“I could walk this fine line between elation and success... You'll have to prove it to me... You’re wasting time, yeah, every time. Whoa, I can't do it by myself.” - Fall Out Boy,
Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over [punk-pop],
Take This to Your Grave, Fueled by Ramen, 2003
Among realms of intertwined relationships, bicycling culture lives where literary poiesis and sculptural kinesis intersect. Labann rides a rolling sculpture while making observations and recording revelations. Isn’t this what wordsmiths and wheelsmiths have in common? Two dichotomous gears may spin in opposite directions, but work effectively where they intersect.
Too often witness distressing signs that something’s gone awry: forgotten forests of fallen limbs, roadside vegetation smothered by manmade castoffs, and shuttered factories beside black streams swollen by soot-smeared snowmelt. Many say that aimlessly self propelling represents ineffective exercise and time wasted, but not to bicycle industry’s independent and myriad workers whose livelihoods depend upon it.
Croci don’t lie; once they bloom and die, temps soon equal age, a threshold to venture outdoors for many adult cyclists. On a dreary late winter spin suddenly realized that several streets en route were befittingly named - Armstrong, Columbia, Columbia again in a different town, Economy, Finance, Merida, and Wheeler, past Clement’s Marketplace, Continental Tire, Iron Horse Pub, Roadmasters Drivers School, and Singer Sewing Center of Coventry, not famous one in England where bicycle industry and international popularity began. Was reminded of alien hunting, bike sleuthing Wheeler family from Netflix series
Stranger Things (Duffer Bros., dirs., 2016 to 2022) set in 1980’s Indiana, home to over
50 current or former bicycle builders. One may be strangely immersed in bicycling relevancy without noticing its legal pertinency. Cyborgs will never connect these dots.
Anyway, why do so many brands of bicycles, components, frames and tires exist? Talk about, “Reinventing the wheel.” Between 1878 to 1918 there were over
2,000 North American makers and tradenames, not to mention thousands of European counterparts and predecessors, each dabbling locally before distributing globally; neighborhood shops satisfied regional markets until a billion bicyclists emerged. Entrepreneurial barriers remain fewer than, say, automaking, farming, or mining. A bench, brazing rig, coffee pot, couple of jigs, garage out back, stock, tools, training, $25K in operating cash, website, and you’re in business. Gold mining (if you can find disappearing pay dirt or elusive mother lodes), opening a fast food franchise, and other such ventures start at $250K, 10x more than a framemaking startup, with just as little chance of success.
Frame weld grinding, image from a bank loan ad
“The bike market isn't such a golden opportunity that you can just dive in and get rich. It's a tough market for anybody, especially a small company. To even stand a chance, you have to stand for something... Diversity is a good thing... a sign of health... but I'm not sure how much ‘velodiversity’ there will be in the future. Big fish eat little fish.”—Grant Petersen, formerly of Bridgestone USA, founder of Rivendell Bicycle Works
Although brands appear and disappear at an alarming rate, can’t ever call a brand defunct, only discontinued; not only are riders rebuilding or still using vintage antiques, names sometimes get revived, whether by legal means on license or in violation of international trademark laws trying to cash in on someone’s else earned reputation. Makes it hard to condemn or validate when retail shops haphazardly slap own names on bikes manufactured by someone else. Hot blooded egotists are ever eager to claim credit, same reason a tall ugly building carries name of someone tangentially involved with its construction.
Marketshare dominators buy or crush competitors, but sometimes lose anyway. Disturbs how many brands today have automotive parents, though other automakers’ roots lie in bike building. Not so celebrated are origins among sewing machines and small arms, though controversial apparel always played a significant role. Starley figured laid-off workers who had been building sewing machines could easily knock off French bicycles, so saved Coventry from recession. Beset by pandemic disruption of supply chain, and previously outcompeted by cheap oriental imports, local builders have rallied.
“There's a terrible delight in watching a rival sink without a trace.”—Bernard “The Badger” Hinault
First arguable depiction of a bicycle comes from
Codex Atlanticus, a compilation of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Half a millennium later, bicycles are flourishing as one of humanity’s most persistent technologies.
Bike&Chain emerged to study their broad impact. After a nudge by Baden’s democratic reformer Baron Von Drais in1818, discrediting
Russian claims of Yefim Artamonov’s 1801 invention and spurious bicycle nationalisms, a burgeoning global workforce had produced 4 billion completed bicycles before their bicentennial, and, according to industry estimates, surviving manufacturers are currently pumping out 4 complete units per second.
