"Hub Steps?" - When Bicycle Frames Were Bigger

Today, it is somewhat taken for granted that when a bicycle is fit to the rider, the rider can straddle over the top tube with both feet on the ground. This "stand over" measurement is used so that if the rider needs to panic stop, he or she can hop off the saddle and stand over the bike comfortably. Some vintage bicycles were sold with this particular feature in mind. "Safety roadsters" featured smaller wheels (usually 26 inches instead of 28) and lower bottom brackets.

But in the early years of roadsters, particularly before WWII, it was common that riders would take out the biggest frames they could handle. This meant that many riders were on frames where they could not comfortably stand over the top tube with both feet on the ground. 

To help these riders mount their bikes, manufacturers offered "Hub Steps" - extended axle nuts that incorporated a foot peg. The rider would mount the bike in a single motion, bolstering up into the saddle with a kick, using the peg as a foot hold. This helped the rider to use a frame that used all of his or her (usually "his" because men's bicycles had higher top tubes) leg length right from the saddle. 

Of course if the rider panicked and came off the saddle, this meant the possibility of crashing onto the top tube. It is possible to avoid this if one simply reverses the process of mounting and swings back off of the frame rather than jumping down onto the top tube.

Today personal injury/products liability issues would abound with this frame type, but 90 or 100 years ago, it was common to have a large roadster with a Hub Step. The steps were even offered in various finishes (nickel plated and black painted were popular options), and in different sizes and threadings for the various hubs and axles available at the time. Even the venerable Sturmey Archer three speed hubs would be fitted with a step.