Bicycle Brands   

In the early 1970's, The Wheelmen and member Dr. Charles Hetzel started compiling a list of bicycle brands made in America. The list included the company that either manufactured or distributed the bicycle as well as the city, state and date the bicycle was made. Some of the brands listed were identified by bicycle name plate badges. Others were identified by manufacturer's catalogs, advertisements, business directories and/or bicycle industry listings. The list has continued to grow throughout the years and now includes 2925 bicycle brands between 1878 and 1918. After the 2017 change in the Wheelmen cutoff from 1918 to 1932, this list will gradually be expanded to cover those intermediate years.

Many of the bicycle companies used numbers to distinguish models.  Starting with Number 1 and going up in some cases greater than 600.  Also generic terms such as "Roadster", "Ladies", "Gents" and "Racer"  were used to identify models.  Please note that the list does not include all the companies that used these titles to describe a brand.
 
Note: If anyone knows of a bicycle brand that is not listed on this page and would like to contribute to this listing, please email Wheelmen Librarian Bill Smith with supporting documentation such as a photo of a name badge on or off the bicycle, or any ads from period magazines, catalogs, business directories, or newspapers, etc. Your input would be greatly appreciated.