1920s Labor Truss-Bridge Frame (Cycles Labor)

1920s Labor Truss-Bridge Frame (Cycles Labor)

(Now sold)

This ingenious poster advertising Labor bicycles has become a French icon. As a result, the truss-frame model made by Labor is still a well-known bicycle 90 years later.

 

 

 

 

 

LABOR CYCLOS & MOTOS

Gentil et Cie

40 52 Rue P. Timbaud, Courbevoie (Seine)

tel def 29 31

Labor bicycles achieved considerable racing success: the poster above shows Darragon on his Labor bicycle, as French champion in 1907. Below is Maurice Dewaele of Belgium in 1927 (2nd in Tour de France).

The company was bought by Alcyon in the early twenties – along with Armor, Thomann and Olympique.

Though a few companies did make truss-bridge models, Labor was the French market leader for this style of bicycle.

Compare the Labor with the Iver Johnson Truss-Bridge bicycle. They look almost identical. The American champion Major Taylor raced an Iver Johnson truss-frame in France from the turn of the century, so Labor most likely copied the design from Iver Johnson. A number of companies also used the design in America, but Iver Johnson claimed the patent.