The Cleveland Welding Collector No posts. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). I suggest that the best way to build a data base is to include several pictures of a bike, capturing the frame details much like Akikuro did and to photograph the serial number. Offering this Cleveland Welding Company'Roadmaster' 26' mens bicycle as shown. A smooth riding bicycle with an original springer front end. Original seat, rims, chain guard and fenders. Grips are not original. Paint is also not original. Serial number on bottom of crank tube is'D66779 AC' with a'W' inside the C for Cleveland Welding. Energyallabout.web.fc2.com› 〓 Cleveland Welding Company Serial Numbers I believe you are reading the serial number incorrectly, it is likely B12769 with perhaps an incompletely struck letter. That would be an appropriate serial number for what is an early 1937 Cleveland Welding built Roadmaster.
Before 1900 there were hundreds of companiesin the United States producing bicycles. Between about 1900 and the mid-1920sthe field narrowed considerably as companies like Schwinn and Westfield boughtout other makers but carried their brands forward. While some of the companieslisted here certainly predated balloon tire bicycles the following are the mostprolific builders of balloon tire bicycles.
Following the story of eachmanufacturer is a list of some of thebadges known on the bikes. These listings are only examples as some companiesare known to have used hundreds of different badges. Distributors or retailerssuch as tire stores, department stores, hardware stores, or any number ofretail establishments that sold bicycles many times had their own badges made.It is important to understand that the badge was merely a brand and notnecessarily the manufacturer. For example the brand “Elgin” was used onbicycles Sears sold before World War II. Sears never made any of its own bicycles.Neither did Firestone, Goodyear, or B.F. Goodrich. In the case of the Elginbicycles many were made by Westfield but some made by Monark and Murray aswell. Colson, Monark, Cleveland Welding, and Schwinn made the bikes for thetire companies.
Schwinn
Generally accepted as introducing the balloon tire bicycle to America Schwinn is probably the most recognized bicycle manufacturer in the world. The company was formed in 1895 by Ignaz Schwinn, a German immigrant, and along with the financial backing of Adolf Arnold formed Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1895. At one time Schwinn was also one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in the United States having acquired both Excelsior (1912) and Henderson (1917). Schwinn designed and built some of the most iconic balloon tire bikes to include the Aerocycle, Autocycle, and Phantom. Although the Schwinn name survives the bicycles are now made in China.
Badges: Schwinn,The World, LaSalle, Lincoln, American Beauty, Cadillac, Ace, Henderson, Excelsior,Mission, American Flyer, Chicago, Admiral, Liberty, and hundreds of storebadges such as Beards (Evansville, IN), Lawlor’s (Lincoln, NE), and Tiger (G.W.Tiger & Sons–Colorado Springs, CO)
Cleveland Welding Company Serial Numbers Diagram
Cleveland Welding Company
The Cleveland Welding Company is generally referred to as “CWC” by collectors started producing bicycles in September of 1935 and are probably best known for their Roadmaster line of bicycles. The “Y” frame Roadmaster Supremes of 1937 (aka Bug Eye) and 1938 (aka Four Gill) are some of the rarest and most sought after balloon tire bikes. The Roadmaster Luxury Liner is probably the most well-known model from this company and the “Shockmaster” is arguably one of the smoothest riding spring forks ever made. CWC was sold to AMF in 1951 but the Roadmaster brand lives on although these bicycles are now made in China.
Badges: Roadmaster, Supreme, Packard, Hiawatha, Ridewell, Ben Hur, All American, Trojan, Pilot, Hawthorne, Trail Blazer, Speed King, Vim, Movie Ace, Fleetwing, Champion
Monark
The Monark Silver King Inc. started as a battery manufacturer and began producing bicycles in 1935. What sets Monark apart from other manufacturers was their use of aluminum in construction of their bicycles as well as using a 24” wheel size on these bikes. It should be noted that aluminum had been used in bicycle construction starting in the 1890s. Monark introduced its steel framed bikes in 1938 which included such models as the “Superframe” Five Bar. It is their aluminum bikes though such as the Flocycle, Wingbar, and 26X that most collectors covet. Postwar Monarks include the popular aluminum “Hextube” and the Super Deluxe models.
