The Wright brothers are world-widely known as the aviation pioneers in America, generally credited with inventing, building and flying the world’s first successful motor-operated airplane. Thus, initiating the race to conquer the skies. What most people, even most bikers, do not know is that Orville and Wilbur delved into the passionate area of bikes.

They opened a bike shop in 1892. The business was called Wright Cycle Exchange and located in 1005 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio, USA. Here, they repaired and sold first and second-hand bicycles. Thanks to being extremely restless and technology passionate, they expanded their business and created a bike factory in 22 South Williams Street, Dayton, in 1894. The Wright Bicycle Company saw the birth of the opulent Van Cleve bicycle, named in honor of their great-great-grandmother, as well as the more available St. Clair. They built about 300 bicycles per year with prices between $42.5 and $65. Furthermore, those bikes experienced technical improvement due to the technological advancement of the Wright brothers. For example, they implemented sophisticated backpedal brakes or a special lubrication system because of the Dayton streets dust.

However, their interest in the bicycle world diminished little by little and it changed to follow the primary feature of birds: The flying capacity. Some points made it available. On the one hand, Orville and Wilbur competed in a saturated market in which brands allowed little space to craftsmen. Dayton saw Wright rivals like George P. Huffman who created the Dayton Special or the Dayton Racer. These both resulted in the legendary Huffy Bikes. On the other hand, the Wright brothers continued following their interests and variability. Hence, they moved forward to the next step.