Tricycle Fetish Blog

A bomb planted in a child’s tricycle exploded outside a shop in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 11 people and damaging several stores and hotels, police said.

The attack occurred in the main bazaar in the town of Risalpur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Mohammad Hussain, police chief for surrounding Nowshera district. 23+ people were wounded, Hussain said.  No group claimed responsibility for the attack…[full story]

This is an image of a circa mid-1930′s Mercury tricycle step made by Murray.

This obviously isn’t a movie review site, it’s about tricycles, but Rubber is a movie with a tricycle as a character. Unlike the famous tricycle in the Saw series, the tricycle in Rubber is an actual character.

Rubber is a movie about a tire that comes to life and goes on a killing spree. Yeah, you don’t have to read that again, that’s what it’s about. It’s really a horror/thriller type movie wound around a dark comedy absurd satire/parody core.

The homicidal tire sees a pretty girl during his killing spree and that gives the plot some depth and makes it a parody of many horror films where the maniacal murderer has a soft spot for a special girl. There’s also a side plot about a group of onlookers who we meet in the first scene that are watching the actions of the tire unfold in the desert like a movie.

The movie begins with a nonsensically random scene where a cop gets out of the trunk of a car that’s been driven down a dirt desert road after it knocks over a bunch of chairs. The cop is holding a glass of water and asks why E.T. was brown and a series of other film related questions, to which all of them the answer is “no reason.” This basically sets you up for the rest of the movie and frees your mind from trying to figure out what the heck a tire is doing blowing up things.

Other reviews that I read prior to seeing the movie didn’t like the whole “no reason” aspect, but I found that it freed my mind from trying to guess the outcome and possible plot twists associated with such a ridiculous plot line. Without this opening sequence, the viewer would likely spend the next hour trying to guess what is really being represented by the tire and what twists the plot might hold….your freed to watch this film that definitely has no reason.

I don’t want to give anything away about the plot, so I won’t say much about the tricycle, other than it looks to be a circa 1970 Roadmaster classic type red tricycle that has seen a lot of play use.

It’s highly doubtful that the tire in Rubber will be getting any Oscar nods, but at 1 hour 20 minutes, it won’t kill too much of your time. Those who have a Netflix subscription can now view the film on instant download and the Rubber DVD is available for sale on Amazonor you can watch the Amazon instant rental for $3.99.

Q: My first tricycle, 62 years ago, was one my dad bought at an auction for $1.50. It was unique in that it was small, very heavy, had a double coil-spring seat, and had rear wheel steering controlled by pushing the handlebar down to the left or right . Linkage to the rear wheels turned them in the opposite direction, and springs acting against axle blocks returned the wheels and handlebars to the center (neutral) position when the handle bar pressure was released. On the frame in front of the seat is a shield with vertical red and black stripes and the name “ROCKET”.

An oldtimer bicycle shop gentleman who replaced the front rubber tire and spokes 30 years ago identified it as a “1921 velocipede”.I found the rusting parts in a barn on the old homestead 30+ years ago, cleaned it up, had parts rechromed, painted, etc., and fixed it up for my children to use. I am sure it has little value as an antique as I restored it for their use, but it does have a lot of memories and sentimental value.My children used it for many years and my company “adopted” it several years ago as a mascot to use in brochures reflecting upon the “values” of the company.

I have not been able to find out any more information about this”velocipede” on the Internet. I sincerely appreciate any information you can provide concerning this tricycle. I can say that as a little tike, I could really fly on this machine. With its heavy frame and weight, low center of gravity, and the fact that you’re always leaning into the curve, I never lost a “gutter race”in the dairy barn (the winner stayed out of the gutter!).Thank you for your kind attention to this inquiry and any information you may be able to provide. Gary

A: I think it’s pretty amazing that you still have your first tricycle from 62 years ago.  Many of the questions we receive are ones asking where they can get a tricycle that they had when they were younger. And you’re lucky too, because your tricycle in its current condition would probably be pretty expensive to replace, as far as tricycles go anyway.

Your tricycle is a late 1930′s Rockett rear steering tricycle. They were only made for a few years. They were originally sold at Montgomery Wards stores in 1938. They came in three sizes, 12, 16 and 20 inch models ranging in price from $8.98 to $10.98.  They were designed to allow the child to be able to pedal while turning and while still being able to pedal normally and not have the wheel rub their legs or clothing. It’s unclear why they didn’t catch on, because they are one of the most sought after tricycles by collectors today.

