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John Kemp Starley (24 December 1855 – 29 October 1901) was an
In 1889, the company became ''J. K. Starley & Co. Ltd'' and in the late 1890s, it had become the Rover Cycle Company Ltd.
English
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* English people
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inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern bicycle, and also originator of the name Rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
...
.
Early life
Born on 24 December 1855 Starley lived on Church Hill, Walthamstow,London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He was the son of a gardener, John Starley, and Mary Ann (née Cippen).Biography at Vestry House Museum, Walthamstow In 1872 he moved to Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
to work with his uncle James Starley
James Starley (21 April 1830 – 17 June 1881) was an English inventor and father of the bicycle industry. He was one of the most innovative and successful builders of bicycles and tricycles. His inventions include the differential gear and t ...
, an inventor. He worked with his uncle and William Hillman for several years building Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
cycles.
Career
In 1877, he started a new business ''Starley & Sutton Co'' with William Sutton, a local cycling enthusiast. They set about developing bicycles that were safer and easier to use than the prevailing penny farthing or "ordinary" bicycles. They started by manufacturingtricycle
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes ...
s, and by 1883 their products were being branded as "Rover".
In 1885, Starley made history when he produced the Rover Safety Bicycle
A safety bicycle (or simply a safety) is a type of bicycle that became very popular beginning in the late 1880s as an alternative to the penny-farthing ("ordinary") and is now the most common type of bicycle. Early bicycles of this style were know ...
. The ''Rover'' was a rear-wheel-drive, chain-driven cycle with two similar-sized wheels, making it more stable than the previous high wheeler designs. ''Cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
'' magazine said the Rover had "set the pattern to the world" and the phrase was used in their advertising for many years.
In 1889, the company became ''J. K. Starley & Co. Ltd'' and in the late 1890s, it had become the Rover Cycle Company Ltd.
Death
Starley died suddenly on 29 October 1901, and was succeeded as managing director of the firm by Harry Smyth. Soon after Starley's death theRover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
...
company began building motorcycles
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
and then cars.
See also
*Rover (motorcycles)
The Rover Company was a British bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer before it began the manufacture of motor cars. Rover was established in 1878 by John Kemp Starley in Coventry to produce bicycles. The company developed and produced the ''Rove ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starley, John Kemp 1854 births 1901 deaths English inventors Rover Company British cycle designers British motorcycle pioneers British founders of automobile manufacturers Sustainable transport pioneers 19th-century British businesspeople