William Henry James Grout (1839–1915) was a pioneering inventor and manufacturer of bicycles.
Grout grew up in Hackney and established the Tension Bicycle company in Stoke Newington. [1] He patented the Grout Tension Bicycle in 1870 which introduced several innovations including hollow forks to save weight, rubber tyres for a better ride and adjustable spokes which could be tensioned to align the wheel. [2] He also devised a portable version of a Ordinary bicycle penny-farthing, whose front wheel could be dismantled into four sections for carrying. [3]
William Henry James Grout (1839–1915) was a pioneering inventor and manufacturer of bicycles.
Grout grew up in Hackney and established the Tension Bicycle company in Stoke Newington. [1] He patented the Grout Tension Bicycle in 1870 which introduced several innovations including hollow forks to save weight, rubber tyres for a better ride and adjustable spokes which could be tensioned to align the wheel. [2] He also devised a portable version of a Ordinary bicycle penny-farthing, whose front wheel could be dismantled into four sections for carrying. [3]