The rise and fall of Britain’s bike capital – The West Midlands story!

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Before supercars and smartphones, the West Midlands engineered the machine that changed everyday life. From Coventry’s sewing-machine shops to Birmingham’s megafactories, this is the fast, modern story of how a region designed the Rover Safety Bicycle, lit the roads with Lucas lamps, cushioned rides with Brooks saddles, and pushed performance with Reynolds 531 steel—before consolidation and imports silenced the lines.

Image credits:
IMAGE CREDITS

Karen Roe (Bury St Edmunds, UK) — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
…some guy — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
See page for author — Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons
Science Museum — CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Acabashi — CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
www.mgaylard.co.uk and thanks for looking — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

Triumph Tiger 100 (museum bike) — London Motorcycle Museum (Greenford, London) — CC BY 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

“Dunlop – Werbung” (1925, Germany) — Unknown author — Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons
Cycles Clément; Pneu Dunlop (1898 poster) — Jean de Paleologue (Pal) — Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress

SG2012 — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Henry William Brewer — Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons

B.S.A. Bicycle advert (Coventry Transport Museum) — Photo: Flowizm — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
BSA Military Folding Bicycle (display) — Filename: “BSA Military Folding Bicycle Coventry Transport Museum.jpg” — Photo: Flowizm — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
BSA Stayer head tube / headbadge — Filename: “BSA Stayer head tube Coventry Transport Museum.jpg” — Photo: Flowizm — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

Hercules head badge — Grye — CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
“Final touches put to bicycles at Hercules bicycle factory, Birmingham, 1931.” — National Media Museum (Flickr Commons) — No known copyright restrictions — via Wikimedia Commons

Phillips cycles trademark (lion emblem) — Birmingham Museums Trust — Public Domain Mark 1.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Anonymous / Unknown author — Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons

1995 Dawes Galaxy (side profile) — Rowan McLaughlin — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

1954 New Hudson “Meriden de Luxe Tourist” (roadster bicycle) — Jackm404 — CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
New Hudson 211 cc two-stroke (1921) — Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles en Classic Motorcycle Archive — CC BY-SA 3.0 — http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ — via Wikimedia Commons

“The Wheel and Cycling Trade Review” (1890s, trade press scan incl. “KING OF THE ROAD LAMPS”) — Public domain — via Wikimedia Commons
Lucas “King of the Road” horn — Andrew Bone (exfordy) — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Mark Morgan (from Trinidad) — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

Brooks B17 Titanium — Photo: OhWeh — CC BY-SA 2.5 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 — via Wikimedia Commons
A Brooks Genuine Leather Saddle — Photo: Jeeheon — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Moto_Club4AG (Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/moto_club4ag/) — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

Coventry Transport Museum (exterior) — Jim Linwood (London) — CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — via Wikimedia Commons
Coventry Transport Museum — bicycle gallery (interior) — Wiki LIC — CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

First pneumatic bicycle tyre (National Museum of Scotland) — Geni — CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

00:00 – Start
00:28 – Coventry
00:50 – About James Starley
01:02 – The birth of the Rover company
01:28 – Humber Cycles
01:45 – Singer cycles
02:06 – Premier cycles
02:18 – Triumph
02:35 – Dunlop pneumatic tyres
02:55 – Coventry Eagle
03:14 – Birmingham
03:35 – B.S.A
03:57 – Harcules
04:18 – Phillips
04:38 – Dawes
04:52 – New Hudson
05:05 – Lucas
05:19 – Perry & Co.
05:36 – Brooks saddles
05:56 – Reynolds Technology
06:22 – 1920s and 30s
06:44 – 1940s and 50s
07:25 – 1960s and 70s
07:52 – 1980s and 90s
07:58 – West Midlands cycle industry today

