Van Cleve Bicycle, Made by the Wright Brothers circa 1896

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Artifact Overview

Wilbur and Orville Wright established their first bicycle shop in 1892. They started building their own bikes in 1896. Van Cleve bicycles -- named for Wright family ancestors -- used high-grade materials, and they featured special oil-retaining wheel hubs and coaster brakes of the brothers' own design. The Wrights built each bike to order, hand-making parts with basic tools.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Bicycle

Date Made

circa 1896

Creator Notes

Made by Orville and Wilbur Wright in Dayton, Ohio.

Location

at Greenfield Village in Wright Cycle Shop

Object ID

37.316.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Leather
Metal
Nickel (Metal)
Plate (Material)

Color

Black (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 42 in
Width: 19 in
Length: 70.5 in

Inscriptions

Plaque on head column: VAN CLEVE / WRIGHT CYCLE CO. / DAYTON, O.