Drop bars

[Piemaster]

Any of the cycle historians know when the first drop bars appeared?

A local museum has some early bikes (hobby horse, penny farthing) and later 'safety bicycle' which got me wondering when did they first appear? Did they appear with brake hoods as we know them now or was that a later development?
Any links / pictures appreciated too!

 

[Abitrary]

I'm pretty sure the first dropped bar bicycle appeared in a 1960s road runner cartoon.

The bike was conceived, prototyped by a mr wil e coyote. He also did extensive blueprints for it, available from the british library by prior appointment.

 

[Dave5N]

**yawn**

 

[hubgearfreak]

i don't think that dropped bars were invented, i think that they've sort of evolved into what they are today.

here's a bike on ebay that claims to be all original from 1910-1920 and shows a sort of dropbar

hope it helps

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110345966624

 

[Smokin Joe]

i don't think that dropped bars were invented, i think that they've sort of evolved into what they are today.

here's a bike on ebay that claims to be all original from 1910-1920 and shows a sort of dropbar

hope it helps

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110345966624

I think that's about right. From pre-war photos of racing cyclists it would seem that ordinary flat bars evolved into todays drops over time.