Badges: MonarksSilver King, Montgomery Ward, Hawthorne, DeVega, Reggie McNamara, Ace,Mahowald, Airman, Firestone
Shelby
The Shelby Cycle Co. of Shelby, OH was formed in 1925 from the remnants of the Shelby Cycle Frame Builders. The Shelby Airflos (Speedlines) are considered some of the most outlandish designs of the late 1930s and are some of the most sought after balloon tire bikes among collectors. In 1949 Shelby built the Donald Duck bike featuring Donald Ducks head whose eyes were the lights. The company was sold briefly to Gambles in 1953 but within months sold to AMF. Badges: Shelby, Flying Cloud, Gambles, Hiawatha, Ideal, Safe-T-Bike, Speedway Special, Supreme, Fox, Western Flyer, Bird, Trojan, Eagle, Pirate
H.P. Snyder
The relationship between the H.P. Snyder Co. and the D.P.Harris Company is one of the more unusual arrangements in bicycle history. Sometimein the early 1900s a partnership was formed between Snyder and Harris wherebySnyder would build the bicycle and Harris distribute them. Harris was also amanufacturer of bicycle parts and ball bearings and its own product line was calledRollfast. Harris distributed the Snyder bikes under the Rollfast name as wellas many others. Snyder built bikes were also sold through Montgomery Warddepartment stores. While Rollfast bikes were high quality machines their designwas decidedly more conservative than a lot of their contemporaries. Anexception would be the Hopalong Cassidy bikes complete with conchos, fringe,and a simulated horse hair saddle. The Rollfast name would continue until 1975when the Snyder Co. finally closed and the relationship between Snyder andHarris was dissolved.
Badges: Rollfast, Roamer, Black Beauty, Ben Hur, Lexington, Peerless, Cadet, Athlete, Standard, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Savage, Rex, Blue Ribbon, Keystone, Gold Medal, Hawthorne, Montgomery Ward, Overland, Winchester, Hopalong Cassidy
Westfield
The Westfield Manufacturing Co. of Westfield, MA has originsdating back to 1877 with the founding of the Pope Manufacturing Co. Many brandswere manufactured under Westfield but their in-house brand was Columbia. Westfieldbought many bicycle companies such as Miami who made the Flying Merkel, andRacycle among others. Some of the most desirable balloon tire bikes ever madewere produced by Westfield for Sears under the Elgin brand to include theBluebird, Skylark, and Robin. Westfield was also the primary contractor formaking bicycles for Hendee/Indian Motocycle Co. until World War II. The companyenjoyed postwar success but like other American companies succumbed to importsand production cost and ceased operations in 1987.
Badges: Columbia, Westfield, Elgin, Corsair, Seminole,Indian, Viking, Tribune, Derby, Fleetwing, Imperial, Crescent, Flying Merkel,Racycle, Sterling, Stormer, Rambler, Waverly
Iver Johnson
Initially formed as Johnson and Bye & Co. in 1871 in Worchester,MA the company was renamed Iver Johnson’s Arms and Cycles Works when it wasmoved to Fitchburg, MA in 1891. Iver Johnson bicycles were typically high grademachines and manufactured most of the parts for their bicycles rather thanrelying on other manufacturers. The Super Mobike featured stainless fenders, anoctagonal battery tank, a unique crank assembly, and a hornlight. Iver Johnsonceased bicycle production in 1941.
Badge: IverJohnson
Huffman Manufacturing/Huffy
The Huffman Manufacturing Company began producing bicyclesin 1934 in Dayton, OH. While its initial offerings were rather plain by 1936the company introduced some exceedingly stylish bikes such as the SafetyStreamline followed by the Super Streamline bicycles. In 1938 Huffman introducedthe “Twin Flex” which was a full suspension bike (front and rear springs). The1940/1 Champion and Mainliner lines are also very popular with collectors.Huffman was one of two manufacturers to produce bikes for the war effort(Westfield was the other) and these military models are highly sought after.The company changed its name to Huffy in 1977 but the bicycles had been brandedas Huffy since 1953. Although the Huffy brand still exists all production is inChina.
