The "Spares" Market - What We Have Lost

The decline of industry in the U.S. and Britain brought many consequences with it, but one of the biggest losses for vintage bicycle people was the loss of the wide-ranging production of spare parts. When we think of vintage bicycles today, we tend to think of a company like Raleigh or Schwinn churning out bicycles; that is, starting with basic materials and working up to a whole bike.

What we often forget is that the factories also produced a wonderful and broad range of spare parts. Even catalogs from the 1960s and 70s show how a buyer could get full quality parts from the original manufacturer of their bicycle. This ranged from small parts up to whole frames. This market was strongest in the period from the 1930s through the 1960s. 

(Above: a selection of parts available in a 1940s-era Raleigh catalog. Everything from a frame, down to a master link for a chain could be bought.)

The beauty of the spare parts market of that time was that original manufacturers stocked many different parts that would fit your bicycle, look as if they were always there, and keep a well-used bike on the road. 

(Above: another 1940s-era Raleigh catalog page, including brand-specific parts for sale).

The bicycles of that era tended to be durable goods, and investment in good spare parts made sense to people. This is in marked contrast to many bicycles today being "disposable" when parts begin to wear out (though certainly not all new bikes are disposable). 

(Above: a page from an old Schwinn catalog from just before WWII showing high-quality parts available for your Schwinn road bike/3 speed bike.)

Even in the United States, where bicycles was less prevalent prior to the energy crisis and bike boom of the early 1970s, parts from original manufacturers could be had for quality bicycles. Although the market for adult bikes and utility bikes was smaller in the U.S. prior to 1970, many manufacturers still tried to keep bikes on the road with quality spare parts.

(Above forks available for Schwinn road and utility bikes before WWII).

The other striking thing about this spare parts market is that even "core" parts of bicycles could be bought. If your Raleigh or Schwinn needed a new fork, you could get one in a matching color and of correct type. Normally a damaged core component on a bike today means the end of the bike, but in those days, there was a great deal of support for keeping the bike on the road in form of spare parts.

(Above a Schwinn catalog page from before WWII, showed a variety if quality parts for your road bike or three speed bike).

Customization was also an option with the broad spare parts markets from 1930 through the 1970s. If you wanted a lighter set of rims, more ergonomic handlebars, or even just a swankier chain guard, you could find quality parts from the original manufacturer of your bicycle. 

Budget options also existed from companies like McCauley metal products. Although the thickness of the metal and quality of the plating on these pieces might be been a bit lower than from a high-end bike company, they still offered style and functionality at an affordable price. Some of these pieces even incorporated art deco and streamline designs in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. 

(Above: an art deco wing chain guard made by McCauley. Special brackets and multiple mounting holes allowed McCauley chain guards to be fitted to a variety of bikes).

Finally, we often think of the 1960s and 70s as an era of cost-cutting and eventual off-shoring of manufacturing. While that certainly held true in many instances, 1960s era catalogs show a continued interest in furnishing quality parts for utility and road bikes. 

(Above a 1963 catalog shows a variety of quality spare parts from Raleigh. Even in the midst of cost-cutting in the 1960s, good and specific parts remained available.)

But it would be an error to say that all the cost-cutting of the 1960s and 70s did not take a toll. By the early 1980s, more and more parts were being contracted out or replaced by generic substitutes. Today the quality spare parts market is dominated by a few companies, and we have more a "components" market where multiple brands of bike use the same parts rather than a true "spare parts" market where you buy brand-specific spares from the original maker of your bike. 

Today's interchangeable components made by contractors and dedicated component makers may be higher tech and lighter, but there were still many benefits to a market where you could buy a perfect substitute for your damaged or worn out original manufacturer part. In that sense, we have lost an important area of support for our vintage Raleighs, Schwinns, Columbias, and other brands.