Singer Ladies de Luxe 1908

1908 Ladies de Luxe bicycle made by Singer Cycle Company (later renamed to Singer Motors Limited)

George Singer was born at Stinsford, Dorset in 1847. He served an apprenticeship at Penn's Engineering Works in Greenwich and in 1869 he moved to Coventry to work at the Coventry Machinist Company. In 1874 he left his job at the Coventry Machine Shop of James Starley to form the Singer Cycle Company. He manufactured sewing machines and safety bicycles, and patented a bicycle fork in which the ends of the fork were curved. This improved steering and made for a smoother ride, because the forks absorbed more of the shock from rough roads, rather than transmit the shock to the handlebars. In 1901 Singer began manufacturing motorised three-wheelers, followed by motorwheels fitted to bicycles. Singer developed a 222 cc four-stroke single using an engine design bought from former Beeston employees, Edwin Perks and Frank Birch.

2hp engine was fitted within the aluminium spoked wheel. It appeared in various forms, including Gent’s and Lady’s bicycles, tricycles, tri-voiturettes and even milk churn carriers. In 1904 the company developed a range of more conventional motorcycles which included 346 cc two strokes and, from 1911, side-valve models of 299 cc and 535 cc. In 1913 they offered an open-frame ladies model. Motorcycle production was stopped at the outbreak of WW1.

The first Singer car was made in 1905, under license from Lea Francis. Next year the company made their original car, with engine bought from Astor. In 1920 Singer purchased Coventry Premier and the company sold bicycles using that name. They did not make bikes during WW1, but after the war bicycle production continued until 1928.