Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company 1892-1899 was a bicycle manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. By 1896 the company became one of the largest manufacturers of bicycles in the world.

History

The company was founded in 1892 by

John William Kiser John William Kiser (June 20, 1857 – October 31, 1916) was a 19th-century industrialist who owned the Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois. His company became one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world. Early l ...

. In 1892, the year the company began, there were 35 employees and the company made 150 bicycles. By 1896 there were 1200 Monarch cycle employees, and they were producing 50,000 bicycles. The company sold bicycles worldwide. Monarch Cycle produced a chain-less bicycle with a patented two-piece

crankshaft A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting ...

. To promote the company, they sponsored safety bicycle contests for their trick rider Lee Richardson. In 1899 the company was sold to the Bicycle Trust. The American Bicycle Company only lasted a few years (from 1899-1903). Historians have not determined why the company failed but they have several theories. One idea was that the company was poorly organized, and another theory is that the various manufacturers involved in the company had different objectives. After the breakup the many different companies went back to competing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company History of cycling 1892 introductions Manufacturing companies based in Chicago Cycle manufacturers of the United States History of cycling in the United States Companies based in Chicago