Trail’s End Bicycle Museum is Africa’s first bicycle museum, opened in partnership with the Franschhoek Motor Museum. It showcases the history of the wheel and pedal-powered transport in Grabouw, a small town an hour from Cape Town.
The museum is the brainchild of Trail’s End Bike Hotel owner Pieter Silberbauer. It takes visitors on a journey through hundreds of years of bicycle history. Wayne Harley of the Franschhoek Motor Museum and Professor Mike Bruton, retired CEO of the MTN Science Centre, provided invaluable input in curating the exhibits.
A historic highlight is a life-size mock-up of the first known bicycle design, believed to be invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century. Da Vinci’s bicycle lacked a steering mechanism, so it wouldn’t have gone very far, explains Silberbauer.
The museum also features a life-size model of Baron Karl von Drais’ “Draisine,” invented in 1817 and considered the world’s first bicycle. Drais discovered that placing wheels in a line on a frame and balancing through dynamic steering allowed fast movement. The Draisine resembled a modern toddler “balance bike,” as it had no pedals.
The Franschhoek Motor Museum partnered with Trail’s End Bike Hotel, loaning several historic bicycles from storage.
Trail’s End Bicycle Museum displays 24 pieces. This includes South African creations and whimsical designs, such as the “bat-glider” and a surfboard-carrying bicycle. The walls feature old cycling posters that trace the development of this iconic transport. Visitors will also see penny-farthings and early racing bikes from the 1800s, with wooden wheels and handlebars.
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