1960’s Avon Bicycle Rickshaw
1970 Avon (converted into a rickshaw)
This amazing rickshaw started out as just another regular bicycle from the Avon cycle company. The Avon factory was located in the Punjabi town of Ludhiana in northern India. This particular Avon bicycle made it’s way south to New Dehli where a small factory converted it into the splendid rickshaw that you see here.
The passenger compartment was constructed using salvaged metal, scrap wood from shipping pallets or construction debris and about a million brass tacks. Flat steel strips reinforce the frame, hold up the canopy and act as shock absorbing struts under the carriage. The 28″ wheels are laced with 72 spokes to support all of the extra weight and the front fork has reinforcing struts similar to those found on balloon-tire bikes from the 1950’s.
The passenger seat bench houses a storage compartment with a trunk lid and a small hinged panel for easy access. The carriage is decorated with marvelous hand-painted Himilayan mountain scenery and inspirational creeds in both English and Sanskrit lettering. A beaded mat provides the linoleum-like flooring, and besides adding to the festive appearance of the rickshaw, the floor is as tough as nails and has aged well. The canopy is topped off with a thousand tassels and decorative fringe.
Avon bicycle company
Rickshaw canopy
Rickshaw side panel
Love is God, God is one.
This rickshaw is heavy and hard to drive. There is no electric assist motor. There are no disc brakes. Heck, there isn’t even an easier gear to shift into, there’s only one gear!
Having piloted the contraption in a couple Bainbridge Island 4th of July parades, I can tell you that slowing down with the 50 year-old brakes is almost as hard as pedaling up a slight rise. The original owner must have been in fantastic shape, and hopefully the streets in New Dehli were flat.
Avon head tube badge
Lots of tassels
Storage under the bench
Bench seat details
A fellow named Mel Barron found the rickshaw while conducting business in India in the late 1970’s. The rickshaw filled a small corner of the cargo container that he had shipped back to the U.S.
Mel subsequently sold the rickshaw to our friend Jeff at a bicycle trade show in the 1980’s. Here in the Pacific Northwest the rickshaw has been employed in numerous parades, photo shoots and even in an independent film titled “Phoebe’s Father”.