Le SPHINX, safety bike, France c.1893/94

An absolutely rare and rare bike with a gear mechanism in the front hub.

This is a design falling into the "safety" category, when after 1890, at the end of the high bike era, manufacturers tried to make a safer machine. We can classify it into the Bantam, Crypto, Kangaroo, Xtraordinary and similar types.

Most of these types come from England or the USA. This is probably the first ever system-safety bike MADE IN FRANCE.

Front wheel size 75 cm, rear 44 cm

This is a machine for an adult rider, the distance from the pedal at the bottom dead center to the top of the saddle is 88 cm and the handlebars are 125 cm from the ground.