Cycling

Bicycles were quickly adopted after their introduction in the 19th century and remain popular with more than a billion worldwide used for recreation, transportation and sport.

Cycling as recreation became organized shortly after racing did. In its early days, cycling brought the sexes together in an unchaperoned way, particularly after the 1880s when cycling became more accessible owing to the invention of the Rover Safety bicycle. Public cries of alarm at the prospect of moral chaos arose from this and from the evolution of women’s cycling attire, which grew progressively less enveloping and restrictive. 

On the 4th of March 2015 it was exactly 100 years ago that the society for the construction of cycle paths in the Gooi and Eemland region in the Netherlands was founded. It is the last private “Cycle Path Society” that still exists today. Some people thought the increasing amount of motor traffic in the early 20th century was so dangerous for people cycling, especially those who rode as a leisure activity, that they wanted separated cycling infrastructure to be built. The routes would also be solitary; not connected to a route for motor traffic and mainly for recreation. So not the shortest routes, but the nicest routes.

Today we see a resurgence of recreational cycling making a comeback. We can see this with many company’s, who are meeting the demand for this trend and now specialize in these retro/vintage style bikes, orientating from the Netherlands.

Commuting

People have been riding bicycles to work since the initial bicycle heyday of the 1890s. According to the website Bike to Work, this practice continued in the United States until the 1920s, when biking experienced sharp drop in part due to the growth of suburbs and the popularity of the car In Europe, cycling to work continued to be common until the end of the 1950s.

Today many people ride bikes to work for a variety of reasons, including fitness, environmental concerns, convenience, frugality, and enjoyment. According to the US Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS), on September 22, 2009, 0.55 percent of Americans use a bicycle as the primary means of getting to work Some places of employment offer amenities to bike commuters, such as showers, changing rooms, indoor bike racks and other secure bike parking for employees.

Racing

The first documented cycling race was a 1,200 metre race held on May 31, 1868 at the Park of Saint-Cloud, Paris. It was won by expatriate Englishman James Moore who rode a bicycle with solid rubber tires. The first cycle race covering a distance between two cities was Paris–Rouen, also won by James Moore, who rode the 123 kilometres dividing both cities in 10 hours and 40 minutes.

The oldest established bicycle racing club in the United States is the St. Louis Cycling Club. Operating continuously since 1887 the club has sponsored races and timed distance events since its inception. Its members have included numerous national champions and Olympic team members.

Cycling in Syracuse, New York

Cycling in Syracuse, New York, has been common on the roads and paths for recreation, commuting, and as a sport since the latter part of the 19th century.

During the 1890s bicycling was a new mode of transportation and a popular sport, however, overall bicycle usage declined with the advent of the automobile in the early 20th century. By mid-century, the bicycle was considered a child's toy. Since the 1970s, use of the bicycle for health, fitness and as a non-polluting alternative to the automobile has grown in Syracuse as well as across the United States.

By 1895, Syracuse was the "hub" of the bicycle world, at one time, manufacturing as many as 500 machines in a single day. The most popular and wealthiest bicycle manufacturer in the city was E. C. Stearns Company, producer of the popular Yellow Fellow for nearly a decade.

Cycling as a sport

As early as 1888, bicycling was a popular sport with affluent young men of the city. Some of the early names in racing were John Wilkinson and William Van Wagoner. Professional and amateur racers, using "local" wheels, toured the United States, Europe and Australia to compete in various competitions.

During the 1890s cycle races like the Cicero Plank Road Race in Cicero, New York and the Century run of the Century Road Club to Utica and back were very popular forms of entertainment and drew thousands of spectators.

Many cyclists tried for the "century" mark, making 100 miles (160 km) runs.

Bicycle racers

Some of the early names in racing were John Wilkinson (1868–1951) who was a native of Syracuse and graduate of Cornell University with a degree in engineering. Always athletic, by 1880, Wilkinson participated in bicycle racing and was one of the country's leading racers.After college he went on to become a champion cyclist and also developed a keen interest about the inner-workings of internal combustion engines and motor cars. He later invented the air-cooled engine and teamed with Herbert H. Franklin to form Franklin Automobile Company. William Van Wagoner, originally from New Jersey, was manager of Century Motor Vehicle Company by 1900 and an early automobile designer, however, he was involved in bicycle racing long before he designed an automobile. During June 1888, Van Wagoner was a "bicycling champion" in Providence, Rhode Island in the third annual 25 miles (40 km) bicycle race for the championship of the Rhode Island division on the .5 miles (0.80 km) oval at Roger William's Park. He performed in many events around the country and by July 1893, he had settled in Syracuse and was racing with the Syracuse Athletic Association.

