Here is a fine racing ordinary that dates to the mid to late 1880's. An unusual feature of this bike is the tied and soldered treatment to both the front and rear wheels. Wire has been wrapped around the spokes in the center portion of each hub in a spider web pattern. This was done, especially on the front wheel, to stiffen the front hub and prevent the spokes from being wound up during acceleration. This bike uses the very small Bowns "Aeolus" racing ball bearings on the front hub. Narrow tires of 1/2 inch diameter and a lack of a brake, show that this was a machine built for the track.
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