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The PIERCE CYCLE COMPANY
Buffalo, NY
Updated
4.16.2012
George
N. Pierce (1846-1911) formed a company in 1873
with two partners known as Heinz, Pierce and Munshauer for the
manufacture of refrigerators, bird cages, ice
boxes and bathtubs.
Pierce left that firm in 1878 to establish a rival concern under the
name of George N. Pierce & Company, and in 1888 added a line of
children's tricycles, a product that was becoming very popular at
the time.
By 1890, Pierce started building a full line of adult hard-tired and
cushion-tired "safety" bicycles. By 1892 Pierce had dropped all of
his other products except birdcages and iceboxes and in 1895 he
stopped manufacturing these, too. He then continued as just a
bicycle company.
The earliest Pierce bicycles' nameplates used an arrow which was to
become the familiar hallmark of all of Pierce's advertising and
nameplates for decades to come.
Pierce made what was probably the best bicycle
of this era. It had a shaft drive, which was considered preferable
to the chain at this time. State-of-the-art suspension came from a
front fork of spring leaves and a telescopic shock absorber on the
drop bar. It was called the Pierce hygienic Cushion Frame with an
eye toward its healthful anti-vibration qualities. The
company's 1897 model sold for $75.
In 1891 Pierce also began producing automobiles which culminated in
official launching of the
Pierce-Arrow
Motor Car Co. in 1907.
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