Wright Cycle Company facts for kids
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Wright Cycle Company & Wright and Wright Printing Offices and Shop
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Rented by Wright Brothers, 1895-97
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| Location | 22 South Williams St., Dayton, Ohio |
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| Built | 1886 |
| Architect | Abraham and Joseph Nicholas |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 86000236 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 13, 1986 |
| Designated NHL | June 21, 1990 |
The Wright Cycle Company was the bicycle business owned by the famous Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur. It started as the Wright Cycle Exchange and had six different locations in Dayton, Ohio. The brothers began repairing, renting, and selling bicycles in 1892. They also kept their printing shop running, which they had started earlier. The money they earned from their bicycle business helped them pay for their amazing studies and experiments with flying machines.
In 1896, the Wright brothers started making and selling their own bicycles. They designed two models: the Van Cleve, named after an early settler of Dayton, and the St. Clair. They even invented a special self-oiling hub for the wheels. They also came up with a clever way to make sure the pedals wouldn't unscrew while someone was riding.
The brick building at 22 South Williams Street is very special. The Wrights worked there from 1895 to 1897. It's the only building that housed a Wright bicycle shop that is still standing in its original spot. They ran their printing shop on the second floor of this building. Today, this historic building is part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and the National Aviation Heritage Area.
The profits from the Wright Cycle Company were super important because they funded the brothers' aviation experiments. In 1901, they even used one of their St. Clair bicycles to test how airfoils (wing shapes) worked. They attached a third bicycle wheel horizontally above the front wheel to help them study.
At their last bicycle shop location, 1127 West Third Street, they built a six-foot wind tunnel on the second floor. From October to December, they did groundbreaking tests in this tunnel. They tested over 200 different shapes of small model wings! In the same building, they designed and built their gliders and their very first airplane, the Wright Flyer. This amazing plane cost less than $1,000 to build.
The bicycle shop closed in 1909, as the brothers focused entirely on their aviation company. In 1937, with help from Orville Wright, the building at 1127 West Third Street was moved to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, by Henry Ford.
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Where the Shops Were Located
Most of the Wright brothers' bicycle shops were located very close to each other, usually within one block. The only exception was the West Second Street location, which was across the Miami River near the Schuster Center.
Here are the different places their shops were:
- 1892—The Wright Cycle Exchange opened at 1005 West Third Street.
- 1893—They moved the Wright Cycle Exchange to 1015 West Third Street.
- 1893 to 1894—The shop moved again to 1034 West Third Street. Here, the name changed from Wright Cycle Exchange to Wright Cycle Company.
- 1895 to 1897—The Wright Cycle Company had two locations: the main store at 22 South Williams Street, and a smaller branch in downtown Dayton at 23 West Second Street. The branch store closed in 1896.
- 1897 to 1909—The final location for the Wright Cycle Co. was at 1127 West Third Street.
The Wright Cycle Exchange (1892–1893)
After Orville and Wilbur bought their own bicycles in the spring of 1892, they became very good at fixing them. Many people needed bicycle repairs, so the brothers decided to open their own repair shop. In December 1892, they rented a small store at 1005 West Third Street and officially started the Wright Cycle Exchange.
They sold bicycles that cost between $40 and $100. Besides selling, they also rented out bikes and sold parts and accessories. Later, the brothers moved their shop to 1015 West Third Street. By the end of 1893, the shop moved one more time to 1034 West Third Street. At this location, they changed the name from Wright Cycle Exchange to the Wright Cycle Company.
The Wright Cycle Company (1894–1909)
In 1895, the Wright Brothers moved their business to 22 South Williams Street. This is the only one of their six shop locations that is still standing today! It has now become part of the Wright Cycle Company Complex and the National Aviation Heritage Area. They also opened a second small branch store at 20 West Second Street in 1895, but it closed the very next year.
In 1896, the Wright Brothers started selling bicycles that they designed themselves. They offered a more expensive model called the Van Cleve and a cheaper one called the St. Clair. Orville added his own cool inventions to the bikes, like the Oil-Retaining Wheel Hub and Coaster-Brakes. This time was a period of great success for the Wright Brothers' bicycle business. They worked at 22 South Williams Street from 1895 to 1897.
In 1897, the Wright Brothers moved their shop to 1127 West Third Street. This was the sixth and final home for the Wright Cycle Company. In 1900, they even created a Van Cleve Catalog to promote their famous Van Cleve bicycle, which now came in two different models.
As the brothers became more and more focused on their flying experiments, especially the Wright Glider, they made very few bicycles after 1902. They stopped making bikes completely after 1904. In 1909, the shop at 1127 West Third Street was fully changed to focus on airplanes. The Wright Brothers then sold their bicycle company to W.F. Meyers, who continued to sell Van Cleves until 1939. This marked the end of the original Wright Cycle Company.
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