Winslow Homer,
The New Year - 1869, pen and ink drawing, 155 years ago, soon after American Civil War concluded, thus creating opportunities for gun makers to diversify into newfangled bicycles
Accuracy in tracking details that every self-styled historian quibbles over forever faces data blackouts and misinformation campaigns from geopolitical adversaries, who, unlike western democracies, don’t recognize any individual contribution or share methods of production. Low priced knockoffs slapped together by Asian slave labor buried many Western brands. Learning only comes from direct investigation and hands-on history; classes, lists, memoirs, news, and texts only point in that direction.
Actually, the best bike is one you get your budget and butt to like, because few can afford to own bespoke perfection, which you’d be too afraid to spring from a vault to take a spin. Cyclists can be real divas picking handmades to reflect own preferences and prejudices. But if box store models fulfilled every need, and one size did fit all, you wouldn’t have to order a custom frameset and precious gruppo to assemble one for yourself. No two bicyclists are the same. Slim jockeys want carbon or titanium throughout; substantial clydesdales want reliable steel. Choice is all about pain you’ve endured and hope to avoid. Bikes resemble boots that last a lifetime provided they fit properly, your feet don’t grow, and you take scrupulous care of them. If one must mull over analogies, diverse brands as they relate to engineering experiments mimic myriad recipes for same gourmet cuisine.
Alphanumeric soup of tradenames rivals
plethora of marketing terms for what are, for the most part, bi-wheeled diamond framed contraptions. You might feel sure you can differentiate a city bike from a fixie, or a hardtail enduro from an MTB, or a randonneur (what Brits call audax) from a tourer, but anarchy rules and categories blur. Though they look like road bikes or ten-speeds, cyclocross (XC) and gravel bikes have fatter tires and wider crotches. Frame materials vary from aluminum, bamboo, carbon fiber, chromoly, composites, exotic alloys, hardwoods, monocoque, nonferrous metals, to plain steel. Most are completed with bits and cogs from different manufacturers, though designs and geometries have to mate to work. For example, high end road bikes come without pedals, another personal preference along with handlebars and saddles. Used to be English, French or Italian were only choices, but trends now include all sorts of proprietary and unique combinations that complicate repairs. Savvy cyclists squirrel away wear parts to sell, swap, or use decades later.
Labann says what once was, still is, but won’t state what will be, what world yearns to ascertain, future trends. Laufmaschine, ordinary, then safety: Missus still wears bracelet charms depicting a Michaudine, the original boneshaker. For Scots, a “shank’s nag’ means legging it on foot sans conveyance convenience; meanwhile, “bike” signifies a throng of creatures or persons en masse. Japanese use term “bicycle operation” (Jitensha sōgyō) for any business barely kept going, because when you don’t continuously pedal it falls. Names abound for bicycles around planet including amabhayisekili, audax, axe, baidhsagal, bakfiet, basikal, bayisikalaya, bécane, beic, bелосипед, bhasikoro, bici, biciletta, bicyclette, biciklo, bike, bixi, BMX, breezer, cạkryān, célérifere, charinko, ciclo, corsa, cruiser, cykel, daraaja, delta, digital bike, draisine, dviratis, e-bike, elektrofahrrad, enduro, EPAC, fahrrad, fatbike, fiet, fixed gear, fixie, freedom machine, fyts, gaali, handcycle, hardtail, hetsaniv, high wheeler, hobby-horse, HPV, hybrid, ibhayisikili, icugutu, igare, iron horse, jajeongeo, jalgratas, jitensha, jízdní, joker, keke, kerékpár, klunker, kolo, keirin, keke, lemon peeler, mama-chari, mixte, mountain bike, MTB, njinga, omafiet, opafiet, orange krate, paesekela, paikikala, paihikara, pedalcar, pedelec, pennyfarthing, pista, ποδήλατο (podílato), polkupyörä, pushbike, quadracycle, rad, randonneur, recumbent, reiðhjól, roadie, roadster, rower, rothar, roti, saikil, sakre, sapédah, scorcher, sepeda, silver steed, singlespeed, stadtrad, steelie, step-through, sykkel, tadpole, tandem, ten-speed, thirsakawr, tricycle, trike, twenty-niner, two-wheeler, uila vilivae, unadag dugui, VAE, velo, velocipede, velosiped, VTT, wheel, wisikilita, Xe đạp, xikanyakanya, xithuthuthu, zitensya, and zìxíngchē with numerous variations thereof. Labann lists thousands of tradenames, plus multiple models under each, a surplus of sobriquets.
Since internet postings only ever offer subsets, Labann merged brand lists from all over, without prejudice for marketshare or origin. Only requirement for inclusion was independent corroboration; some once cited didn’t appear to exist after investigation, or turned out to be retail outlets only. Given bike forums, book barrages, life experiences, and Google searches, it’s disappointing no one bothered to capture this entirely, an affront to millions of craftspersons and factory workers who provided the cleanest form of transportation over last 2 centuries. No wonder it took 5 years to compile this homage, another long list, along with discography, filmography, and terminology. There would be no bicycling culture without buyers and makers.
