Gladiator, 1909, Man bicycle

Gladiator, Touring Bicycle, 1909, France

Touring bicycle with typical wooden rims and fenders; the front and rear lights are powered by an acetylene bottle located on the vertical tube of the frame.

 “Pierre Alexandre Darracq is a French businessman,  pioneer of car industry.
Born in Bordeaux the 10th November 1855, from a Basque family, Pierre Alexandre Darracq started his traineeship at the Tarbes arsenal and in 1891 opened the Gladiator bicycle manufacturer that became quite successful. After selling the company in 1896, he started dedicating to electric cars, while studying a feasible production of motorized bicycles.
In 1897, he built the Triplette Darracq-Gladiator, a sort of electric tricycle that proved itself travelling 10 km in 9 minutes and 54 seconds, at the “blistering” speed of 60 kph”

Interesting example of a brand that started producing bicycles and then turned to cars.

Technical notes:
Golden finish
Wooden rims and fenders
Acetylene lamps