Swing Bike

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The Swing Bike is a brand of bicycle which allowed for steering at both the front wheel and the rear wheel. [1] [2] The design was patented by Ralph Belden in 1974, [3] brought to market in 1975, and discontinued by 1978. [4]

A swingbike or swing bike (common noun) has been genericized to come to mean any bike with a second steering axis in front of the saddle. [5] [6] A new bicycle by the same name has been launched by Americas Bike Co. in San Diego, California. [7]

The original Swing Bike was in the wheelie bike style, [8] and the Swing Bike company also offered a normally-steered BMX bike in 1977. [9] An early working name for the Swing Bike as Pivicycle. [10]

See also

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References

  1. "Swing Bike (original advertisement)". Boys' Life . August 1976. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  2. "The Swing Bike Rider". 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  3. "United States Patent #3,801,130: BICYCLE WITH PIVOTABLE REAR WHEEL" . Retrieved 2012-07-19. A two wheeled, rider propelled vehicle having both wheels pivotably mounted upon a medial principal frame.
  4. Bob Hufford (July 11, 2010). "Swing Bike: The Wackiest Thing on Two Wheels" . Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  5. Stephen Spillman (July 14, 2012). "Hockley County celebrates Settlers Day". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . Retrieved 2012-07-19. Kyle Drennan rides his swing bike in the Hockley County Celebration parade in Levelland Saturday.
  6. "Swing bike". Bicycle Forest. Retrieved 2012-07-19. This is George Aitken riding his swing bike in the Canada Day parade in Cambridge, Ontario.
  7. Jerry Hirsch (December 13, 2007). "Wheels for swingers". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-07-19. Americas Bike Co. is banking on its hinged design to catch on with riders.
  8. "Swing Bike Brochure" . Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  9. "Swing Bike BMX Bike" . Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  10. "Early Swing Bike (Pivicycle) Magazine Reference!". American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist. 1971. Retrieved 2012-07-19.