Wall Autowheel with Dursley Pedersen bicycle

If you look at this blog on a semi-regular basis you may know that I'm in a love / hate relationship with a 1914 Wall Autowheel. I love the fact that it's completed three Pioneer Runs in the last few years, it cost little and doesn't owe me anything and it has a wonky utilitarian heath robinson splendour that is unique. On the other hand, though I don't mind pedalling, I do begrudge the fact that it reaches a tipping point of feeble power to heavy weight on hills of a certain gradient when the engine simply becomes a massive encumbrance to forward progress. Plus, despite its light weight, it is the greatest pig of a contraption to wheel around in the garage.

So, for reasons best known to me alone, for the last thing I want or need is another one, I scan ebay every so often for Autowheels. Yesterday I saw this one, an early 'wheel hitched up to a Dursley Pedersen cycle, something like the holy grail of Autowheel combos.

Wall Autowheel with Dursley Pedersen cycle.

The early 1913 Autowheel is fairly rare, the main difference from the later models being the swoopy exhaust pipe rather than the later models which drops into a silencer box in front of the engine. The cycle looks fairly correct with a few components different from catalogue spec, but, hey, it's a bicycle and folks changed stuff around all the time back in the day just as we do now with our new treaders. What I'm personally slightly more dubious of is the glitzy colour scheme with silver cycle, reversed bars and nickeled tank on the Autowheel. All easy enough to change though if it was yours and you cared to. And the price? £8500. Suffice to say that's the most I've seen someone asking for an Autowheel by a long shot. Irrelevant to me as I really don't want another one, sometimes I feel I barely want the one I've got. Who knows in five years it may look like a bargain. But if anyone wants to pay near that much for mine you know where I am and the answer is yes!

Oh, and if you want to buy it click here!