The Ordinary had created a new cycling fad during the late 1800's. Unfortunately most people couldn't or just wouldn't dare to ride them so manufacturers had to come up with new designs for safer and easier machines to ride.
One of the first of these new designs was James Starley's Coventry Lever tricycle of 1876, which incorporated his patented tangent spokes. A year later, he replaced the lever drive with a continuous chain, and the Coventry Rotary was born. A further patent in 1877 for a differential gear, which was incorporated into his Salvo Quadricycle, allowed the driving wheels of a tricycle to turn at different speeds when cornering.
Although Rudge took over manufacture of the Coventry Rotary from Starley & Sutton from 1885, the name was retained in Rudge catalogues up until production ceased in 1892.
This example, dating from circa 1884, has come from a private museum collection and appears to be in good condition. It has a 48" driving wheel with 20" turning wheels and is fitted with a Middlemores Type M leather saddle, stirrup steering ratchet handle, open link chain, left hand band brake lever and mounting step to the right side.
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