Rudge Wedge and Co
Manufacturer of bicycles and motorcycles in Pelham Street and Mander Street, Wolverhampton.
1891 Harry George Rudge, the eldest son of Daniel Rudge, joined Charles Arthur Wedge to form Rudge Wedge and Co. They set up a cycle works at Pelham Street
1902 They moved to new works in Mander Street. They also built a few motorcycles, but decided to concentrate solely on building pedal bicycles. Many of their products were supplied to the trade with their own or their customer's transfers; a large number of their machines were exported to the colonies.
1902 They began by producing Rudge-Wedge motorcycles with 1.25hp and 2.5hp engines that were inclined along the downtube but within the main frame. They also had belt drive and rigid forks.
1904 A spring frame model was produced, whereby the handlebars, footrests and saddle were a single unit sprung relative to the main frame in order to protect the rider. The Minerva engine was hung from the downtube to leave room for the suspension components. The front forks were unbraced and rigid, and linked back to the handlebar stem for steering.
1904 Motorcycle production ended.
See Also
Sources of Information
- The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
- [1] Wolverhampton Heritage and History Society - Cycles
- [2] Wolverhampton Heritage and History Society - Motorcycles
- Powered Vehicles made in the Black Country by Jim Boulton and Harold Parsons. Published 1990. ISBN 0 904015 30 0