 n
1892, Wilbur and Orville bought new "safety" bicycles and soon cycling became a
shared passion. It was, in fact, becoming a passion all over the United States. Before that time, "ordinary" bicycles, with huge wheels in front, had
been the province of daring athletes. But the invention of the safety bicycle, with two
wheels of equal size, opened the sport to everyone. The Wrights joined a
local bicycle club, the YMCA Wheelmen, went on long country rides, and did a
little racing. And because their scratch-built presses had made their reputations as
mechanics, they were beset upon by friends in need of bicycle repair. Soon
the Wrights had a good repair business. They opened a shop in early 1893, the Wright
Cycle Exchange. In addition to repairing bicycles, they also sold new bikes and
accessories. Business was brisk, and in late 1893 they moved to larger quarters and
renamed the business The Wright Cycle Company. In less than a year, bicycles
were their primary business and they hired their brother Lorin to take over the print
shop.After several years of repairing bicycles, the Wright brothers decided they could build a better bike than they could buy. In 1896, the began to manufacture the top-of-the line Van Cleve and the lower-priced St. Clair, both named for Ohio pioneers. These were not mass-produced machines, but were hand-built to a customer’s specifications. At that time, the bicycle industry was analogous to computers today. Small-time manufacturers could build their own brands from readily available components. The Wrights added a few original improvements, including an oil-retaining wheel hub and coaster brakes. By 1898, they were earning $2000 to $3000 a year in gross sales from the bicycle business, a respectable income for the times.
|
Click
on a photo to enlarge it. A "Van Cleve" bicycle built by the Wright brothers in the mid-1890s.
|
