Tricycle Fetish Blog

Q: I recently obtained this tricycle and was doing some research on it when I came across your website and read about what to look for in repros, fakes etc.  I was wondering if you could give me any insight about my tricycle.   Thank you , Ron

Weathered Fake Trike

A: Ron, your tricycle was made in the past ten years, probably in Asia.  It would have been interesting to know how you acquired it, as it seems to have been purposefully weathered, and the cobwebs on it are a nice touch too.   If you look at the similarities on our Fakes & Reproductions page, you’ll notice that your tricycle has a very similar design to the frame as well as the wheels and other parts of the fakes that are pictured there.  The wheels just aren’t right, nor is the frame.

Probably the easiest way to explain the difference and to greatly contrast your tricycle with tricycles that were made during the time period that the manufacture was aiming to replicate is to look at our Pre-1900 Tricycle Photos Page.  Notice that the tricycles in those authentic Victorian era photographs have much better craftsmanship and that there are no chunky pieces of metal or large clunky rims.  I would also venture to say that there are none as small as yours that were made during that time period.

1930's Steelcraft Tricycle

Q: Hi, I would appreciate any help you can give identifying this tricycle. This was  my mother’s (born 1934).   Thanks, Barbara

A: Your mother’s tricycle is most likely a late 1930’s Steelcraft trike made by Murray.  You can view more tricycles by Steelcraft on the Murray manufacturer’s page.

Donalson Jockey Cycle

Q: Looking for photos or information on a weird tricycle I had when I was a young boy in the mid 1960’s. This was a most unusual trike as it had two large rear wheels and a very small front wheel. What made it even more unusual was the way it was powered. Instead of the usual rotory pedals, this had a bar that was pushed down on with your feet. This inturn provided some sort of crank power to the rear wheels… more unusal yet this also caused the saddle/seat to rise up and down when the wheels turned. We called it a “Jalopy Trike” but I have no idea if that was just a nickname or the actual brand. Any ideas?

A: Sounds like a Donalson Jockey Cycle like the one pictured above, made by the J.E. Donalson Manufacturing Company in Kansas City.  Though we have relatively little information on those tricycle or the Donalson company in general, you can find some more info and a few more pictures on our Donalson manufacturers page.  These tricycles are pretty rare, but do come up for sale occasionally on the web.

Q: I looked out my window today and saw what appeared to be a cool old bike in the dumpster.  I have always wanted one. Since this one kinda fell into my lap I would like to fix it up and use it but I would like to know what I am dealing with exactly.  Thanks, Andrea.

A: Andrea your tricycle has a headbadge that says Venture.  We’re not familiar with that brand of bicycle and there was no company that made children’s tricycles by that name.  Perhaps it was not an American made tricycle.  We’ll leave the comments open to this post and maybe someone will be able to help out.

Regardless of the brand, model, exact age etc., your tricycle was a pretty good find.  The handlebars are turned around backwards in the photo and the fenders look to be a bit too far forward.  Probably the best thing to do would be to contact your local bicycle shop or repairman.  A quick tune-up and lube job shouldn’t be very expensive and your local shop should be able to give you a quick price quote.