History: Early Modern Utility Bikes in the U.S.A.

1941 Schwinn New World Three Speed Bike

 

 Introduction:

The influence of 3-speeds in the US is a topic of interest to me, especially the fate of early American-made three speeds. I have spent a fair amount of time over the past few years going through old catalogs and looking at old three-speed style bikes in the US.

Many people are familiar with the "heyday" of the three-speed bicycle in the USA. What often springs to mind are the English-made bikes of the 1960s and 70s, a time when the Raleigh Sports and its ilk were in vogue. What many people do not realize is that American firms also produced utility bikes that could serve as practical touring, sporting, and transportation vehicles. 

The purpose of this article is to give a brief account of such American-made bicycles dating to the years before 1960.  The bikes were initially not much different from other American bicycles. But in the 1930s, they took on a definite "English style", becoming more practical machines.

The Earliest Years: 1910s- mid-1930s

Perhaps the earliest effort to develop a domestic three speed utility bike in the USA was the Sears Chief of the WW1 era. Sears actually bought the rights to have Sturmey hubs made in the USA during WW1. This was the "tricoaster" model, known as the Model S, built under license in the USA. The bicycle was aimed at the older youngster or adult: it had a medium-sized frame and 28 inch wheels. Unfortunately, it suffered from the American affinity for wood rims and glue-on, single tube tires. In any event, by the 1920s, the growth of the automobile in the US increasingly sent bicycles into the realm of children's toys.

1910s ad for a Sears Chief bike

Adult bicycles did exist in this period, but often took the form of diamond frame bikes with single speed coaster brakes, and particularly seemed to have been aimed at Western Union and courier servicemen. 

 

1910 ad - Pope "Daily Service" Mail Carrier

These often still retained the 28 inch wheels and single tube tires, even after the children's cruisers were going over to clincher balloon tires. You'll see 1930s-era catalogs with the occasional adult-type bike, but clinging to the old technology.

As Paul Rubenson has keenly observed,  many American manufacturers from the 1910s through the mid-1930s clung to a type of tire technology that lent itself to single speed coaster brake bicycles equipped with wooden rims. This "single tube" tire technology (where the tube and tire were a unit rather than separately repairable) made flat tires a real peril, often requiring slow and costly repairs.

A WW1 US Military Bike, courtesy of Dahlquist Cycleworks

 

Military bicycles used by the USA during the First World War also clung to traditional technology. Although their frames were quite practical and robust (often a diamond frame with a second top tube for rigidity), the single speed coaster brakes. 

The Lightweight "Rebirth" in the US: 1933 - 1941

1935 Hercules Model G, a pre-war English import

 The 1930s were a time of economic depression in the USA, Great Britain, and Europe. Despite the downturn, several British companies saw opportunity in the US market. Chief among these were Hercules Cycle and Motor Company of Birmingham, England, and Raleigh Industries of Nottingham, England.

Around 1933, Raleigh returned to the USA after a hiatus of over 30 years. Raleigh had tried to market its bikes in the USA in the 1890s, but its products had failed to find enough of a market. In the early 1930s, Hamilton Osgood of Boston, Massachusetts became convinced that Raleigh could sell reasonably well in the USA. Osgood had gone to college in the England and developed a love of the classic English "roadster" three speed bikes. At first, his operation was a home-based business of him assembling Raleighs and selling them. But soon he found business sufficiently good to expand his operation.

1934 ad for Raleigh bikes in the USA

 

Around that same time, Hercules Cycle and Motor Company stepped up its exports to the USA. As the 1930s progressed, Hercules and Raleigh gradually imported greater numbers of bikes into the USA.

The English bikes found homes primarily along the US east coast in cities and university towns where the bicycles provided practical transportation.

Evidently, the British bicycles found enough of a market to concern American manufacturers. In 1938, Schwinn announced a new line of "lightweight" bicycles to compete with the English imports. The use of the term "lightweight" conveyed that the bicycles were sportier than the typical, heavy, American balloon tire bike aimed at the youth market.  These bicycles included the premium, custom-made "Paramount"; the mid-range "Superior"; and the mass production-oriented "New World" bikes.

Schwinn was not alone. Several American makers tried to expand the market of domestic bikes from kids to adults. Cleveland Welding; Huffman; Manton & Smith; Westfield Manufacturing, and Schwinn all began making the first truly "modern" adult bikes in the US. They felt there was a huge, potentially untapped market for cycling in the adult realm. So they began producing diamond frame, "lightweight" utility type bikes for leisure and touring purposes. Schwinn was particularly aggressive and actually had catalogs devoted solely to lightweight adult bikes prior to WWII. This included three speed options powered by the Sturmey AW hubs.

The combination of increasing imports from Britain in the 1930s and the rebirth of the lightweight, adult-oriented bicycle by American manufacturers created what one could call a "rebirth" of the adult bicycle in the US. Unlike the Sears Chief of the 1910s, and the wood rim bikes of the 1920s, these newer bicycles had clincher tires; modern rims; and construction with a certain consciousness of keeping weight reasonable. Unlike the children's bikes of that era, the focus was on an overall, rideable bike rather than bloated accessorizing.

