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Exxon Graftek- 1978

On loan from Cape Bicycle & Fitness of Cape Girardeau, MO.   In the 1970s, the familiar oil giant Exxon also had a sporting goods division named Graftek which produced fishing rods, ski poles, golf clubs, tennis rackets, and bicycles from 1975-1978. Graftek engineers understood the potential of carbon fiber and developed a unique hybrid […]

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Specialized Stumpjumper – 1982

This design was the first mass-produced mountain bike. It came with a lugged-steel frame, knobby 26-inch tires, powerful cantilever brakes, “bull moose” handlebars, a “biplane” front fork, and a 15-speed wide-range drivetrain. When traditional European and American suppliers showed no interest in mountain bikes, Japanese companies such as SunTour, Shimano, and Dia-Compe stepped in to

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Velo Manufrance Rétro-Directe “Hirondelle Luxe” Modele 11 – 1907

Although Barberon & Meunier first patented the retro-direct system in 1869, the gear system was further developed and refined by other companies, including Manufrance, at the turn of the 20th century. The Hirondelle, or “swallow” (the bird) in French, was introduced in 1903 and became the leading example of the retro-direct gear system and the

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Velo Manufrance Ladies’ Retro-Direct ‘Hirondelle Luxe’ – 1920

The ladies’ Hirondelle model features slightly more modern features than its predecessor such as both front and rear brakes. It also offers a “basket weave” protection to keep ladies’ garments away from the rear spokes. Later versions had 4 speeds, 2 forward and 2 in reverse, thanks to a front derailleur. The Hirondelle Retro–Direct was

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Dursley Pedersen Bicycle – 1894

Danish inventor, musician, blacksmith, and cyclist, Mikael Pedersen (1855 – 1929), believed conventional bicycles were “weakest where they ought to be strongest and heaviest where they ought to be lightest.” He, therefore, restyled the conventional bicycle to resolve what he saw as the most troubling elements of design.  In this noticeably unusual product, patented in

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