ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the ‘machine aesthetic’ of bicycles and tricycles was stable because of the seismic shifts in design and market, which reflected almost entirely the social hierarchies of the period. It considers the machines not only in their own right, in terms of appearance and finish, but also the way in which they were presented in advertising and domestic ornaments. The aesthetic that developed was one that was to define the look of cycles for two generations or more: black enamel with more or less bright metal on working surfaces. The range of cycling-inspired domestic goods is bewildering, reflecting the social status of the machines. Many were designed as appropriate for gifts and indeed were often used as presentation items. North American makers increasingly looked to a particular segment of the market, that of adolescents and teenagers excluded by age from motoring and here the machine adopted an aesthetic entirely different from elsewhere, largely mimicking that of motorcycles.
