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| - Fact Check: Know the real story behind this vintage spring wheel bicycle
An image of a vintage bicycle with unique spring wheels and a rifle attached to it is viral with the claim that it is from the British period. India Today Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that this is a German bicycle that was used in World War I.
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India Today Fact Check
This is a 1905 Herrenrad Victoria Model 12 bicycle with a Mauser GEW 88 rifle attached to it. It is a German bicycle that was used in World War I and was not used in India.
An image of a vintage bicycle with unique spring wheels and a rifle attached to it is viral with the claim that it is from the British period and these bicycles were kept in police stations in India.
Multiple Facebook users have posted the picture of the bicycle with a caption in Hindi that translates as, "The bicycle of the British era which was kept in police stations." The British era is in the context of India during British rule before Independence.
India Today Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that this is a German bicycle that was used in World War I. This is a 1905 Herrenrad Victoria Model 12 bicycle with a Mauser GEW 88 rifle and was never used in India.
The archived versions of the posts are saved here, here and here.
THE BICYCLE STORY
With the help of reverse image search, we found the same image on Reddit. Some websites and a few Facebook users also posted this image last year. Most of them claim that this is a German bicycle with spring wheels that were used in World War I.
Taking a cue from these and with the help of appropriate keywords, we found a website called onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk - a website dedicated to enthusiasts ( https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/ww1-german-bicycles/). There is a detailed article regarding these vintage German spring wheel bicycles. Here we found the image of the exact bicycle along with a few more similar spring wheel bicycles.
(Image courtesy: onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk)
This website is all about vintage bicycles and recognised as the most extensive public database for bicycle history. Colin Kirsche, the creator of this online bicycle museum, is also an author of the book "Bad Teeth No Bar".
As per the author, the bicycle seen in the viral image is a 1905 Herrenrad Victoria Model 12 German bicycle along with Mauser GEW 88 rifle, which was used in World War I. Victoria was a bicycle manufacturer in N¼rnberg, Germany.
The author writes how the spring wheels were not part of this particular bicycle when he found it in France. "I managed to find the front spring wheel at Beaulieu Autojumble, and I got the rear spring wheel a year later from the USA, just in time to use its photos in my book," the author wrote.
Beaulieu is a village in England where the International Autojumble - the most famous motoring event and the biggest outdoor sale of motoring items takes place.
As per the Colin Kirsche article, there was a scarcity of rubber during WWI. A spring wheel in a bicycle was occasionally used as a replacement for rubber.
Kirsche also has a Facebook page on bicycles, where one can buy some of his vintage collection.
Hence, the claim that the bicycle in the image is from the British era and used in police stations in India is misleading.
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