Labann’s List augments
Bike&Chain’s appendices, covers 6,800 brands but not models, describes histories and products sold, and summarizes extent of what, when, where, who, but not ineffable why, which even Jean-Paul Sartre, see below, struggled with. It’s a solid first pass. Despite every effort to be comprehensive, entries may have been limited by bad business practices of makers too coy, disreputable, or timid to disclose own information. At end of list a bibliography provides several links to more extensive resources, none that demand cookie installation or personal information just to find simple facts, because historical data and marketing details loose in public domain should be freely accessible.
Spreadsheet bolds brands with greatest influence, though every entry, however obscure or pusillanimous, affected acceptance to some degree and served its purpose. Such a survey feels like meeting thousands of likeminded individuals, or not, when makers, often Chinese, don’t want to acknowledge minion or reveal country of origin. Unlike a database, this list can simply be searched or scrolled to find what you’re looking for. For collectors, the most sought out units are legendary, oldest and rarest, though a painting depicting a bicycle can accrue value quicker than bike itself.
Boundaries are lame excuses, but even encyclopedias overlook minutia outside their scope, so only included complete assemblages, components, supplies, and tools, not beverages, food, random stuff you might carry, scooters, skateboards, or unicycles, which are not bicycles or tricycles. If you abbreviate or encapsulate something enormous, fools think that’s all there is, yet too much information ages a list faster. Complexity and extent induce fear and stress. Facts set in stone may make historians comfy, but who can rely on anything said? Some current industry lists may delve deeper. Brand names are seldom repeated, even intentionally. Rarely is any cyclist interested in all equally, often content to limit involvement to only a few. At least own consolidates scores of other lists, may expand consciousness or open investigations, and was disseminated for free.
“When it comes to bicycles, I often find that truth is more of a stranger than fiction.”—Mike Sweatman,
Disraeli Gears
Does
where a bike is made matter less than how it’s made, or what it consists of, or who built it? A purely monetary approach might mean dealing with distributors who source from slavers overseas, thereby not supporting local workers, who then get laid off, so steal your bicycle to trade for necessities. Custom builds require your presence as if having a suit tailored. Some builders became legendary by figuring out how to make bikes go faster, last longer, and work better. Others deserve to be called out as charlatans, incompetents, or thieves. Internet scams are rampant, tempting low prices for equipment never delivered despite hefty downpayment.
Disclaimer: Details are from best input and latest intel, not guaranteed accurate, complete, or current. To reiterate, “Complete is a term used only by isolated idiots who ignore linguistics and locales.” You must include Africa and Asia, think America to New Zealand, track from today to yesteryear. No disrespect is intended by errors or exclusions, though you can see how premier brands might not want to be linked with budget or hobby offerings. “Discontinued” doesn’t mean never to be revived, nor still desirable and widely sold, particularly frames, often easily restored. NOS (New Old Stock) is a viable business among resellers serving restorers. Supply chain shortfalls of COVID pandemic pushed businesses to the brink and over. World wars likewise ended a number of brands. Yet lately there’s been a rush to profit off latest electrical and material tech.
Issues over identifying brand names abound. A brand might imply a reputation for quality not necessarily preserved after business was acquired, divested, or merged. Some actually build, i. e., Bianchi, versus procure, i. e., Gucci. Some are strictly OEM, furnish components or entire bicycles, but have no brand presence in markets, i. e., United Bicycle. Many only distribute locally, have no sales network, rely on websites or word-of-mouth. Can you even call one-offs “brands” at all? Bespoke, custom, handmade fabricators individually match bicycles to needs, but can easily be confused with distributors and local bike shops, who assemble units, collect input, go between, but never personally manufacture, per se. Purists and those who pedal for exercise might exclude electric assisted bikes altogether as motored rather than self propelled, thereby generating controversies on bikeways.
Brand names come from many sources. Could be an acronym, distributor fancy, function of bike material, maker surname, marketing nonsense, mythical character, name of some champion who had nothing to do with manufacture, place of origin, person who built, shop that sourced then sold, stolen from another brand, or whatnot. Almost 2 dozen were tagged Royal, obviously not built by monarchy. Some manufacturers slap dozens of different names on same product to see which one competes best for marketshare. As if shorthand, bicyclists usually refer to components by models and skip brands, i.e., Chorus, not Campagnolo, or Dura Ace, not Shimano. Consumers alternately and indiscriminately call assembled units by attached badge/decal or name of distributor/manufacturer. Consider this a quest to sort it all out.
