Van Cleve Bicycle, Made by the Wright Brothers circa 1896
Add to SetSummary
Wilbur and Orville Wright opened their first bicycle shop in 1892 and started building their own cycles -- under the "Van Cleve" and "St. Clair" brands -- in 1896. "Safety" bicycles like this, with both wheels the same size, replaced high-wheeler bikes in the early 1890s. Easier to ride, the popular chain-driven safeties launched a bicycling craze in the United States.
Wilbur and Orville Wright opened their first bicycle shop in 1892 and started building their own cycles -- under the "Van Cleve" and "St. Clair" brands -- in 1896. "Safety" bicycles like this, with both wheels the same size, replaced high-wheeler bikes in the early 1890s. Easier to ride, the popular chain-driven safeties launched a bicycling craze in the United States.
Artifact
Bicycle
Date Made
circa 1896
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Made by Orville and Wilbur Wright in Dayton, Ohio.
On Exhibit
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.
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