Labor

Labor, French bicycle from 1920s. Labor Cycles was bicycle division of a company founded in 1908 in Neuilly-sur-Seine by Ets Ballot, best known as Labor Velomoteurs.

Labor bicycles used a characteristic truss bridge construction (this example is incomplete). The truss bridge bicycle frame was patented in 1900 by Iver Johnson, U.S.

"Labor had considerable success in racing with their distinctive frames (...) the truss bridge design became popular in France as a result of world champion Major Taylor, who raced for Iver Johnson in France to escape prejudice in America due to his colour. Labor introduced their own truss bridge bicycle in 1906, copying Iver Johnson’s design, and the model continued through the 1920s..." (from onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk)

Labor Velomoteurs was also a motorcycle manufacture. In 1920's they produced their own two-stroke engine, later they used engines by other manufacturers, specially by Zurcher. The company closed in 1960.

Labor truss bridge tandem bike