When we talk about the history of the bicycle, few places in the world can claim a legacy as rich as the West Midlands. Coventry gave a birth to the modern machine, while Birmingham and its neighbors turn it into a global industry. Together, this region shaped cycling as we know today. [Music] This story begins in Coventry, then a center of sewing machine production. In 1868, the Coventry Machinist Company, later Coventry Sewing Machine Company, took an order to build French style velocipets. That moment marked the start of British cycle industry. From this base came extraordinary innovation. James Stley, often called the father of the cycle industry, introduced tangent spokes and even patented the differential gear for tricycles, a device still used in cars. His nephew, John Kemp Stley, perfected the design that changed everything. In 1885, he lounged the Rover safety bicycle with its diamond frame and two equal-sized wheels. It became the blueprint for the modern bicycle. Later, Rover models like the Rover Roadster became popular with commuters and tourists, and the company’s name eventually carried into cars. Other great names soon followed. Humber, known as the aristocrat of bicycles. Humber produced highquality safety bicycles as well as tandemss and racing machines. By the 1890s, Humber racers were winning events across Europe, helping establish the brand as a symbol of prestige. George Singer’s firm produced popular safety bicycles in the late 1880s and 1890s, including light roadster models and racing machines. Singer also became known for innovation in frame design, experimenting with lighter construction before moving into motorized vehicles. Premiere. The premier cycle company offered solidly built roadsters and touring bicycles. Their cycles were exported wildly and often see in cataloges alongside Humber and Rover. Triumph, better remembered later for motorcycles. Triumph started with bicycles. Their Triumph Roadsters and Club machines were marketed for reliability and speed, and the company’s early success in cycles helped fund its later expansion into motorbikes. Dunlop. Donlop’s Midlands factories produced the pneumatic tires that transformed the riding experience. For example, by the mid 1890s, the Dunlop road racing tire was the standard in competitive cycling, making high-speed racing and long-d distanceance touring far more comfortable and practical. Coventry Eagle. This firm built well- reggarded lightweight roadsters and sport bicycles into the early 20th century before becoming known for motorcycles in the 1920s and 30s. A Coventry Eagle flying standard roadster was a common side of British roads before the First World War. Just 20 mi away, Birmingham gave cycle industry something different. Scale and parts. The city’s strength was in its thousands of small workshops skilled in precision metal work. locks, guns, pens, and lamps. As cycling boomed, these trades easily turned to hubs, chains, pedals, lamps, and frames. BSA, famous for its BSA Roadster and sturdy club bicycles. BSA also produced specialist components such as the BSA 3-speed hubgear and Edle coaster brakes after acquiring the Edel company. During the 1930s, BSA cycle could be found in every corner of the empire and the barge stood for reliability. Hercules, known for its popular roadster and later the Hercules Royal Prince, a 1930s prestige model. Hercules was one of the largest cycle producers in the world. Its catalog also included tandemss and export specials, particularly heavyduty roadsters designed for use in Africa and India. Phillips, makers of durable Philillips roadsters and clubst style lightweights. Philillips was second only to Rally in Britain. They also produced countless parts including pedals and chains and even experimented with a titanium frame prototype in 1956 decades before titanium became a mainstream material. Doze best known for the doze galaxy launched in the 1970s and quickly adopted as the definitive British touring bike. Those also built lightweight races such as the do super galaxy and lightning. New Hudson built a range of safety bicycles and later light roadsters before being absorbed into BSA. They were also known for highquality juvenile bikes and for diversifying into motorcycles. Lucas their most famous product was the king of road lamp introduced in 1878. Lucas also made cycle bells, horns, and dynamos, essential accessories on British bicycles for decades. Perry and Co. produced the Perry coaster brake, a freewheel mechanism with integrated braking that became internationally popular. They also made chains, hubs, and pedals that were fitted to machines from Hercules, BSA, and many overseas brands. Brooks. The Brooks B7 saddle, first introduced in the late 1800s, remains in production today and is perhaps the world’s most iconic touring saddle. Brooks also made the swallow racing saddle in 1930s, beloved of competitive riders and a wide range of bucks and paniers. Reol’s technology. Their most famous product is the Reol’s 531 tubing launched in the 1935 which became the default choice for racing frames for half a century. Later models like Rainol 753 used by Pro teams in the 1970s and 853 introduced in the 1990s extended their reputation as the world’s finest steel tubing producer. The 1920s and 30s were a golden age. Hercules was making over a thousand bicycles a day. Phillips in Smethic rose to be the country’s second largest maker. And in 1935, Reol’s introduced its legendary 531 steel tubing, a material that would set the standard for lightweight racing and Turing frames worldwide. During the Second World War, production turned to military needs. BSA even designed a folding paratrooper bicycle. But when peace returned, so the demand for bicycles for work, for leisure, and for export across the empire. By the 1950s, the West Midland cycle trade was at its peak. Hercules and Philillips exported millions of bicycles. Those built its reputation with quality touring machines, and Brooks saddles and Lucas lamps were known everywhere. Yet, big changes were already on the way. In 1957, BSA’s cycle division was sold to Rally, and by 1960s, tube investments and Rally controlled most of the industry. The 1960s and ‘7s brought decline. Cheaper imports and corporate consolidation squeezed out Birmingham’s big factories. Hercules and Phillips faded away, but those gave the region an enduring icon with the Galaxy Turing Bike, and Reol’s steel tubing continued to dominate professional racing frames across the world. By the 1980s and 90s, the mass production era had ended as the factories fell silent. Today, the cycle industry in the West Midlands is no longer the giant it once was. The mass production of lines of Hercules in Aston, the great BSA works at Small Heath, and the Phillips factory in Smeik have all fallen silent. The days when the region exported millions of bicycles to the world are now part of a history. And yet, the legacy is far from gone. Some of the most respected names in cycling still call this region home. In Birmingham, Reol’s technology continues to make the finest steel tubing in the world. Their 853 and 953 alloys are used by custom frame builders from London to Los Angeles, and their famous 531 decal still carries enormous prestige. Brooks continues to handcraft its legendary leather saddles using traditional methods that haven’t changed since the 19th century. To this day, a Brooks B17 is the saddle of choice for touring cyclists around the world. The region has also turned to heritage. The Coventry Transport Museum houses one of the world’s greatest collections of bicycles from John Kemp Stal’s 1885 rover safety bicycle to blueprint of modern machine the Humber races and singer roadsters. So yes, the giant factories are gone, but the story is not over. The West Midlands today is no longer the world’s bicycle factory, but it remains a custodian of cycling’s heritage and specialist craft. It gave cycling its past and in its own way it still shapes its future. [Music] I’m turn. [Music] [Music]