The Cycle Age And Trade Review, Vol 21, No 42
Articles in this issue
- p. 1
Connecticut Valley bicycle manufacturers were gearing up earlier than usual for the 1899 season, with Overman Wheel Co. reopening departments and agents returning from factory visits reporting that chain bicycles would list at $50 and chainless models at $75 for the coming year.
- Northampton Plant Sold at Auction
The machinery of the failed Northampton Cycle Company was bought in by the Springfield Drop Forging Company for $3,500, less than half the $5,000 it had been expected to bring and less than a quarter of its original cost, with its future use undecided.
- Duquesne Mfg. Co. Will Cease Making Bicycles
The Duquesne Mfg. Co. of Pittsburgh announced it would exit bicycle manufacturing and devote its plant entirely to gas appliances, closing its retail branch on Wood Street after running day and night shifts through the summer to fill its last bicycle orders.
- p. 1
Toledo manufacturers including Joseph L. Yost argued that bicycle prices had reached their floor and that the shake-out of weaker competitors would eventually allow survivors to return to profitability, though most expected the recovery to take two or three more years.
- Preparing for the Winter: Philadelphia Dealers Broaden the Field
Philadelphia's Arch Street cycle dealers were adding an extraordinary range of winter side lines including incandescent gas lamps, golf outfits, cameras, electric motors, phonographs, typewriters, water filters, and Christmas novelties to offset the bicycle trade's seasonal slump.
- American Displays Barred from European Exhibitions
Reports from several European trade fairs described how American bicycle and parts manufacturers were encountering resistance from organizers and national manufacturers' associations unwilling to give American exhibitors favorable placement or standard terms.
- p. 10
Small retailers and repair shops described the difficulty of obtaining parts at reasonable prices and in small quantities from manufacturers who were tightening credit and imposing larger minimum orders to reduce transaction costs.
- p. 1
A new drop-seat bicycle frame design with gondola-style curved tubes was described and evaluated for its ergonomic claims and practical manufacturing implications, with the trade asked whether the design justified its additional production cost.