Many professional riders such as Eddie Bald, riding the Cannon Ball carried the name of Syracuse-made machines into the national cycling field.

Cycling clubs

League of American Wheelmen 1900

The League of American Wheelmen was founded in Newport, Rhode Island on May 30, 1880 by Kirk Munroe and Charles Pratt. It soon became the leading national membership organization for cyclists in the United States. The League was also the governing body for amateur bicycle racing in the U.S. during the late 19th century. Membership peaked at 103,000 in 1898.

The Syracuse Athletic Association, formed in 1889 with headquarters in the Lynch block between Salina and Water streets, was an important young men’s club in the city and promoted sports activities including cycling events. By 1893, the eighth annual Labor Day meet was hosted by the group on September 4. Two special features would prove very interesting. William Van Wagoner, a member of the club, rode 1 mile (1.6 km) against time with hands off in an effort to lower the world's record of 2:38. "He succeeded admirably," making the 1 mile (1.6 km) in 2:29. He rode with his arms folded behind him and his wheel was as "straight and accurate as many good men ride with hands on." The performance took place on the .5 miles (0.80 km) track at the New York State Fair grounds which "was in excellent shape" and was loudly applauded by a crowd of 5,000

The Syracuse Bicycle Club (SBC) was formed in the early 1890s followed by the Century Bicycle Club and Pastime Club. Both the Syracuse Athletic Association and the Syracuse Bicycle Club were merged through the efforts of Frederick B. Hazard and moved to the old Getman Hotel on East Jefferson Street. The building burned down in 1896 and they built a new clubhouse on the corner of State and Washington streets.

Bike paths

In 1897, special paths were first constructed in the city and every "wheel" rider had to carry a tag showing payment of a tax to maintain the paths. There were "special constables" to arrest those unlawfully cycling on the paths. There were also laws for special protection of wheel paths, as well as laws against bicycle riders

The bicycle paths branched out from the city to the old Onondaga Lake Boulevard, to Cicero and South Bay, along the old Plank Road, the first in the United States to Onondaga Valley and Elmwood.

Bicycle gears

Local entrepreneurs and engineers, Alexander T. Brown and Charles E. Lipe invented the two-gear chain in 1894 in order to offer different speeds to the more advanced riders. The gears were produced at the Brown-Lipe Company who called it their two-speed Hy-Lo Bi-Gear which was installed on all makes of bicycles. The company was located in Syracuse, in the C. E. Lipe Machine Shop, an early business incubator in the city. The firm was renamed to the Brown-Lipe-Chapin Company who were later recognized as the world's "premier automobile gear manufacturer."

Bicycle designers and manufacturing

E. C. Stearns & Company - Advertisement - April 1893

The cycling craze was first imported to the United States from England in the early 1880s. English bicycles such as Beaston-Humber and the Rugby sold for as much as $165, weighed 26 pounds, and required tires that cost $25 apiece. As popularity grew, American manufacturers entered the field.Many young men in the city began their careers in the bicycle industry which was a new, exciting technology of the time. Several such as Wilkinson and Van Wagoner began racing bicycles by 1888 and gravitated to design and manufacturer of bicycles by the mid-1890s. Several were instrumental not only in the establishment of Syracuse as a major bicycle manufacturing center, but later they moved on to form several automobile manufactories in the city.

At one point more than 300 firms across the United States were trying to corner the bicycle market. Syracuse became a center of "safety" bicycle manufacturing. Bicycles that were not produced locally were referred to as "out of town" machines. Not only did the manufacturers produce bicycles and tricycles, but they also turned out the "bicycle built for two" as well as some models designed to carry three, four, five, six and even seven riders. In the 1890s, some of the popular models of the day were Fowler, Stearns and Rambler which were sold nationwide at authorized "dealers." "Local" bicycles included the Barnes White Flyer, Empire, Tourist and Dodge. Syracuse had no fewer than 19 local bicycle manufacturers including Barnes Cycle Company (1895–1899), Central City Bicycle Works (1898), Dodge Cycle Company (1896), E. C. Stearns Bicycle Agency (1893–1899), Emory, Empire Cycle Company (1896–1898), Frazier & Jones Company (1898), Frontenace Manufacturing Company (1896), H. R. Olmsted & Company (1896–1898), J. C. Brown & Company (1904), J. W. Gould (1898), Lighton Machine Company (1895–1896), Olive Wheel Company (1897–1901), Ruben Woods, Syracuse Cycle Company (1894–1898), Syracuse Specialty Manufacturing Company (1896), makers of the Frontenac, Tourist Bicycle Company (1896–1898), Wooden Hickory Frame Cycle Works (1893–1898) andWorden Frame Hickory Bicycle Works. Along with the bicycle manufacturers, came a host of other industries such as bicycle maintenance shops and gear manufacturers and tire repairers. Some shops, such as Howlett's Rubber Store of 212 South Clinton Street, offered storage services where you could park your bicycle for the winter months through April 1 for one dollar. All combined, the bicycle industry helped to create many jobs to boost the local economy. In the period from 1890 to 1896, when the "peak of the bicycle fad" was reached, average prices for new bicycles ranged from $65 to $200

