John Keen (cyclist)
Encyclopedia
John Thompson Keen was born on 25 February 1849 at Broadway
in the county of Worcestershire
, England, and lived in Surbiton
, Surrey
from the age of five. He gained an international reputation both as a professional sports cyclist and a manufacturer of bicycles.
Also known as ‘Happy Jack’, John Keen trained as a carpenter but his passion was the new sport of cycling on high bicycles (penny-farthing
) which were newly developed from the velocipede
. It has been reported that he began racing as early as 1869 and when a racing track opened in Surbiton he won the first event.
He raced over a number of distances. In 1872 he was recorded as having ridden ten miles in less than 36 minutes and in 1874 he rode 50 miles in 3 hours and nine minutes. In May 1873 Keen, with James Moore
introduced larger wheeled bicycles to France at the championships in Lyon where wheel sizes up to 45 inches had been the norm.
Keen frequently competed against Fred Cooper for the One Mile Professional Championship. An athletic newspaper at the time reported that 12,000 people attended a meeting at Wolverhampton
to see the men compete.
In the spring of 1876 John Keen travelled to New York with his bicycle. By 1878 he was internationally reputed to be the fastest rider in the world, the professional champion of England and his name appeared on advertisements (in 1879) for the Columbia bicycle manufactured in the USA which stated his achievement of 1 mile in 2 minutes and 43 seconds (22 mph).
In 1879 Keen, together with David Stanton and William Cann were invited to race in the United States against inexperienced local opposition. In pursuit of all records from one to twenty miles, Keen achieved 16 miles and 790 yards in one hour. It was said that he sailed to New York to take on John S.Prince in 1883.
In the 1870s Keen set up a business developing and manufacturing bicycles in Surbiton. Kingston
Museum has an example of a bicycle bearing a badge "John Keen Surbiton Hill 1872". A printed notice held in the papers of the Cyclists' Touring Club reassures the public that he is still making his Eclipse bicycles to which there are significant improvements this year (September 1877). C.F. Caunter
wrote that "John Keen, at Surbiton, built machines lighter and higher than had previously been thought possible." He appears to have moved his business to Dalston Junction
, then Clapham
and latterly returning to Surbiton
(Victoria Road). His cycles were known by the brand name ‘Eclipse’. Bartleet’s Bicycle Book (1931/32) describes a juvenile bicycle fitted with pedals “ which are Keen's patent hanging pedals with a single ball bearing: these were the invention of "Jack" Keen, the famous professional rider, his patent No. 14867/1887.”
His business moved to a workshop in Thames Ditton
beside The Angel public house which was popular with cyclists using the Portsmouth Road. It is recorded in the census of 1901 that he lived at Claremont Terrace, Portsmouth Road, Long Ditton.
He died in Finchley
on 13 January 1902, of tuberculosis
.
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
in the county of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England, and lived in Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
from the age of five. He gained an international reputation both as a professional sports cyclist and a manufacturer of bicycles.
Also known as ‘Happy Jack’, John Keen trained as a carpenter but his passion was the new sport of cycling on high bicycles (penny-farthing
Penny-farthing
Penny-farthing, high wheel, high wheeler, and ordinary are all terms used to describe a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel that was popular after the boneshaker, until the development of the safety bicycle, in the 1880s...
) which were newly developed from the velocipede
Velocipede
Velocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
. It has been reported that he began racing as early as 1869 and when a racing track opened in Surbiton he won the first event.
He raced over a number of distances. In 1872 he was recorded as having ridden ten miles in less than 36 minutes and in 1874 he rode 50 miles in 3 hours and nine minutes. In May 1873 Keen, with James Moore
James Moore (cyclist)
James Moore was a bicycle racer. He is popularly regarded as the winner of the first official cycle race in the world in 1868 at St-Cloud, Paris, although there appears to be no verifiable contemporary evidence for this...
introduced larger wheeled bicycles to France at the championships in Lyon where wheel sizes up to 45 inches had been the norm.
Keen frequently competed against Fred Cooper for the One Mile Professional Championship. An athletic newspaper at the time reported that 12,000 people attended a meeting at Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
to see the men compete.
In the spring of 1876 John Keen travelled to New York with his bicycle. By 1878 he was internationally reputed to be the fastest rider in the world, the professional champion of England and his name appeared on advertisements (in 1879) for the Columbia bicycle manufactured in the USA which stated his achievement of 1 mile in 2 minutes and 43 seconds (22 mph).
In 1879 Keen, together with David Stanton and William Cann were invited to race in the United States against inexperienced local opposition. In pursuit of all records from one to twenty miles, Keen achieved 16 miles and 790 yards in one hour. It was said that he sailed to New York to take on John S.Prince in 1883.
In the 1870s Keen set up a business developing and manufacturing bicycles in Surbiton. Kingston
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
Museum has an example of a bicycle bearing a badge "John Keen Surbiton Hill 1872". A printed notice held in the papers of the Cyclists' Touring Club reassures the public that he is still making his Eclipse bicycles to which there are significant improvements this year (September 1877). C.F. Caunter
C. F. Caunter
Cyril Francis Caunter, b. March 22, 1899, Ilford, Essex, d. April 10, 1988, was a British aviation historian and author.-Life:In 1932 he published the novel Madness Opens The Door, a space novel, and Ex-Gangster and Killers Must Die...
wrote that "John Keen, at Surbiton, built machines lighter and higher than had previously been thought possible." He appears to have moved his business to Dalston Junction
Dalston Junction railway station
Dalston Junction railway station is in the Dalston area of the London Borough of Hackney at the crossroad of Dalston Lane, Kingsland Road and Balls Pond Road...
, then Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
and latterly returning to Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
(Victoria Road). His cycles were known by the brand name ‘Eclipse’. Bartleet’s Bicycle Book (1931/32) describes a juvenile bicycle fitted with pedals “ which are Keen's patent hanging pedals with a single ball bearing: these were the invention of "Jack" Keen, the famous professional rider, his patent No. 14867/1887.”
His business moved to a workshop in Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
beside The Angel public house which was popular with cyclists using the Portsmouth Road. It is recorded in the census of 1901 that he lived at Claremont Terrace, Portsmouth Road, Long Ditton.
He died in Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
on 13 January 1902, of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Sources
- Date of birth: 1889 Calendar published by Bicycling News, reprinted Vol. 4 of George Moore Collection
- Kingston Cycling: Past and Present, pamphlet by Les Bowerman
- Bicycle: The History, book by David V. Herlihy
- John Keen – The Life of a Cycling Pioneer, by Les Bowerman (Proceedings of the 4th International Cycle History Conference, Boston, 1993)
- A History of Bicycles, book by Serena Beeley
- The History and Development of Cycles, Vol.1 C.F. Caunter (Ministry of Education: Science Museum) 1955
- Public Record Office RG 13/670 Census of 1901