Delizy & Poiret: Keeping Riders En Suspens

It seems that the moment the first bicycle--however you define it--was created, someone was looking for a way to insulate the bike, and rider, from shock.  When you look the Draisienne's wooden seat and the iron wheels of subsequent machines, you can understand why someone wanted to make them more comfortable to ride.  And if you know anything about the conditions of roads at that time, it's not hard (pun intended) to see the need for a shock absorber to make bicycles (and bicycle-like contraptions) more stable.

If we define "suspension" as anything that insulates ("suspends") the bike or rider from shock, one could argue that pneumatic tires, invented by John Boyd Dunlop in 1888, were the first form of suspension for two-wheelers.  In fact, one could even say that when, a decade earlier, John Boultbee Brooks stretched a piece of leather between two rails, he was the first to achieve the goals of every suspension system created since.

So, really, it's not such a surprise to see a suspension bicycle gracing an advertising poster early in the first worldwide Bike Boom:

I could find very little information about Delizy and Poiret.   All of it was in French--which, fortunately, I can read.

 Apparently, D et P started making bikes around 1890 and weren't in production for very long:  I saw an announcement for the dissolution of the company dated 17 July 1892.  Their bikes were made and sold at 22,rue Duret in Paris.  This factory and showroom stood  just off the Avenue de la Grande Armee, which streams into Place Charles de Gaulle Etoile (the location of the Arc de Triomphe) and was, until 15 or so years ago, lined with the boutiques of the major French (and a few foreign) bike makers.

All right.  You know that I find stuff like this interesting.  So do you:  Otherwise, why would you have read this post?  But you also know that writing this post was just an excuse to put another cool vintage bike ad on this blog!

Oooh...Those Lines...Those Curves

Of course we all know that sex sells.  Not for nothing are photos that highlight velocipedic lines and curves called "bike porn".  

Some parts, and some types of frames, lend themselves particularly well to hints of eroticism.  The classic handlebar stem (often referred to as a "gooseneck"), crank arms come to mind for me.  And, during the late 1970's and early 1980's, it seemed that every other hub was made in an hourglass shape.

It seems, though, that some people thought hubs were sexy even before that time:

Now tell me...what do you make of a poster with a fadeout of a nude model--for a hub called Mussel-man?

Hey, it gets even better.  Read this morsel from the penultimate paragraph of the copy:

     These beautiful broad flanged hubs appeal to all riders who like to go places and do things in Olympic fashion.  Their dazzling brilliance and rugged racy lines appeal to every boy who hears the call of the open road.

A siren call?  I find it interesting that the first sentence is an appeal to "all riders" but the second is to "every boy".

With Mussel-man hubs, would he get the girl?  Would I?

I Bought It Anyway

Even though I have never, ever wanted what this ad promised, I bought the product. In fact, I bought it several times, for several bikes. 

Wearing The Pants

Back in 1984, Levi's was the official outfitter for the US Olympic Team.  That year, the Games were held in Los Angeles.  In those days, Levi's blue jeans were made up the coast, in San Francisco.

That was during the time in my life when, off the bike,  I wore nothing but Levi's 501s with button-down, polo, rugby, flannel or T-shirts, depending on the occasion. Sometimes I wore those things while riding, too.  And, of course, when the weather was warm enough (and I could get away with it), I wore 501 cutoffs.  

I know lots of cyclists could have said the same thing about their sartorial habits.  I'll bet there are plenty of cyclists today who could.  Thus, I am still amazed that Levi's never came out with a line of cycle clothing--at least to my knowledge.

I got into this rumination of threads past when I saw this ad:

 
 Apparently, someone named M Schwab designed it during the 1970's.  I wonder what he/she is doing now.