On 12 June 1885 M.H. Stiles published a letter announcing the formation of an ‘Otto’ riders club in Doncaster. The inaugural meeting on 15 June 1885 was to be held at Walter Roberts house in St. Sepulchregate (Howes & Seccombe in prep.).  

The Otto was an early form of safety bicycle – its two-track format was referred to as a ‘Dicycle’ to differentiate it from the in-line two wheelers. The machine had the advantages of a tricycle in its low riding position and open front allowing it to be ridden by women wearing skirts. Furthermore, as balance was achieved by fore and aft, rather than side-to-side motion, novice riders were merely pitched forward on to their feet in learning to ride the machine, a rear jockey wheel preventing a backward fall. So effectively could the machine be controlled, that legend has it that it was demonstrated to the Board of BSA (the Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd.) by being ridden from one end of the boardroom table to the other (Internet ref. 1).

BSA was formed in 1861 and commenced building bicycles around 1870. In the 1880s BSA built many tricycles which were badged by other manufacturers such as the Matchless Bicycle and Tricycle Co. BSA also manufactured the Otto dicycle of which some 2,000 were thought to have been built, but only a handful are known to survive. The Otto was one of only two machines the company built in the 19th century – the other being an equally rare safety bicycle of 1885-6 (Internet ref. 1).

Stiles toured the Doncaster region with his photographic equipment, possibly on his Otto or other cycles, recording local subjects and themes including street scenes, landscapes, buildings (including churches, country houses and castles, see Appendix 1 & 2 of Howes & Seccombe in prep.).  He was a keen cyclist through most of his life only giving up cycling when he was eighty (Donc. Gazette 1935). 

 References

 Internet ref. 1. https://photoarchive.merton.gov.uk/collections/sports-and-leisure/33238-cyclist-pictured-with-an-otto-cycle.

Howes, C.A. and Seccombe, Pip. (in prep) Matthew Henry Stiles FRMS (1846-1935) 32 pages.

Doncaster Gazette (1935) A Victorian Passes: Death of Mr. M.H. Stiles. 16 May 1935 p.11.

Manby. T.G. (1983) Doncaster Yesterday No.3: A day in the country.  Doncaster. Museums & Arts Service, Doncaster.

Cyclist [? M.H. Stiles] on a tricycle outside St Lawrence’s Church, Adwick-le-Street

(Doncaster Museum collection DONMAG 1976.194)

Illustration used in Manby (1983) and Figure 16 (of Howes & Seccombe in prep).