Whistle Categories > Cycling Whistles
Where did cycling whistles originate?
The earliest bicycles connected to whistles were the high wheel cycles. Theis period in the UK only lasted about 15 years, giving way to safer bicycles. Parallel to this was the same enthusiasm for cycling. The liberating effect of this mode of self-propelled transportation spread the use of them in the States and other countries gave rise to many models of whistles.
Cycling events brought about special editions of whistles of provenance. These were usually engraved on limited whistles. In this case they might be silver custom-made whistles.
How are cycling whistles identified?
Since there were many models tied to the cycling era, and because of this, other not so much ‘cycling whistles’, wanted to make it into this market for purely sales reasons, the lines become blurred.
Catalogs may describe the market aimed at. Patented whistles always have a description of the intent of the whistle designer. Lastly actual stamps or engravings on the whistles identify the category aimed at of cycling.
Even from these, new markets opened up from what was originally designed for cycling and then they were cross merchandised. Some have cycle companies stamped on them that retailed them for advertisement. The again, others have cycle images themselves molded into the whistle body such as escargot or snail shape whistles from the 1880s.
Why were they made?
The need for signaling arose when riding the early on with high wheel cycles without good braking methods, which was such a danger for the rider who could topple heads forward into disastrous results.
This was accompanied by foot traffic walking in the way of motorized roadsters and cross traffic of horses, carriages. This was a chaotic time for all forms of transportation which made the cycling whistle very important, including the use of the siren. There developed a need for hands free warning which would require a tooth grip on the whistle as well as a strong attachment point for chains or cords.
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