More than two years ago, I wrote about a municipality that was best known for its epomymous bicycle company.
From 1925 until 1953, Shelby Bicycles were manufactured in the Ohio city for which they were named. While most of their wares were sold under other names, such as Goodyear, Firestone and AMF, others bore the company's name and are prized by collectors for their stylishness. One was even ridden to a transcontinental record.
From 1925 until 1953, Shelby Bicycles were manufactured in the Ohio city for which they were named. While most of their wares were sold under other names, such as Goodyear, Firestone and AMF, others bore the company's name and are prized by collectors for their stylishness. One was even ridden to a transcontinental record.
While some manufacturers, such as Schwinn, Raleigh and Peugeot, were major employers, it can be argued that none was as integral to its community as the Shelby Cycle Company was to its town.
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| Restored 1938 Shelby. Photo by Aaron W. Legand |
At the time I wrote my earlier post, the Shelby Cycle Historical Society, a tax-exempt organization, was forming and seeking members. On Tuesday (perhaps appropriately, the day after Labor Day), it received a grant to create the Shelby Bicycle Museum on the grounds of the original Shelby Cycle factory.
I can't help but to wonder how many other bicycle "company towns" existed late in the 19th, and early in the 20th, Centuries. In those days, bike manufacturers were smaller and their markets were mainly local: No giant (with a capital or small "g") manufacturer or conglomerate dominated the industry.