I have yet to find out who manufactured them. Montgomery Ward stores only sold tricycles that were made by other maker’s and labeled as their house brands. All department stores did this, and still do this to some degree today. Hawthorne and Rolfast made tricycles for Wards, but I don’t believe either of those made Rocketts. The general consensus seems to be that they were made by Colson, but nobody seems to know for sure.

If anyone has any info about the maker of Rockett tricycles, we appreciate if you could share it with everyone.

Q: My daughter has an old school flexible flyer that uses the retro old stock pedal shown on your website. We have the pedal but are missing the middle metal piece that keeps the pedal on. We went to a bike shop and they suggested we contact the company. When i contacted Flexible Flyer I was told they went bankrupt in 2006. Do you have any suggestions as to how to fix this or get the required piece to do so?

A: These clips, or ones that are similar, can be found at most large hardware stores.  There is no place that I know of that is selling them specifically for use on tricycle pedals.  If you cannot find these clips for the center of the pedals, you should be able to get the star nut caps that go on the outside.  Good luck.

Q: Do you still make the Hedstrom Taxi…model 3103…? Where can one be purchased or ordered?   Tucson Arizona … Odessa Tx … Tulsa Oklahoma.  We have friends visiting from Odessa in Tucson who would like to purchase one for their grandson in Tulsa.  Thank you,  P Davis

A: We never made that tricycle.  This is a common type of question that we receive.  We are not a tricycle manufacturer and never have been.  This is an informational site about vintage tricycles.

Q: I have a tricycle built by Colson and as shown on your website as Colson tricycle of the 1950s. I am refinishing one for my grandaughter and am in need of a new seat or to have mine recovered with leather or leather substitute. Can you help me with either?

A: We do not perform this service, however you should be able to find a local upholsterer that will do the job.  Any upholsterer should be able to do it.  It shouldn’t cost a fortune, but look to shell out around $25-50 for the service and materials.

Q: I live in New Zealand and this tricycle has been in our extended family for several generations but I have no idea what brand it is.   Are you able to shed any light on the likely manufacturer or age?

A: Our limited knowledge of tricycles gets even more limited when you start talking about foreign tricycles.  It definitely wasn’t made in the US.  Since you are from New Zealand, there’s a good chance that it was made by either Cyclops or Tri-Ang, since those were the two largest manufacturers in that area.  Judging by the fender and overall design, it was probably made sometime in the 1940′s.

Q: Can you tell me what kind of trike this is?   I don’t know the model and year. I can’t find another picture of it anywhere on the web?

A: Your tricycle is probably circa mid-1950′s.  As far as model name or number goes, that’s not something that you’re going to find unless you have the original AMF catalog from that year, which is going to be especially hard since you don’t know what year it is.  The original catalogs are worth as much or more that a lot of the tricycles in the catalogs, and equally or even harder to find.  Your tricycle doesn’t have any sort of slang collector name either, it’s just a basic fendered AMF Junior tricycle.

The star inside a circle, to the best of my knowledge, has no special meaning beyond being a logo on AMF tricycles.  It is very similar to the old Army logo circa World War II, which also was a star inside a circle.  Texaco oil/gas also used a very similar logo.

Q: I was hoping to find out some information on this tricycle.

A: Your tricycle is an early 1900′s strap steel velocipede with a wooden horse figure, made to look like a horse pulling a cart or carriage.  It doesn’t look to be complete.  We are unsure of the maker or brand of this tricycle.  There were many makers who made similar tricycles and without markings it is very hard to tell.

If anyone has an ideas, please post them.  There are metal tags on the sides that have HF and the number 43 embossed on them.

Q: Hello – you have a great website. I have 2 sons (ages 1 and 3) and I am in the market. Do you know which company owns/manufactures the ‘Flexible Flyer’ brand of tricycles? Thank you,  Mark

A: Flexible Flyer is currently owned by Brunswick.  They are currently no making tricycles.  They make hobby horses and swing sets.  You can go to their website for more info or contact information.

Q: What can you tell me about this tricycle?

A: You look to have an early 1930′s Garton trike.  You can see more info on that company and Garton trikes on the Garton Manufacturers page.