the UK, a roller freewheel was patented by J. White and G. Davies of Coventry Machinist Co. in 1881 and fitted to the Chelseymore tricycle, but the pioneers of fitting the freewheel to the safety bicycle were Linley and Biggs Ltd (trading as the Whippet Cycle Syndicate) who fitted a freewheel from the summer of 1894, in part to assist the operation of their 2-speed 'Protean' gear.

By 1899 there was widespread adoption in UK bicycle manufacture of the