Editing Daniel Rudge (section)

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
'''Daniel Rudge''' (1840 &ndash; 26 June 1880) was a British engineer who built high-end [[bicycle]]s and [[velocipede]]s.  Rudge invented the adjustable [[ball bearing]] bicycle hub (British Patent No 526) in 1878.  

The French racing [[cycle sport|cyclist]] [[Charles Terront]], renowned for winning the first [[Paris–Brest–Paris]] event in 1891, used Rudge's axles with much success thereby bringing world attention to Rudge.  In the years before [[John Boyd Dunlop|John Dunlop]] invented the pneumatic [[Tire|tyre]], Rudge addressed the rough ride by producing a four-bladed, spring-suspended fork in 1887.

[[File:Rudge Ordinary Bicycle Rev.jpg|thumb|A D Rudge & Co. "ordinary" bicycle, built 1884]]
After Rudge's death, his company was merged with ''The Tangent & [[Coventry]] Tricycle Company'' to form ''[[D. Rudge & Co.]]'' which in 1894 became ''[[Rudge-Whitworth|Rudge Whitworth Cycles]]''. By 1911, the ''[[Rudge Whitworth Cycle Company]]'' was also manufacturing [[motorcycle]]s.

After the company fell on hard times in the [[Great Depression]], the music company [[EMI]] bought the ''Rudge'' name.  EMI produced bicycles under the Rudge name from 1935 until 1943 when they sold the name to [[Raleigh (bicycle)|Raleigh]].