09/01/2021
The 1895 Berlo Sextet triple steering prototype has left the building (garage) on its way to the new owner in Southern California. Next to a Oriten, the rarest of bicycles.
Pacing Multi-cycles, what where they? Quints, Sextets, and the Oriten.
In the 1890's thrills on wheels were of the pedaling variety. World records attempts were made behind a team on one bicycle. Tandem (2), triplets, quadruplets, quintets, sextets up to the 10 seat bicycle made by the Waltham Mfg. Co. the Orient "Oriten" (there was only one made, it's on display in the Ford Museum in Dearborn Mich). These events were usually attempted on wooden closed tracks, sometime straight tracks were built beside train tracks to stage speed trials against a locomotive, the periods fastest transportation.
To build interest of these event, teams would put on demonstrations in towns around where the event were held.
On closed track event the racer would have two or three pacing machines on the track waiting to replace the one that was operating at the time. The change of pace, which required making the shortest possible move to a second machine while going at top speed, was tricky and required skill. It was almost a certainty that if the rider lost his pace in these switches, he would lose the race.
To shorten the wheelbase and get the last rider closer to the racer, some pacing bicycles had "donkey back" frames with the last crank operating directly off the rear wheel.
So now you know!
