Kangaroo bicycle

1884 Kangaroo dwarf safety bicycle at the Coventry Transport Museum

The Kangaroo dwarf bicycle was created in 1884 by Hillman, Herbert, and Cooper as a safer alternative to the ordinary bicycle.^[1] It had a 36 inch front drive wheel that was geared up to be equivalent to a 60 inch ordinary bicycle with a pair of chain drives, one on each side of the wheel.^[2] The Kangaroo was soon superseded by the Rover and other, more-modern safety bicycles.

References

1. Tony Hadland and Hans-Erhard Lessing (2014). Bicycle Design, An Illustrated History. MIT Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-262-02675-8. Chain drive was also used on some late front-drivers, such as the Kangaroo, to achieve a lower riding position.
2. Herlihy, David V. (2004). Bicycle: History. Yale University Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN 0-300-10418-9. In 1884, Hillman, Herber, and Cooper of Coventry introduced the dwarf Kangaroo.