT AREA: Agricultural and food technology, Land transport

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The son of a market gardener, Albone's interest lay in mechanics, and by 1880 he had established his own business as a cycle maker and repairer. His inventive mind led to a number of patents relating to bicycle design, but his commercial success was particularly assisted by his achievements in cycle racing. From this early start he diversified his business, designing and supplying, amongst other things, axle bearings for the Great Northern Railway, and also building motor cycles and several cars. It is possible that he began working on tractors as early as 1896. Certainly by 1902 he had built his first prototype, to the three-wheeled design that was to remain in later production models. Weighing only 30 cwt, yet capable of pulling two binders or a two-furrow plough, Albone's Ivel tractor was ahead of anything in its time, and its power-to-weight ratio was to be unrivalled for almost a decade. Albone's commercial success was not entirely due to the mechanical tractor's superiority, but owed a considerable amount to his ability as a showman and demonstrator. He held two working demonstrations a month in the village of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, where the tractors were made. The tractor was named after the river Ivel, which flowed through the village. The Ivel tractor gained twenty-six gold and silver medals at agricultural shows between 1902 and 1906, and was a significant contributor to Britain's position as the world's largest exporter of tractors between 1904 and 1914. Albone tried other forms of his tractor to increase its sales. He built a fire engine, and also an armoured vehicle, but failed to impress the War Office with its potential.

Albone died at the age of 46. His tractor continued in production but remained essentially unimproved, and the company finally lost its sales to other designs, particularly those of American origin.

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