Albone, Dan

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Dan Albone

Dan Albone was born in Biggleswade on the 12th September 1860.  He was the youngest of eight children.  He became interested in cycling at an early age and his mother decided to apprentice him to T. Course and Son, Engineers and Millwrights, of Biggleswade.  Within a few years Dan Albone had started his own cycle business, naming it the Ivel Cycle Works in 1880.

The Ivel Cycles were soon favoured by many well known racing cyclists for their speed and light weight.  As well as making the cycles, Dan Albone also became a racing champion in his own right, winning national championships on five occasions.

Dan contributed many inventions to the world of cycling including developing cycles for ladies.  His company was one of the first to make bicycles suitable for a skirted rider by replacing the straight front tube of the Ivel safety bicycle with a curve and adding a leather dress guard.

Unfortunately by 1893 there was a general depression and Dan Albone had to put his company into voluntary liquidation. He paid off all his shareholders and bought back some of his machinery so that he could continue with small scale production. Dan continued to make bicycles but he also embraced new technologies including motor cars.  He never stopped inventing and is credited with making the first practical farm tractor 'The Ivel'.

Further Reading:

• A thorough good fellow: the story of Dan Albone inventor and cyclist including a short history of cycling by Kathy Hindle (1990)
• Dan Albone: pioneer champion inventor by Eva Shell (1956)
• The Ivel story by John Moffatt (2003)

Images:

• Ivel Light Roadster Safety from Ivel Cycle Catalogue 1892
• Ivel Semi Racer Safety from Ivel Cycle Catalogue 1892

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Page last updated: 23rd January 2014