John Kemp Starley

John Kemp Starley
John Kemp Starley
Born(1855-12-24)24 December 1855
Walthamstow, London, England
Died29 October 1901(1901-10-29) (aged 45)
OccupationIndustrialist Inventor
Years active1877–1901
Known forOwning Starley & Sutton Co
1886 Rover safety bicycle at the British Motor Museum

John Kemp Starley (24 December 1855[1] – 29 October 1901[2]) was an English inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern safety bicycle,[3][4][5][6] and also originator of the tradename Rover.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nationalbio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Bicycle History
  3. ^ Tony Hadland and Hans-Erhard Lessing (2014). Bicycle Design, An Illustrated History. MIT Press. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-0-262-02675-8. The most famous of the rear-drive safeties introduced in 1885 was the Rover, produced in Coventry by John Kemp Starley.
  4. ^ Herlihy, David V. (2004). Bicycle: History. Yale University Press. pp. 225. ISBN 0-300-10418-9. The Rover pattern very quickly improved, and it not only prevailed as the universal bicycle style, it also triggered an unprecedented world-wide demand that culminated in the great boom.
  5. ^ Berto, Frank J.; Ron Shepherd; et al. (2008) [2000]. The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA, USA: Cycle Publishing/Van der Plas Publications. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-892495-59-4. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017. There is also general agreement that J.K. Starley's Rover was the first true safety bicycle.
  6. ^ Berto, Frank J.; et al. (2016) [2000]. The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA, USA: Cycle Publishing/Van der Plas Publications. ISBN 978-1-892495-77-8. Retrieved 30 May 2017.