The bicycles of this period also are the first truly "classic" adult bicycles in the US. These are the "light roadsters": bicycles with 26 inch wheels; cable brakes; hub gears or coaster brakes; clincher tires; and fillet brazed; internally brazed; or lugged and brazed frames.
 

Despite the growth of imports, the overall population of adult cyclists in the US remained small. The automobile and rail transportation offered alternatives. The vast majority of bicycles were built for, and marketed to, children. But unlike the earlier period of the 1920s and early 30s, the late 1930s saw at least some signs of life in adult cycling, particularly in northeastern cities, and especially in the Boston area. There were certainly adult cyclists all over the US, but the northeast was probably the hottest area of activity.

WWII and the Adult Utility Bicycle

WWII created a real opportunity for the adult utility bicycle to be noticed in the US. With the rationing of fuel, bicycles became an option for workers in certain vital industries. Bicycle makers continued to make adult bicycles early in the war, and were allowed to deplete existing parts stocks before transitioning to war production. Several bicycle companies, including Cleveland Welding and Westfield continued producing bikes throughout the war, including adult diamond frame models aimed at transporting workers to their jobs. These often were single speed coaster models, but were very much in the spirit of the classic, three-speed light roadster.

 

War-era bicycles often have parts that normally would have been chrome plated painted in black because of the strategic nature of certain metals used in the plating process. It is almost certain too that pre-war English bicycles and American three speeds were pressed into service for some commuters.  We will never know how many such "pressed into service" bicycles there were, but they did provide transportation to some workers during the war. 

 

1942 Westfield - courtesy of The CABE

 

I do not think this could truly be called a bike "boom", however. The use of bicycles for commuting was still limited to cities and towns where one could actually get to work on a bicycle. In some areas of the US, this remained impossible. Again, northeastern and midwestern cities provided the geography and industrial settings that made utility bike use by war workers practical. 

 

During the war, the US Government permitted Westfield and Huffman to produce bicycles. Schwinn was permitted on a shorter-term basis to make bicycles until existing parts stocks ran dry. After that, Schwinn would produce munitions for the war effort while Westfield and Huffman would produce bikes. A quota of 10,000 bicycles per month were allowed of the two manufacturers. Those bicycles are generally quite basic, but serve as reminders of how a basic bike can still provide practical transportation, even in the USA.

 

When the war ended, American manufacturers returned to focusing on the classic children's "balloon tire" bikes. They would also resume making lightweights, but as a footnote to the more famous balloon tire heavyweights.

British "Invasion", American Response, and Tariffs After WWII

After the war, most American workers who had used the bicycle for transportation largely reverted to automobiles where possible. This was the dawn of the golden age for the automobile in the US. This also saw the resurgence of road and highway construction friendly to automobiles. 

 

1946 Hercules Model C

Despite the growing importance of the automobile, utility bikes did gain some ground. There continued to be a niche market in the US for adult utility bicycles, particularly three speeds. Some GIs brought back an affinity for the English-style bicycle, though we will never know how many actually brought back bicycles, and that number was probably fairly small. 

 

British exports of cycles to the US increased dramatically after WWII. As Ross D. Petty has pointed out, bicycle imports increased tenfold from 1945 to 1946. By 1946, imports totaled 46,840 units, 95% of which were British-made "lightweight" three-speed type bikes. 

 

A late 1940s Raleigh Dawn Tourist bike

 

However, Britain rapidly took on an "export or die" thinking, and that included bicycles. A larger number of BSA bicycles, Raleigh bicycles, and Hercules bikes, entered the US, and continued to be most popular in the northeastern US. Again, these urban centers rich in college campuses offered a fertile ground for bicycle use. 

1947 Raleigh Model 35 - a basic touring bike

American makers also returned to producing adult bicycles at first. Schwinn produced its classic New World; Continental; Superior; and Paramount lines. Westfield continued making Sports Tourists and Sports Roadsters. Other makers also produced small numbers of adult bicycles. In 1947, domestic firms produced fewer than 30,000 lightweight bicycles. This was a mere "drop in the bucket" compared to the 1.6 million or so balloon tire "heavyweights" made for children. It was also much smaller than the 44,000 or so imported British bikes in 1946, but still more than the 18,000 or so British imports in 1947. Evidently, the demand for lightweights was initially strong in 1946, but dropped as 1947 progressed into 1948 (only about 9,000 adult-sized lightweights were imported from Britain in the US in 1948). Despite that relatively small number, American firms (particularly Schwinn) pressed on with at least some production of practical, three-speed style bikes.

 

1947 Schwinn Continental - a mid-range "sporty" lightweight

 In late 1949, the British government lowered the value of the pound, making British goods cheaper to buy in the USA, in an effort to continue to sell goods and reduce war debt owed to the USA. The Bicycle Manufacturers Association of America (a pro-industry group in the USA) asked the US Government for tariff protection to curb the British imports in 1951. However, the government refused to grant tariff relief on grounds that British "lightweights" differed from American-made children's balloon tire bikes. Evidently, lightweights were a diminishing thing for American manufacturers, and not a substantial enough product by 1951 to warrant a protective tariff. 