What do birds, cats, frogs, pigs, or stingrays have to do with cycling? Bees, bicyclists, bike builders, and birds either flock together or fly solo. Collectively, they unintentionally accompany one another so often it disturbs when they don’t. Anyway, bicycles you see leaning beside or rolling by roadside will never be a single brand, but an amalgam of many. Without benefits of mass production, bespoke makers must charge twice as much, not such a bad thing since it spreads wealth. Although frames might last a lifetime, every other component will likely need replacement, some several times, such as brake shoes, cables, cassettes, chains, spokes, tires, tubes, and wheels.
Makers made famous by champion endorsements contrast with nobodies whom they’ve encouraged, squeegee wretches desperate to clear windshields separating drivers from bicyclists. Successful old time makers were often directly tied to rubber tire and steel tubing suppliers; thereby one stimulated sales for the other. Distributors and retailers might have house brands they promote alongside others for which they are licensed to assemble. Descriptions get really murky with company acquisitions, incessant change, joint ventures, leveraged buyouts, and successive mergers. Consolidations and takeovers ended some diehards resting on laurels and swindling investors. Industry has always had a convoluted history with drudgery and sweat taken for granted by consumers, insurers, owners, public, regulators, and tax revenuers. Nevertheless, you’ve got to acknowledge millions of burns, broken bones, bruises, busts, cuts, and scrapes it took to put 4 billion bikes on the road to date.
"To possess a bicycle is to be able first to look at it, then to touch it. But touching is revealed as being insufficient; what is necessary is to be able to get on the bicycle and take a ride. But this gratuitous ride is likewise insufficient; it would be necessary to use the bicycle to go on some errands. And this refers us to longer uses ... But these trips themselves disintegrate into a thousand appropriative behavior patterns, each one of which refers to others. Finally, as one could foresee, handing over a bank note is enough to make the bicycle belong to me, but my entire life is needed to realize this possession. In acquiring the object, I perceive that possession is an enterprise which death always renders still unachieved... In making use of my bicycle, I use it up—wear it out; that is, continuous appropriative creation is marked by a partial destruction. This wear can cause distress for strictly practical reasons, but in the majority of cases it brings a secret joy, almost like the joy of possession; this is because it is coming from us—we are consuming. It should be noted that the word “consume” holds the double meaning... To consume is to annihilate and it is to eat; it is to destroy by incorporating into oneself. If I ride on my bicycle, I can be annoyed at wearing out its tires because it is difficult to find others to replace them; but the image of enjoyment which my body invokes is that of a destructive appropriation, of a ‘creation-destruction.’ The bicycle gliding alone, carrying me, by its very movement, is created and made mine; but this creation is deeply imprinted on the object by the light, continued wear which is impressed on it and which is like the brand on the slave. The object is mine because it is I who have used it; the using up of what is mine is the reverse side of my life.“—Jean-Paul Sartre,
L'Être et le néant [
Being and Nothingness], 1943
World’s biggest current retailers, either through e-commerce websites or multiple stores (or both), include but are not limited to:
Amazon, number one retailer of everything, founded in 1994 to sell books, now a reliable conduit among consumers, importers, makers, and sellers
Bicycle Warehouse, since 1992, West Coast, USA
Bike Exchange, since 2007, 223 stores across USA
Chain Reaction Cycles, since 1984, Wiggle-CRC Group (subsidiary of Signa Sports), UK
Conte’s, since 1957, Baltimore, MD, USA
Decathlon, since 1976, Europe’s leading bicycle retailer
Dick’s Sporting Goods, since 1948, 850+ Stores, USA
Erik’s Bike Board, since 1980, Midwest, USA
Jenson USA, since 1996
Landry’s Bicycles, since 1922, Massachusetts, USA
Merlin Cycles, UK and USA, since 1993
Mike’s Bikes, since 1964, Marin, California, USA
Nashbar, since 1974; now owned by AMain Sports & Hobbies, Chico, CA, USA
Performance Bicycle, since 1981; once partnered with Nashbar, Chico, CA, USA
Planet Cyclery, Broomfield, CO, USA
REI Co-op, since 1938, 39 US states
Richardson Bike Mart, since 1962, several Texas locations, USA
Sigma Sports, since 1992, UK
Scheels, since 1902, 13 central US states
Trek Bicycle, since 1976, 100+ stores, USA
Wheel & Sprocket, since 1973, Midwest, USA
Lastly, must credit every author, blogger, correspondent, distributor, magazine editor, reporter, and whoever haphazardly and slowly doles out data, usually for a paycheck, sticks their smutty noses into this sweaty business, and summarizes with incomplete lists with some preposterous presumption of copyright ownership of information already in public domain. Bicycle culture and Tour de France was begun by sports magazine publisher Henri Desgrange way back in 1903. Participants tragicomically and transparently try to cement sales and create rivalries. Ignoring them altogether never ends well.
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