Ladies and gents on bicycles in Hamilton

Cedric Graham riding a tricycle in front of a tree surrounded by bicycles, 1898

Two women with bicycles & a child on a tricycle on driveway at The Lodge (Graham Home) off Victoria Street, 1900

Woman walking her bicycle alongside pedestrians on the path between Victoria Street & Garden Place, c.1937

In 1869, the first type of cycle - the velocipede, also known as a boneshaker with its wooden wheels - arrived in NZ

Construction was an iron frame, two or three wooden wheels, & cranks & pedals on the front wheel

By late 1870s, penny-farthings made of cast iron wheels with rubber tyres were imported & also made locally

Larger front wheel enabled faster speed as fewer revolutions of the pedals required & smaller rear wheel aided stability

By late 1880s, the 'safety bicycle' with metal frame with equal-sized wheels with pneumatic tyres was introduced

The wheels were connected by a chain to pedals & rubber tyres filled with compressed air gave a more comfortable ride

Bicycles without a centre cross bar were also produced especially for women wearing skirts or dresses

(New Zealand Rational Dress Association formed in May 1894 led to a choice of knickerbockers &/or dresses)

Tandem bicycles, or “bicycles built for two” began to become popular in 1890s

Early tandems had the gentleman steering from the back. (Image: A couple riding while holding parasols, 1898)

Tricycles for adults & smaller versions ('trikes') for children began to be increasingly seen from 1900s onwards

(Image: Man riding a tricycle, No date)

Young woman standing next to a bicycle by a couple in a horse-drawn buggy at the Kearvell's home in Te Rapa, 1916

Group portrait with bicycles in background (No date)

Mary Farrer next to her brother Oliver & his bicycle at the family's Bankwood farm, Hamilton, 1905

Cyclist, horse-drawn buggies, & horse-rider cross the Traffic Bridge in Hamilton (No date)

Bicycle lying on side of road near the No. 1 Bridge ( (now Anzac Bridge) connecting Hamilton East & West, c.1900

Cycling across the Waikato River, 1932

Riding a sociable bicycle which has two seats (No date)

Sociable bicycle with two seats (No date)

Cyclists in the 90 mile road race from Hamilton - Auckland line up at starting point, 27 March 1909

Delegates at the New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union's Annual Conference held in Hamilton in 1912

Competitors in the bicycle race during the Chinese sports held at Hamilton, Jan 1922

Cycle road race for £IOO prize money from Hamilton to the Royal Show held at Epsom, 25 Nov 1926

Cyclist who won the North Island cycle road race championship from Hamilton to Auckland on 22 Sept 1928

Hamilton-Auckland cycle road race, 2 Oct 1929

A train stands at Hamilton's platform while horse-drawn vehicles & a bicycle wait nearby, c.1899

Person with bicycle amongst crowd at official opening of Hamilton Town Hall by the premier Richard John Seddon, 1905

Riding a bicycle along Grey Street near Steele Park in Hamilton East, c.1908

Four men stand outside 'H. Upton: Engineer' workshop with one holding a bicycle & a motorcycle sits on footpath, 1910

Cyclists & horse-drawn carts outside the Hamilton Post Office on Victoria St opposite Hood St intersection, 1910-1919

Cyclists outside the Hamilton Post Office (No date)

Two men, one pushing a bicycle, walk past the Carnegie Library, 1925. (The publlc library opened in 1908 & shifted 1960)

Cyclist waititng for the train to cross Victoria Street, c.1925-1935

City workers & school children, some with bicycles, walk along the footpath attached to the Railway Bridge (No date)

A bicycle is leaned up against the shop window of S.T. Nolan's motor trimming business on Hood Street, c.1930

Cyclists with group of men standing next to a Chandler car in Victoria st, c.1930s

Two students from Massey Agricultural College passing through Hamilton on a biking tour, 28 Jan 1931

Two students cycling south along Grey Street. in Hamilton East, 1930s

Bicycles near the Telegraph Office & telegraph pole at the Frankton Junction Railway Station, c.1937

During Safety Week demonstration, 200 Technical School pupils rode bikes, 21 Dec 1938

A bicycle stand with bikes parked on both sides in Victoria St between Ward St & the railway crossing, 1939

Bicycles outside houses destroyed by the Frankton tornado, 1948

Women & men cyclists along a busy Victoria St, 1950

Post Office telegram messenger. (Image: Katikati, c.1919)

Newspaper delivery rounds included teenagers ('paper boys' & 'paper girls') on bikes. (Image: No date)

Bicycles & tricycles with trays/baskets or sidecars were used to deliver goods & services. (Image: Petone, 1920)

A delivery bicycle manufactured by Hercules Cycle and Motor Company which began operating in Birmingham in 1910

Gas lighters with bicycles & long poles for lighting gas lamps. (No date)

Bikes were used by district nurses to visit patients. (Image: Christchurch, 1914)

Police began using cycles from 1890s & sergeants would also check on constables on the beat. (Image: Greytown, c.1935)

Fire brigades used bikes as alternative to walking or riding horses before availability of motor trucks. (Image: 1907)

Ibbotson Bros on Victoria Street advertising tricycles, cycles (£6.15-£12.10), juvenile cycles, & dolls prams, 1927

'Vickery Cycles - Repairs and service, BSA' sited on the corner of Victoria & Hood Streets, 1939

Hercules Cycles on Ward Street, 1939

Businesses on Ward St include a building advertised as 'Electrical engineers, motorcycle and bicycle repairs', 1939

Wallace's Motor & Cycle Works on Victoria Street, 1939