A 1950 Schwinn Superior - an unusual bike to find today

Schwinn and Westfield held out the longest, but by the early 1950s, both had largely given up on the adult market. By 1953, Schwinn had re-oriented its three speed utility line-up to focus on high schoolers and teenagers. Despite this, in 1955, the American manufacturers asked again for tariff protection against British imports. This was ultimately granted at a lower level than requested, again because "lightweights" by the 1950s had become a fringe of American cycle production. One Commissioner who opposed the tariff noted, "imaginative and skillful merchandising by
the British of lightweight bicycles having special features that have proved especially attractive to many American consumers...".

1947 Schwinn New World - a basic but classic bike

By the mid-1950s, Schwinn and Westfield/Columbia were the main producers of American-made "lightweight" bikes, with Schwinn having a firm lead over Westfield/Columbia. Lightweight bicycles were produced in relatively small numbers in the USA. Production of such bikes in the US became less and less important as Schwinn and other American manufacturers shifted to production of "middleweight" bicycles: bikes with lighter features than balloon tire heavyweights, but with the extra styling that the youth market demanded. These middleweights fell in between the adult-oriented lightweights and the heavy, traditional balloon tire bikes.

 

1957 Schwinn Traveler three speed bike

 

Despite reduced emphasis on American-made lightweights as the 1950s progressed, 1950s American-made lightweights were still quality bikes. Bikes like the Schwinn Traveler offered high quality, luxurious features like stainless steel fenders and bright, automobile-style colors. Bikes like the Schwinn World and Schwinn Racer offered a quality three speed type bike for a reasonable price. But the fact remained that the American-made lightweights could not compete on a truly equal footing with the more numerous and cost-effective British bikes.

During the course of the 1960s and into the 1970s, both America and Great Britain would continue to produce "lightweight" bicycles. However, after 1960, the British behemoth TI-Raleigh dominated the market for "three speed" style utility bikes. This would ultimately lead to the "golden age" of the English three speed in the USA in the 1960s and into the early 1970s.

Conclusions

 

1959 Schwinn Traveler three speed bike

 A few conclusions are warranted.First, the realm of adult bicycling never matched children's sales in the US. The balloon tire, single speed bicycle sold many more times over the number of adult, utility bicycles. In fact, Schwinn's adult cycling line often ran a loss and was subsidized by the very strong sales of kids' balloon tire bikes. 

Second, we need to be careful about over-generalizing in some cases. It's very tempting to say the entire effort from the '30s-50s to sell adult bikes was a total bust. But that's not true. In some areas, adult bikes sold well. This was particularly true of Hercules and Raleigh bikes in the northeast. Raleigh and Boston developed a special connection that lasted many years.  The three-speed English bikes were campus favorites for many years. However, in some parts of the country, adult bicycles never really had much of any showing. Schwinn and other American manufacturers responded with quality offerings that combined British practicality with American styling and features.

World War II represented a modest opportunity, but the automobile was the love interest for many Americans. This is a pretty obvious point on its face, but what makes it interesting is that many  more Americans became involved in bicycling during the gas rationing of WWII. This included individuals who commuted on bikes to vital war industry jobs in major cities. However, it seems that the majority of these people reverted to automobile use. Americans have always loved their cars on the whole, and the 1940s-50s would prove to be the heyday of the American automobile.

There was a wonderful range of quality in adult bicycles. There are a couple misconceptions about adult bicycles in the 1930s-50s period. First is that (1) there were no adult bikes in the US in that time; (2) American companies just didn't make adult bicycles in that time; and (3) what bicycles did exist for adults were largely either junk or one-off exotics.

None of those hold true. First, although children's bikes dominated, there was a healthy number of imported British bikes and American-made utility bikes in the U.S. They may have been fewer than balloon tire cruisers, but they certainly could be bought in the right places. This was especially true in the major cities of the northeast and midwest. 

 

 

1958 Raleigh Sports four-speed

 

Second, many major American bicycle manufacturers created their own take on the adult bicycle, often in an array of quality levels and price points. They generally copied British-style designs and even employed Sturmey Archer hubs; aluminum hubs; stainless steel fenders; aluminum accessories; and other quality items.

In the end, we do well to seek out the British bikes and American "lightweight" utility bikes of the 1930s-50s. They were often practical; well-made; and could fit an average sized adult. Many still are in decent shape today and can be ridden with just a little work. I think they repay that effort many times. 

 

 

1954 Schwinn Traveler

 

I certainly love mine, whether it's a Schwinn practical New World or Westfield Sports Roadster; a sporty Schwinn Continental; a stately Hercules roadster; or a classic Raleigh Sports. Don't be afraid to look for these bikes and to own them. They may not be as exotic as a 1970s Italian racing bike, but they are wonderful machines.