Badges: Huffman, Huffy,Dayton, National, LaFrance, Dixie Flyer, Airflyte, National, Snell, Davisflyer, Chieftan, Indian, Belknap, Firestone, Everbest
Colson Corporation
The Colson Corporation was located in Elyria, OH andmanufactured bicycles form 1917 to 1953. In 1954 the Evans Products Companybought the bicycle division from Colson and Evans-Colson bicycles were solduntil 1962. Some of the more interesting bicycles produced were the Hi-Lo whichcontained a rudimentary two speed transmission in the crank hanger and wasshifted by a shifter mounted to the frame. Colson produced some of the mostoutrageous paint schemes in the 1930s on its top-of-the-line Commanders andImperials. Colson used a suspension consisting of rubber cushion(s) on some ofits top models. Colson produced models for both Goodyear and Firestoneincluding exclusive designs such as the Double Eagle (aka Clipper) for Goodyearand the Super Cruiser (aka Bull Nose) for Firestone.
Badges: Colson,Scout, Vogue (girls models), Double Eagle and Double Eagle Deluxe (Goodyear),Firestone Cruiser and Super Cruiser, Wings, Rover, Packard, Pilot, Flying Ace,Olympic, Champion, Lincoln
Murray Ohio Co.
The Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company was formed in 1919 inCleveland, OH. Initially the company made automobile parts but by the mid-1930swas producing bicycles, primarily, for Sears. In 1939 Murray introduced thePacemaker at the World’s Fair held in New York. The bicycle was designed byfamed industrial artist and designer Viktor Schreckengost. Murray continued toproduce bicycles after the war for Sears and others with such notable musclebikes as the Eliminator and Wildcat. In the late 1980s Murray was sold to aBritish investment company and by 1999 bicycle production ceased.
Badges: Murray,Mercury, Elgin, Western Flyer, PENCO, J.C. Higgins, Sears
Manton-Smith
Manton and Smith was a Chicago, IL ornamental iron companythat started building bike frames for other companies in the early 20’s. Fromabout 1936 to 1953 the company manufactured its own line of bicycles. Among themore interesting features found on some Manton Smiths is the fork lock brazedto the head tube. Manton Smith also employed a unique spring fork. The prewar “GoldenZephyr” was perhaps their finest model. Like other bikes of the time they were soldthrough distributors and retailers and a variety of head badges can be found onthese bikes although they are fairly obscure.
Badges: Manton-Smith,Gold Eagle Pacer, Gold Eagle Bike-Lok, Gold Eagle Special, Silver Shield(Western Tire and Auto), Seneca, Ranger
(Redirected from Roadmaster (bicycles))
Subsidiary | |
Industry | Bicycles |
---|---|
Founded | 1936; 84 years ago |
Headquarters | Olney, Illinois |
Products | Bicycle and Related Components |
Parent | Dorel |
Roadmaster is an American bicycle brand currently owned by Pacific Cycle, which in turn is owned by Dorel Industries of Canada.
History[edit]
Roadmaster Mt Fury
Roadmaster Cape Cod on New York street
Roadmaster Bicycles were first introduced by the Cleveland Welding Company in 1936. In 1950, after purchasing the Roadmaster line of children's and youth bicycles from the Cleveland Welding Company, AMF entered the bicycle manufacturing business with its newly formed AMF Wheeled Goods Division. In 1953, after a labor strike, AMF moved bicycle manufacturing from the UAW-organized plant in Cleveland, Ohio to a new facility in Little Rock, Arkansas.[1] The new plant was heavily automated and featured more than a mile of part conveyor belts in six separate systems, including an electrostatic spray painting operation.[2]
Taking advantage of the increase in its target markets in the aftermath of the baby boom, AMF was able to diversify its product line, adding exercise equipment under the brand name Vitamaster in 1950. As demand for bicycles continued to expand, the company found the need for a new manufacturing facility to keep up with demand. As two-wheeled bicycles increased in popularity a new plant was built in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1951. In 1962, the company moved its operations to Olney, Illinois, where it built a new factory on a 122-acre (0.49 km2) site that would remain the company's principal bicycle manufacturing location into the 1990s. Products manufactured there were children's vehicles, sidewalk bikes, toy autos, tricycles, garden tractors, seat cars and wagons and playground equipment. The company produced over 100,000 miniature Mustangs for Ford Motor Company late in the 1960s. BMX bikes, mopeds and exercise bicycles were introduced in the 1970s.
