Wright Cycle Company

The Wright Cycle Company was a bicycle business started by the famous Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, in Dayton, Ohio. They began by repairing, renting, and selling bicycles in 1892 while also running a print shop. Their bicycle business helped fund their important studies in flying.

In 1896, the Wright brothers began making their own bicycles called the Van Cleve and the St. Clair. They made clever inventions like a self-oiling hub and a special way to attach the pedal to prevent it from coming loose. One of their old shops at 22 South Williams Street is still standing today and is part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

The money they made from selling bicycles helped the Wright brothers pay for their experiments with flying. They even used a bicycle to test ideas about airplane wings and built a small wind tunnel in their shop to test many different wing shapes. In the same building, they designed and built their very first airplane, the Wright Flyer. The shop closed in 1909 when they started their aviation company, and in 1937, the building was moved to Greenfield Village in Michigan.

Shop locations

With the exception of the West Second Street location, which is located near the Schuster Center on the other side of the Miami River, all of the shops are located within about one block of each other.

• 1892—Wright Cycle Exchange at 1005 West Third Street
• 1893—Wright Cycle Exchange at 1015 West Third Street
• 1893 to 1894—Wright Cycle Exchange at 1034 West Third Street. The name later changed to Wright Cycle Co.
• 1895 to 1897—Wright Cycle Co. at two locations—the main store at 22 South Williams Street, and a branch store in downtown Dayton at 23 West Second Street. The branch closed in 1896.
• 1897 to 1909—The Wright Cycle Co. at 1127 West Third Street.

Wright Cycle Exchange (1892–1893)

After buying bicycles in 1892, the Wright brothers started fixing them because many people needed repairs. They opened a shop called the Wright Cycle Exchange at 1005 West Third Street in Dayton, Ohio, in December 1892. There, they sold bicycles for prices between $40 and $100, rented bikes out, and sold parts and accessories too. Soon after, they moved to 1015 West Third Street and even put an ad in the newspaper. By the end of 1893, they moved again to 1034 West Third Street and changed the shop's name to the Wright Cycle Company.

Wright Cycle Company (1894–1909)

In 1895, the Wright brothers moved to 22 South Williams Street in Dayton, Ohio. This is the only one of their six shops that is still standing today and is now called the Wright Cycle Company Complex. That same year, they opened another shop at 20 West Second Street, but it closed the next year. In 1896, they began making and selling their own bicycles, including the more expensive Van Cleve and the cheaper St. Clair. Orville added special features to their bikes, like the Oil-Retaining Wheel Hub and Coaster-Brakes. This was a very successful time for them, and they worked at 22 South Williams Street from 1895 to 1897.

In 1897, they moved their shop to 1127 West Third Street, which was their last location. In 1900, they made a catalog to show off their famous Van Cleve bikes, which now came in two models. As they became more focused on the Wright Glider, they made fewer bicycles after 1902 and stopped completely in 1904. In 1909, the shop at 1127 West Third Street was changed to work only on airplanes, and the Wright brothers sold the bicycle company to W.F. Meyers. He kept selling Van Cleves until 1939, marking the end of the Wright Cycle Company.