Gifts!—The Sequel

After putting up the last post which was about novelty gifts, I got an idea to search for miniature bicycles by brands, such as Trek and Pinarello. I didn't find any such things, but what I did discover made me just have to do a second post about what's out there! Such gorgeous stuff, such little money!

Take a look at these miniature bicycle clocks—made by a company called Bulova.

The company's history is interesting. It was founded in 1875 by a Bohemian immigrant named Joseph Bulova. They didn't just produce watches, they continuously made innovations with an emphasis on precision and developed tools of the watchmaking trade. Three years ago, the company called Citizen bought them over.

They have a number of other gorgeous timepiece designs—an antique telephone and stove, a rocking chair, cannon, porch chair, to name a few.

Now, brace yourself for this one—a silver miniature said to be a replica of a bicycle presented to Japan's Emperor Hirohito in 1923 for sale on eBay ... for US$18,518.50. When you get up from fainting, you can take a look at the maker's explanation for this. I find the detail on the tyres are impressive.

Finally, here are some really nice-looking miniatures which are on eBay presently. Type in "miniature bicycle" in eBay's search field to see much more, some of which are surely worth adding to anyone's collection.

Novelty Gifts For Cyclists

I love this bicycle timepiece! My sister bought it for me about seven years ago while on vacation in California. She related that she was walking with a friend in L.A. along where the names of actors and the shape of a star are embedded in the pavement (or sidewalk - in the Caribbean we refer to the pedestrian walkway as the 'pavement'). They ventured into one of the stores and on seeing this miniature bicycle, she bought it for me. I'm beginning to wonder if my love for biking is obvious....heh heh.

I think it's gorgeous. It's solid and sturdy. A kick-stand keeps it upright on the shelf, and both of the wheels turn, as does the front fork. The pedals and brakes are fixed.

I got to thinking about what interesting gift ideas for cyclists there are out there. Digging around on Google didn't turn up the results I anticipated, however, I did come across some nice stuff.

In 1888, two notable cycle engineers named C. M. Linley and J. Briggs, together with several others (who went on to become noteworthy designers), produced one of the world's most practical bicycle frames that actually seems to be the world's first full-suspension bike. The spring-frame design of the bike prevented any road shocks from impacting the rider. The bike is called the Whippet.

An artist who made two Tour de France trophies also crafted a sterling silver miniature Whippet plated in 18-carat gold. It was auctioned on Ebay in 2008 with a starting figure of US$8,500.00. I couldn't find out how much it eventually sold for. Here's a video of it:

Other very nice miniatures are found on this website. Click on 'Bicycles Continued' to see the wide variety of miniatures they produce. This other site sells replicas as well.

I found just one other bicycle timepiece, which serves as a pendant at the end of a necklace, with the clock placed in the front wheel. I wonder if I have a one-of-a-kind, then! Or perhaps only three of these were created by some famous artist before his death in the year 18-something and my sister bought one of the three in a small shop in L.A. whose owner hadn't a clue of its true worth! Heh...I'm dreaming of course, but even if it's so, I'll never, ever part with this lovely gift.