william henry james grout (1839–1915) was a pioneering inventor and manufacturer of bicycles. he patented the "grout tension bicycle" in 1870 which introduced several innovations including hollow forks to save weight, rubber tyres for a better ride and adjustable spokes which could be tensioned to align the wheel. he also devised a portable version of the penny-farthing, whose front wheel could be dismantled into four sections for carrying.