James Starley was an English inventor and to the world he was known as the father of the bicycle industry.
Background
Starley was born on April 21, 1830, in Albourne, England. He was the son of a farmer, was baptized at his native town, on the 13th of June 1830. At the age of nine he began working in the farm and thus showing a talent on invention by making a rat trap by using of both an umbrella rip together with a branch of a willow tree. Still a teenager, he decided to run way from home to Lewisham located in South London where he started working as an under gardener and during his free time he would repair watches and also created devices such as a mechanism of allowing a duck to make its way through a fence hole or closing a door that is behind it if any rat seemed to follow it.
Education
Starley did not go through any formal high education as he had shown naturally that he had a natural talent of invention of useful items with a very early age like the rat trap. He would not receive any better education other than national school education for two years when he was later taken from school at the early age of nine for a purpose to work on the farm his father occupied.
Career
Before fame Starley was a prolific inventor since his earliest ages. He is a developer of a window blind which was easily controlled using a single string, a bassinet that would even sooth the most stubborn and noisy baby and also the improver of the sewing machine.
Within the year 1855 Starley managed to get a job with Newton Wilson in London and he work was mainly on the sewing machine. After working there for few years he later moved to Coventry where he worked as a foreman of the sewing machine company in Coventry. Since then he spent all the other years trying to get ways on how to improve on the sewing machine which included his own invention called "The European." Of all the inventions on the sewing machine, of which many were patented survived in the way the modern sewing machines work.
In the year 1868 Starley invented his first bicycle called a French velocipede. However, the bicycles were still around ever since the year 1818. In the year 1870 he with William Hillman created the Ariel bicycle fully made of metal. It was the mark of the true beginning of the bicycle manufacturing company in Britain. This invention placed Britain as the leading country for eighty years of the manufacture of the Ariel bicycle and thus earned James Starley a title 'Father of the bicycle industry'. The Ariel bicycle was advertised or announced as the lightest, strongest, and one of the most elegant of all modern bicycles ever created. However there was only one factor that differentiated the Ariel bicycle as a landmark in the bicycle's history which is the front wheel. The advantage of the tension wheel was how comfortable it was whereby in the pre-stretched wire spokes there was a suspension element. The tension spokes absorbed road shock much more better than the rigid spokes. The main advantage though was the weight saving which was a critical matter in consideration of the wheels.
This however did not stop Starley from his invention nature but this instead made him continue experimenting on the spokes technology. In 1874 his hard work culminated in the 'tangent spoke wheel' which was one of his greatest achievements. This wheel followed the load bearing principle as the other wheel, tension wheel, but the tangent spoke wheel was braced and was with cross spokes instead. The force driving the tangent spoke wheel was however more efficient where the force was being applied on the pedals and was acting on the wheels rim.
Since the year 1874 nearly all bicycle wheels made used the tangent spoke method. The innovation was later on borrowed in the motorcycles, aeroplanes and automobile industry amongst many other industries. This remained the most tried and experimented method for building or making bicycle wheels up to date. All models made by Starley with referral component to his work are all labeled JS for the word James Starley. Starley died on the 17th of June 1881 in Coventry, England.
Among Starley's greatest contributions was the reputation of Coventry as the cradle of bicycle production. Since the year 1884 the people have displayed their gratitude for James Starley work by displaying a granite monument to him that featured his profile, carvings of his two bicycles and also a statue of fame on top. The position of his bicycle factory is currently a home to the Museum of British Road Transport.
His inventions results will forever be remembered in the bicycle industry despite the change of the bicycle and tricycle industry passes from the infants to the mature and his name James Starley will live to be remembered as the name of a man who was highly instrumental in establishing the bicycle invention in Coventry, Britain Country and the world itself.
Religion
Starley was born to Christian parents and lived in faith throughout his life. There are instances of his life where he shared the importance of God to his children as well.
Politics
Starley wasn't much involved in politics throughout his life. He was not supporting or sharing ideas with any political party, due to his busy schedules and inventions.
Views
Starley's views of the world was quite different from other people of his times. He wasn't much worrying about the problems he had to face since his childhood as he was determined to be successful in his life. It took him a lot of time to achieve what he wanted and he wanted others to be successful too.
Connections
Starley married Jane Todd when he was in his early 20s. Their son, William Starley, and his nephew, John Kemp Starley, also entered the industry and one of the outcomes was the Rover car company.
Spouse:
Jane Todd
Son:
William Starley
nephew:
John Kemp Starley
He was an English inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern bicycle, and also originator of the name Rover.