After two decades of consistent growth, the AMF Wheel Goods Division stalled under the long-distance management of a parent company bogged down in layers of corporate management and marginally profitable product lines. Manufacturing quality as well as the technical standard of the Roadmaster bicycle line - once the pride of the company - had fallen to an all-time low. Bicycles made at the Olney plant were manufactured so poorly that some Midwestern bike shops refused to repair them, claiming that the bikes would not stay fixed no matter how much labor and effort was put into them.[3] The division's problems with quality and outside competition were neatly summed up in a 1979 American film, Breaking Away, in which identical secondhand AMF Roadmaster track bicycles were used by competitors in the Little 500 bicycle race. Despite this product placement, the film's protagonist expressed a decided preference for his lightweight Italian Masi road racing bike, deriding the elderly Roadmaster as a 'piece of junk'.[4]
In 1983 AMF sold the assets to George Nebel, the General Manager and Bob Zinnen. In 1987 the company was sold to entrepreneur and merger and acquisition expert Thomas W Itin. Itin brought in two other investors Equitex and Enercorp, both Business Development Companies, under the 40 Act 'BDCs' run by Henry Fong. It changed its name to Roadmaster Industries, Inc. and positioned itself as the leader in the fitness equipment and junior toy industries. Itin and Fong took the company public through an IPO in the end of 1987. Itin and Fong acquired over 20 companies in the sporting goods field. Roadmaster grew from $40,000,00 in unprofitable sales to over $800,000,000 of highly profitable sales. Under the symbol of RDMI it went from small cap on NASDQ to large cap on NMS to the American Stock Exchange and then to the New York Stock Exchange and became a Fortune 1000 company.
Helped by the increasing popularity of Mountain Bikes, Roadmaster experienced a 72% increase in bicycle sales in 1993. A new bicycle production plant was built in Effingham, Illinois to keep pace with the growing demand. Roadmaster acquired Flexible Flyer Company, whose history dates back to 1889.
In 1997 the Roadmaster bicycle division was sold to the Brunswick Corporation.[5] However, it had already become evident that production of low-cost, mass-market bicycles in the United States was no longer viable in the face of intense foreign competition,[6] and in 1999, all U.S. production of Roadmaster bicycles ceased. Brunswick sold its bicycle division and the Roadmaster brand to Pacific Cycle, which began distributing a new Roadmaster line of bicycles imported from Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. Pacific Cycle still uses the Olney facility for corporate offices and as a product inventory and distribution center.
Today the Roadmaster brand has been reactivated and is basically a low-end to middle-end bike sold through big box stores.[7]
Cleveland Welding Company Serial Numbers Customer Service
References[edit]
- ^Petty, Ross D., Pedaling Schwinn Bicycles: Marketing Lessons for the Leading Post-World War II U.S. Bicycle Brand, Babson College, MA (2007), p. 5 ArticleArchived 2013-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^Petty, Ross D., Pedaling Schwinn Bicycles, p. 5
- ^Vandewater, Judith, Vandewater, Judith, Bike Maker Is on the Road Again, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 July 1985
- ^Breaking Away, Tesich, Steve (screenwriter), Yates, Peter (director), distributed by 20th Century Fox, released 13 July 1979
- ^https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501EED71F39F933A15754C0A960958260
- ^Sands, David R., Chinese Bikes Ruled No Threat To U.S. Makes, The Washington Times, 5 June 1996
- ^http://www.roadmasterbikes.com/bikes/ official page redirects to http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=roadmaster&cat_id=4171_133073. Top of page states 'Only available at Walmart'
External links[edit]
Cleveland Welding Company Serial Numbers Value
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