Stearns poster with modern liberated woman of the time on the popular "Yellow Fellow" model in 1896

E. C. Stearns & Company

See also: E. C. Stearns Bicycle Agency and E. C. Stearns & Company

E. C. Stearns & Company began business as a hardware manufacturer and branched into bicycle production from 1893 through 1899 after Edward C. Stearns brought the industry to Syracuse in 1888 and transformed his father's hardware and wagon factory in Oneida, New York to a bicycle plant.

Stearns, president and founder of E. C. Stearns Bicycle Agency, established several other manufacturing plants in Syracuse including E. C. Stearns & Company (hardware), Wholesale Bi-steam Carriage Company and Stearns Automobile Company or Stearns Steam Carriage Company

The company manufactured the popular model, Yellow Fellow by 1895. The "bike" was produced by the thousands at the Syracuse plant and "made the name of the city familiar in almost every corner of the world." The slogan read The Yellow Fellow from Syracuse.

The company produced the model for nearly a decade during which time the "Stearns people ruled the bicycle world."

Barnes Cycle Company

Barnes Cycle Company was another bicycle manufacturer in Syracuse. They were located on East Water Street and were most known for their White Flyer. William Van Wagoner, popular Syracuse bicycle racer, designed bicycles for the company and by 1895 was known as a tandem builder. According to the daily newspaper on June 23, 1895; "Von Wagoner was born in advance of his age. It is highly probable that the fertile brain of Van Wagoner, who designed so many new model bicycles, will create a good many improvements to show the public when next year's model is put upon the market." At that time, he was building a machine for his own personal use that was considered "a novelty in bicycle construction."

According to a local news reporter, the 1896 model of the Barnes bicycle was "an aggregation of more good qualities than ever put together in a bicycle before." An innovative joint had been an "important feature" the previous year and had been "further improved and strengthened" by 1895. The 1896 model was in high demand and agents that filed applications for the White Flyer were so numerous, the company had to assign them each a number and they had to "respond to the call of next as they would in a barber shop."

The company catalog was considered a work of art in 1896 "that will be prized as a souvenir and preserved for its artistic excellence." The cover was printed in the Barnes colors; purple, white and gold and "bears a large winged wheel in white, the symbol of the White Flyer." Barnes announced five models that year.

Barnes Bicycle Advertisement in April 1896

Barnes Bicycle Advertisement - Education magazine, September 1896

Barnes Bicycle - Advertisement, Good Roads, June 1900

Olive Wheel Company

F. W. Gridley was president of the Olive Wheel Company in 1897. The company had recently opened a new store at 121 West Jefferson Street. The color scheme of both the interior and exterior were a "rich olive" hue. The interior was "handsomely frescoed with olive set off with a pretty tint of robin's egg blue and the floors were carpeted with heavy rugs of a rich olive hue." On a platform extending from one end of the store to the other were displayed a full line of Olive wheels in all models including The Olivette, the Enterprise and the Olive Wheel. The Olive Wheel tandem occupied a place of honor on the pedestal. The Frazier & Jones line of juvenile bicycles were also carried in stock. The store was under the "capable management" of Edward P. Wilkins "who is possessed of more than ordinary business ability" and was an "enthusiastic" cyclist and was well versed on all that pertained to bicycles.

Syracuse Cycle Company

In November 1895, John Chester Bowe was the president and general manager of the Syracuse Cycle Company. In April 1896, the company advertised they had been in business since 1892 and were makers of the Syracuse Bicycle with the famous Crimson wheel also known as the Crimson rim. The company motto was "There is but one crimson rim--it is the Syracuse.

During the mid-1890s, John Wilkinson went to work for the Syracuse Cycle Company on Wyoming Street as a designer where he stayed for about four years. In 1895 he designed and patented the "Syracuse quadruplet," the fastest cycle in the world, establishing a record of 1:45 for a three lap track. Wilkinson also designed the company's famous Crimson Rim.

On January 20, 1895, the company participated in the New York Cycle Show which was held in Madison Square Gardens in New York City where they displayed models of the year including the Racer, Special, Spacer, Model C and Thelma, a ladies model. They also showed off their tandem, which weighed 36 pounds (16 kg). The New York Times reported that "these machines are prepared in a very handsome manner, and are sure to find many admirers."