Tried and True Principles Bicycles in Erie at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

At the end of the nineteenth century people in America and in Europe went crazy over a new-fangled invention. During the 1890s the two-wheeled bicycle came into such demand that millions of individuals purchased and began riding them, new riding clubs sprang up all over the country and hundreds of companies began manufacturing bicycles under a host of brand names. This fascination occurred for a variety of social, health, fitness and transportation reasons and the residents of Erie County shared in that mania both as riders and manufacturers of these bicycles. The local impact of that interesting but short- lived phenomenon is the focus of this article.