Brochures: 1940 Cleveland Welding Roadmaster Cycle Truck

1940 Cleveland Welding Roadmaster Cycle Truck Model 2010 Delivery

I find it fascinating to compare the traditional British delivery bikes with models from other countries. The styling of German, Dutch and Scandinavian commercial bicycles was different from their British contemporaries, though all were heavy-duty machines.

But the American tradesman’s bike pictured here – or ‘cycle truck’ as they ‘re known across the Atlantic – is particularly interesting for its simple design, utilizing the ‘truss-frame’ style of crossbar strengthening rather than the cumbersome ‘crossframes’ of the British models. Bear in mind, of course, that while we in Great Britain depended on trade bikes for heavy local deliveries, American cycle trucks would most likely have been used for lighter cargoes. So a more elegant design was a practical proposition.

The patent below shows the high-mounted front drop stand fitted to postwar models.

[Photos and information with gratitude to Phil Marshall, Shoreline (Seattle) Washington]