1897 Stearns Combination Tandem: The Bicycle That Let Victorians Outride Their Chaperones

In the late 1800s, bicycles were more than a novelty. They quietly reshaped daily life, gave riders new mobility, and even opened unexpected social possibilities. Few captured this moment better than the 1897 Stearns Combination Tandem, a bright orange machine designed for two, and remembered today for the unusual freedom it offered Victorian couples.

From Simple Tools to the Automobile Age

The story begins in Syracuse, New York, where industrialist Edward C. Stearns built his early success on hardware, tools, and farm equipment. In 1893, he redirected his manufacturing talents to meet the explosive demand of the 1890s bicycle boom, founding the E. C. Stearns Bicycle Agency. It was a brief but brilliant chapter. As the craze faded, Stearns followed many bicycle makers of the era and ventured into early automobiles, experimenting with steam-powered carriages as the 20th century approached.

During this golden age of American cycling, the Stearns tandem became the company’s star. Produced at the impressive Tourist Cycle Company factory, the tandem gleamed in Stearns’ signature full orange with black and maroon striping. Its bold color alone signaled prestige, matching its premium $150 price tag and its reputation as a machine for riders with impeccable taste.

The Combination Tandem: A Secret Passage

In the strictly chaperoned Victorian world, a young woman was rarely allowed alone with a man. The tandem, however, created an ingenious loophole. By requiring both parties to participate in the act of locomotion, it technically served as a singular, necessary vehicle, giving the couple miles of unobserved privacy. Stearns facilitated this societal rebellion through brilliant engineering.

Recognizing that women often wore restrictive skirts, the Combination model featured a unique, removable upper front diamond tube. With this tube detached, the front section converted instantly into a graceful loop or drop frame. This allowed the lady, typically riding in the front as the "Captain," to mount and dismount with ease and dignity, circumventing the need for "rational costume."

On these golden wheels, the gentleman, or "Stoker," steered and powered from the rear, controlling the direction via a "new type of steering-rod with compensating springs" which ensured a smooth, stable ride. The result was a smooth, steady ride that made even long outings feel effortless and gave couples the ability to travel quietly and confidently on their own.

From Whispered Promises to Whisper-Quiet Engines

In the years that followed the bicycle boom, the company produced one of its most remarkable machines: the Stearns-Knight automobile. Equipped with a cutting-edge sleeve-valve engine, the Stearns-Knight abandoned traditional poppet valves in favor of sliding metal sleeves that created exceptionally smooth, quiet operation. The engine was so refined that the cars earned a reputation for being whisper-soft, powerful, and luxurious, a dramatic leap from the simple augers and hand tools that had launched the company decades earlier.

Together, the Stearns tandem bicycle and the Stearns-Knight automobile illustrate the full arc of American innovation at the turn of the century, from humble tools, to a bicycle that transformed social life, to a luxury car that became an engineering marvel.

You can see both the Stearns tandem bicycle and the extraordinary Stearns-

Knight automobile on display at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.